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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

SPJSC takes top three at the Placencia Sailing Regatta
The San Pedro Junior Sailing Club (SPJSC) has dominated in the past three regattas of the sailing season, and the fourth was no different as the sailors took the top three prizes. The Placencia Youth Sailing Regatta was held on Saturday, May 24th and Sunday, May 25th at the Placencia Peninsula and saw the participation of 48 sailors from across the country. At the end of the two day regatta, SPJSC returned home victorious, with Jerdon Anderson taking first place, Christian Trejo taking second place and Faith Noel taking third place. The regatta consisted of six races, and throughout each, sailors aimed to score the least amount of points as to rank on top. At the end of the competition Jerdon Anderson of SPJSC placed first in the optimist class, closely followed by Christian Trejo and Faith Noel, both also from SPJSC. Top finishers in the optimist class included: Antonio Ricardez Jr. (BCSC) in 4th, Samantha Vasquez (SPJSC) on 5th, Blanca Vasquez (SPJSC) in 6th, Trent Hardwick (Sea Scouts) in 7th, Davin Puc (SPJSC) in 8th, Christopher Young (CBSC) in 9th and Nashira Ricardez (BCSC) in 10th.

SPHS holds Grand Raffle
On Wednesday, May 28th, San Pedro High School (SPHS) held their grand fundraising raffle, the proceeds of which were used for the sports and drama exchange programs. Drawing the winners of the raffle was Afrie Black, member of the SPHS basketball team. First prize was a round trip ticket to Miami, Florida US and the very lucky winner was Juan Carlos Perez. Other winners: 2nd- a roundtrip ticket to Chetumal and one night stay at Los Cocos Hotel – Noemi Juarez 3rd- HTC smart phone – Renison Crawford 4th-

Get to know the Miss SPHS Contestants before the big night on May 31st!
On Saturday May 31st the Rafael Angel Nuñez Auditorium will be the place to be as the Miss San Pedro High Pageant takes place. The show kicks off at 7PM and tickets will be on sale at the gate. Tickets can be purchased in advance at $7 for General Admission and $10 for Reserved Seating, and they can be bought from students, teachers and board members of SPHS. We got to know a bit more about the four lovely contestants, and here’s what they have to share: Erica Bodden, Ezra Jailene Jacobs, Sheila Chi, Marisha Jamel Thomspon.

Industria del Amor to headline Costa Maya Festival 2014!
The Costa Maya Committee has been working behind the scenes to bring entertainment and fun to the island once again, and headlining the three-night event scheduled for August is the romantic group Industria del Amor. Originating from California, USA, Industria del Amor began in the 1980’s, and scored minor hits in Mexico before hitting their stride in the 90’s. The mid-level soft-rock musical group is comprised of vocalist Roberto Verduzco and musicians Tony Avalos, Alex Solis, Salvador Chava Vasquez, Bobby Verduzco and Francisco Javier Solis. The prolific group has put out a veritable number of albums, the majority of them chart-toppers. With such favorites as Amor, Amor, Rosas Rojas, Tu Amante Escondido, Tunaciste para mi, Dos Enamorados, and many more. Industria del Amor is sure to bring the romance and memories for the night of August 9th.

Ambergris Today

Problems of Living in Belize – Coconut Roadblock
You are driving along the beach, gazing at the clear blue sea, bright beach and beautiful scenery when suddenly find yourself making an abrupt stop. There is bunch of coconuts blocking your way. What do you do? Well when live gives you lemons, you naturally make lemonade. So when life gives you coconuts, get some coconut water and refresh yourself. So finding a bunch of coconuts blocking your way might seem to be a problem of living in Belize, but like most of us residents do – stop and purchase some fresh coconut water and meat. You can also have the ‘Coconut Lady’ slice open one coconut and have yourself one serving of coconut water (milk); she carries straws with her too!!!!

Rowan Garel Keeps Working Hard for the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired
Climb Victoria Peak – Done Walk Across Belize – Done Dive the Blue Hole – Done Everyone has been asking the question, “What will Rowan do this year to raise fund for children like him, children who are blind?” The Belize Council for the Visually Impaired (BCVI) is proud to announce that Rowan Garel has officially been named Belize’s Youth Ambassador for the Commonwealth Games in Scotland this summer. In addition, Rowan will also be working as an assistant instructor at BCVI’s Summer Camp in July teaching other children in the Rehabilitation and Education Program. Since 1981, BCVI has been working to not only prevent and reduce blindness, but also to provide blind children and adults with educational support and skills needed to live independent and fulfilling lives. Every year, the BCVI faces the challenge of raising fund for their Rehabilitation Program, the area that provides training and equipment for people who are irreversibly blind or visually impaired. The BCVI’s annual summer camps are the highlight of the children and provide not only entertainment and field trips, but the crucial skills needed to meet their milestones and educational targets.

Town Council Hires New Town Foreman
The Town Council is always looking for ways to meet the needs of the island and has hired another foreman to share the work with the present foreman. Mr. Abel Guerrero Jr., now joins Mr. Freddie Gonzalez in taking care of our island needs. Freddie Gonzalez was hired in June 2012 and joined Mr. Samuel Gonzalez as the second town foreman. With Mr. Abel Guerrero joining the team, Freddie Gonzalez has been assigned as General Town Foreman and Mr. Abel Guerrero will be in charge of the southern end of the island. Mr. Samuel Gonzalez has now been assigned to be in charge of Waste Management for the island. Mr. Abel Guerrero has great managerial expertise which he will put into great use and will ensure that workers are organized and that our town is maintained clean and well-kept. Mr. Guerrero brings with him more than 35 years of experience in supervision as he was previously the manager at Krystal Shipping and prior to that, the co-manager at The Victoria House. He is a very hard working man with nothing but the town's best interest at heart.

Celebrate Customer Appreciation Day with Santiago Castillo Ltd
Celebrate Customer Appreciation Day with Santiago Castillo Ltd. Saturday, May 31, 2014 with special guest Chef Sean Kuylen

Misc Belizean Sources

Workshops for the National Song Competition 2014 begins this weekend
The National Song Competition sets the tone for the celebration atmosphere each year for the annual September celebrations. This year for the first time, the competition will be branching out to the districts offering both workshops and stage performances to the artists and song writers in the four regions of the country. In lieu of this the National Celebrations Commission in association with Atlantic International Bank presents artist workshops to kick off this year’s National Song Competition season. Facilitating the workshop will be some of the leading musicians currently in Belize and topics to be covered include: Lyrical Content; Song Writing; Stage Performance among many others.

3rd annual Men at Work Art Exhibit
The Corozal House of Culture (NICH) is pleased to present the 3rd annual Men at Work Art Exhibit. The majority of time, men are occupied producing their work in order to provide for their families. Our male artists rarely take time to simply showcase their art and be recognized for their cultural achievements. Please join us Saturday June 7th, at 7 p.m. as we proudly give recognition to the talented men of Corozal. Truly some of the finest in the country.

Belize Economic Statistics Q1-2014
The Statistical Institute of Belize has released the numbers for the 1st quarter of 2014. There's been a double digit growth in eco-tourism...and mass tourism, and also shrimp farming. "IMPORTS: Imports increased 3.8 percent to $602 million between January and April 2014. Increased spending on all major categories of goods except free zone purchases, which has fallen by $18 million. In absolute terms, largest increase was in purchases from Mexico and Central America."

From Poland to US to Belize: Engineer travels globe
Starting at a young age, a strong work ethic was instilled in Piotr Wilk. Born in Poland, he moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York, at 6 years old. For the 13 years before he joined the U.S. Air Force, he worked construction with his father. "A strong work ethic - that's been driven into me quite a few times by the old man," said Wilk of laboring alongside his father. "It was a lot of manual labor, and I learned a lot of lessons in those few years, particularly, that it could always be worse." Self-described as "Cutthroat. Quick to it. Definitely not reserved. Passionate. Strong," Wilk said. "That's the way I was brought up - to be hard-working." As a technical sergeant in the service, Wilk has applied that ethic to his current position as the project manager at the Stella Maris School Belize Academy for the Deaf, where he and a team of multi-service engineers are nearing completion on building additions for the school as part of New Horizons Belize 2014. New Horizons is a multifaceted exercise that incorporates mutual training opportunities for Belize Defence Force, Canadian and U.S. military members in the engineering and medical fields.

Placencia Mangrove Planting Project Organized in Memory of Environmentalist Adrian Vernon
Over 350 baby mangroves planted at the old Crimson development site (next to the airstrip) in memory of a great conservationist and a pioneer of mangrove restoration in Placencia and throughout the country. This morning more than forty volunteers gathered in the Crimson Development community area of Placencia Village to participate in a mangrove planting activity organized in memory of environmentalist Adrian Vernon. Approximately four hundred seedlings were planted by members of the Vernon family, the World Wildlife Fund, the Southern Environmental Association, Oceana, the Placencia Village Council, Placencia Citizens for Sustainable Development, the Placencia Fishermen’s Cooperative, Friends of the Placencia Lagoon and the Coco Plum Resort and Residential Development. The mangroves now line the canal adjacent to the Placencia airstrip and will serve as a buffer for the residential plots of the Crimson Development community area. Adrian Vernon, a staunch advocate for the protection of the Placencia lagoon as well as national mangrove restoration initiatives, passed away in February 2014. Vernon’s commitment to the environment was recognized in 2012 when the Belize Audubon Society presented him with the prestigious James A. Waight award. During the planting exercise, SEA announced that other initiatives, including a scholarship will be named in honor of Adrian Vernon and a Mangrove Restoration Guide.

Best mural painting competition
Congratulations are in order for, Leeworth Robateau, a 2nd form student of the Belmopan Comprehensive High School for winning the best mural painting competition. His submission will be painted on the newly renovated Civic Center very soon. The Belmopan City Council wants to thank all the other students that submitted their paintings, we wish them all the best and hope to have more competitions like this one in the every near future.

Lemon Meringue Cake
Preheat oven to 350F degrees; grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan. For CAKE cream butter gradually adding the sugar. Add egg yolks and 1 egg to creamed mixture beating well. Combine 1 cup of flour and baking powder and sift. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternating with milk mixing after each addition. Pour batter into prepared cake pan; bake about 25 to 30 minutes or until pick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely. For FILLING combine egg yolks and water; set aside. Combine ¾ cup sugar and 1/3 cup flour in a heavy saucepan; add egg yolk mixture and lemon rind.

The U.S. Embassy Belmopan has vacancies for two Project Assistant positions with the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Office and an IT Multimedia Technician.
The successful candidates will be required to obtain a security clearance and undergo a medical examination. More info. here: http://belize.usembassy.gov/job_opportunities.html SUBMIT APPLICATION TO: [email protected]. All applications must be signed and scanned. ONLY electronic applications will be accepted. To view the DS 174-Universal Application for Employment form (UAE) and application instructions, please click on http://photos.state.gov/libraries/belize/231771/PDFs/134kb.pdf. Your e-mail must state the vacancy title and vacancy announcement number in the subject line, Example: INL Project Assistant, vacancy announcement No. 2014-08. E-mails received without the appropriate subject line will not be considered. The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, June 13, 2014. Applications will not be accepted after June 13, 2014.

Channel 7

Finally, Coyes Get Their Millions
Finally, after almost 5 years of fighting the money laundering case, a huge part of the Coye estate has been handed back to Melonie Coye and her mother Marlene. That decision came this morning out of the court room of Justice Sonya Young. Almost 2 months ago, Melonie Coye, and her late father, Michael Coye, were fully exonerated by the Court of Appeal of the charge of money laundering. The court ordered that their money, 1.557 million dollars, needed to be handed back to them. A month later, the Supreme Court unfroze their bank accounts, but the Panamanian Company, Internet Experts SA managed to get an interim injunction in the Supreme Court which blocked them. So, for that entire time, all the money which should have been returned, was once again locked up. That's because Internet Experts SA is claiming that the Coyes owe them 4.8 million US dollars, and they brought a private lawsuit against the family in 2010. So, when their attorney, Lisa Shoman, heard that the court was releasing everything back to them, she got an interim injunction granted.

Accident Victim Says Dump Truck To Blame
Yesterday we told you about the accident that killed well-known Customs Guard Frank "Mango" Robinson. As we told you, Robinson was driving an Isuzu D-Max pickup at the end of Lord's Ridge Cemetery when he made a sudden left turn. The 10 wheel dump-truck that was coming behind him, was driven by 48 year old Martin Burke -and he has been served with a notice of intended prosecution. Burke says there's nothing he could do because Robinson turned suddenly, and he couldn't pull to the shoulder because pedestrians were standing there. Robinson suffered major injuries, and was crushed inside the truck. He died shortly after rescue teams managed to remove him, which took about half an hour. But, while a major part of the narrative has been that Robinson was distracted or was on the phone when he made an unexpected turn, his passenger in the back seat had a completely different perspective. He explains how he saw the accident:..

His Mother Perished In A Fire; Gabourel Says It Wasnt Him
The biggest story of last week was the tragic death of Erceline Gabourel, the 82 year old who perished when her wooden home burned down. But, the house didn't just "burn down" - it was burnt down - and neighbors we spoke to point their finger at her son, Dennis "Desho" Gabourel. They say he had long been a neglectful and disrespectful son - and, in saying that, they indirectly blame him for somehow being responsible for the arson. Now, that's so evil that it seems unthinkable, but Gabourel today acknowledged that those accusations are out there. He says he knows he can't do anything about what people say - but he also has a business and a reputation to protect. Gabourel is the owner of a Horse and Carriage Company, and he's also a licensed tour guide. So, today he came to our newsroom to clear his name as best he can. He told us what it was like when he reached the scene:... Jules Vasquez "What was your reaction when you saw that your mother had perished in the fire when you finally got up to the house and saw that she had perished in the fire?"

Shanicka Won A Gold But Lost Her Health
Last weekend, a delegation of 19 juniour athletes went to Nicaragua to participate in the 2014 CADICA Jr A and JR B Tournament. They did modestly well, earning ten medals, most of them bronze. Acting President of the Belize Amateur Athletic Association Jaheed Smith gave us a rundown:…

Less Than A Handful Of Protesters Against Shyne
This afternoon, there was a protest held in Battlefield Park organized to allow local artists to vent their frustration with the situation in the music Industry. The two main issues they had to discuss was the immediate removal of Moses “Shyne” Levi as the musical ambassador, and Diane Haylock as the President of NICH.

UWI Makes Its Position Clear On Prof. Bain
Tomorrow, Christian Activists, Belize Action & Belize Association of Evangelical Churches will hold another protest in downtown Belize City. This one is named - quite dramatically - "Freedom Under Attack" and it starts at 11:00 am in Battlefield Park. Their well-publicized position is that Professor Bain was fired for simply quoting scientific and statistical fact: that men who have sex with men have a far higher incidence of HIV. The University of the West Indies addressed this and other issues in an internal communiqué sent out on Monday. The statement says, quote, "For more than a year, there has been mounting concern about the incompatibility of Professor Bain's testimony with the programme he was contracted to lead…it was becoming increasingly evident , based on private discussions, that regional and international groups were becoming uncomfortable with Professor Bain's credibility in advocating for the most vulnerable individuals. This lack of credibility, which also led to his resignation from the leadership of PANCAP, has undermined his ability to represent CHART and adequately fulfil the programme's objectives."

Police Say He's A Marijuana Farmer
24 year-old Biscayne Resident Dwayne Bradley is out on bail tonight after he was taken to court for allegedly setting up a marijuana farm. Officers of the Anti-Drug Unit visited area between miles 29 and 30 of the Northern Highway in Biscayne Village yesterday afternoon at around 2:30 p.m. They found 101 marijuana plants being grown in this area, and after investigating, they connected the plants to Bradley. He was then arrested and charged with cultivation of marijuana plants and drug trafficking, and he was arraigned today before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stewart. He tried to plead guilty to the charge saying that indeed he does sell the plants, but Magistrate Stewart entered him into a not-guilty plea because she believed that he didn't understand the nature of the charges.

Prime Minister In Washington DC
Prime Minister Dean Barrow was in the US Capital Washington DC today where he visited the Inter-American Development Bank, or the IDB as it is more commonly known. A release from the IDB says he met with President Luis Alberto Moreno to discuss Belize's relationship with the Bank and priority areas of collaboration. They also spoke about the Bank's recently approved new country strategy with Belize which focuses on public expenditure efficiency and effectiveness and promoting private sector development and sustainable export-led growth, by concentrating on four priority areas: education, tourism, transport and trade and tax policy. The Bank's 2014 lending program with Belize centers on road rehabilitation and education, totaling $30 million US dollars. The Bank's current portfolio in Belize includes five loans for 38 million US dollars, supporting agriculture, citizen security, water and sanitation, solid waste and flood mitigation.

Upgrading Earthen Streets
We know all about those cement streets in Belize City – but with central Government putting in another 10 million dollars for the last tranche of streets, it can’t all go through City Hall, some of those allocations have to go through UDP area representatives – who want to show their constituents that they’re doing something.

An Arresting Look At Powerful Women
Artist Briheda Haylock has opened a very interesting exhibit at the House of Culture. She’s taken photographs of some of the most powerful women in Belizean society, but with a slight twist.

Why GOB Is Claiming Victory In SATIIM Case
We've finally gotten a copy of the perfected order from Justice Michelle Arana in the SATIIM case, and it seems to be official that Government and US Capital Energy got the win, if only by a small margin. As we've told you the perfected order is agreed upon after the attorneys from all parties have carefully read and interpreted the judgment. All interpretations are then taken back before the judge, where the final order is delivered after consultation with everyone. We've since been querying how that final order came about, and we were told that SATIIM and the Buffer Communities wanted the interpretation to be that Government must obtain consent from the Communities before permits or licenses could be granted in line with the UN Convention on Indigenous Rights. Denys Barrow, attorney for the Government, presented his interpretation, to the judge given the entire judgement, and that's when Justice Arana made a modification.

PROFILE...
Tonight's I am Belize Teacher Profile focuses on Marie Fernandez a teacher at Santa Elena RC Primary in the Cayo district. Unlike most of our profile subjects, she's not a career teacher - but she came to the profession after a first career in the public service where she rose to the rank of Finance Officer, until a change of personal circumstances pushed her to teaching. She explains in the profile:..

BBQ Fund-raising For Ladyville Police Cadets
Officers from the Ladyville Police Station are hoping that the public will support them tomorrow in a fund raising effort for their cadet program. It's a simple barbeque sale, but according to the community policing commander from Ladyville the funds will go toward buying uniforms and other items for the cadets: The barbeques will cost $6, and Ladyville police are hoping that you will stop by to buy from them.

Channel 5

Vitalino Reyes Jr. clings to life after he is brutally beaten by employees of competition
Tour Operator, Vitalino Reyes Junior of Cavetubing dot bz, is in a coma at the K.H.M.H. tonight, the victim of a brutal beating on Thursday evening. It happened at a [...]

3 Belize City high schools to amalgamate; teachers in fear of losing their jobs
Tonight, there is fear and anxiety among a number of teachers over the proposed amalgamation of three high schools in Belize City. The proposal has been on the drawing board [...]

Family of Frank Robinson believes a third vehicle was involved in fatal accident
On Thursday afternoon, two vehicles collided on the George Price Highway. Customs officer, Frank Robinson perished on impact, while two others traveling with him in the government pickup truck were [...]

Coye family finally gets back frozen assets
On May fifth, the Supreme Court ruled that the assets of the Coye Family, frozen for years by the FIU in a money laundering case, be released. But any jubilation [...]

Attorney says collection attempt in case of Trevor Vernon is intimidation
On Tuesday, Belize Rural North resident, Trevor Vernon paid half his costs to attorney Denys Barrow, in coins…twenty-five hundred dollars worth on behalf of Minister of State Edmond Castro, who [...]

PM meets with President of IDB
Prime Minister Dean Barrow left the country this past Tuesday. His first stop was in Houston, Texas where he reportedly received medical attention for his back. From Houston the P.M. [...]

A major drug plantation bust in Biscayne
The Police department is recording a huge drug bust in the Biscayne Village. The department says that around two-thirty on Thursday afternoon, a joint patrol between police, the B.D.F. and [...]

2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season
The 2014 hurricane season is here, and as it does every year, the Met Office is advising Belizeans to be prepared for the worst. Best predictions are that there will [...]

NDACC celebrates World No Tobacco Day
Every year on May thirty-first, the World Health Organization observes World No Tobacco Day. At its offices countrywide, the National Drug Abuse Control Council held activities in celebration of the [...]

5 officers honored for doing the right thing
For the past two years the Belize Police Department has embarked on a citizen awards program for secondary school students.  The initiative known as the Do The Right Thing rewards [...]

4 manatees dead in a week
Since the beginning of the week, four manatees have perished in the waterways surrounding Belize City.  The sea cows, as they are colloquially known, were victims of boating accidents and [...]

Photographic Exhibition launched at the Belize City House of Culture
Twelve women are at the centerpiece of an exhibition that was launched today at the House of Culture by curator Briheda Haylock. The exhibit captures the singular lifetime achievements of [...]

Belizean artists join forces to put country on the international music scene
The Belize Conglomerate Music Group, better known as BCMG… It’s a group of eleven Belizean artists—living in Belize and in the US—that have joined together with a mission….to take their [...]

CTV3

Men Say They Are Wrongfully Accused of Stealing Log-wood
With its mandate to promote the conservation of the natural heritage of Belize and to promote wise use of its natural resources, the Programme for Belize organization is in the news tonight, but this time by a group of men who are alleging that they were wrongfully accused of stealing logwood from the entrusted lands managed by the organization. According to Manuel Dominguez, one of several men at the time of ranger’s arrival, yesterday around 10am, forest rangers accompanied by soldiers caught up with them on their property which they were clearing for planting corn. Dominguez claims that the rangers confiscated their chain saw and took away two bikes which were those of Mike Novelo, Neri Dominguez and Jose Manuel, alleging that they took logwood from them.

Johnson's Wife Says Free My husband
Viewers may recall the April 11th, shootings of two men at a farm in the outskirts of Carmelita Village which landed its proprietor, Edison Johnson in jail for murder. As we reported, two alleged robbers were met by the property owner while they made away with the zinc of the roof, sheet rock, tore out the electrical wires and had removed other items from the two buildings found on the farm. They had returned to come and carry the last few sheets of zinc that had remained on the farm when Johnson spotted them and shot them as they ran. And while Johnson remains in remand for murder tonight, his family came out to the media to shed some light on Edison’s case which they felt he was ‘wrongfully charged’.

Salomon School Hosts Career Day
It is third term for primary school students and there is much preparation being done for those who will be graduating this year. But today the preparations for the students’ future started even earlier at Solomon’s Seventh Day Adventist School. It was a first time event for the fast growing institution and it was one occasion where our news team was able to take a break. Here’s why. Maria Novelo – Reporting Career Day – the time for these children to hear from the professionals on what it’s like to be a part of the work force and what their prospects are. Booths were set behind the school and these students flocked around every corner. Sheryl Distan is the school principal.

Louisiana Government School Makes Orange Walk Proud
It is a great feat for schools to excel not only in academics but in sports as well. Here in the Orange Walk District there are quite a few schools at the primary and secondary levels that have done great in these areas year after year. One of them is the Louisiana Government School and today they have more good news to share with the public. The teachers and students have been hard at work and for the first time, they will be dividing into three groups to cheer on their candidates who will be taking part in national competitions, get this, on the same date. Here is a look at what they will be up to on June sixth. Dalila Ical – Reporting At eleven thirty this morning students poured out of their classrooms for lunch break, but two groups of students and an individual strong speller were out long before to share with us their exciting trips scheduled for June 6th.

Important Conference On Sugar Industry Takes Place In The North
Day one of a two days conference took place today at the Hibiscus Conference Room at Tony’s Resort INN in Corozal Town, with delegates and stakeholders in the Sugar Industry from across the globe including members from Latin America and the Caribbean. The two day conference is a joint project with Fairtrade and CLAC, (Coordinadora Latino Americana y del Caribe de Pequeños productores de Comercio Justo.) Director and organizer for CLAC, Sonia Murillo, told us more on the two day activity.

Saint Francis Xavier Credit Union Celebrates AGM
With over three decades of service in the northern communities, this past Sunday St. Francis Xavier Credit Union celebrated its 33rd annual general meeting at the CCC auditorium. With over 2000 members present, General Manger Rafael Dominquez claims it was a successful year. According to Dominquez important topics were brought to the members attentions such as the institutions financial report. Rafael Dominquez – General Manager. “Tuvimos los reportes como cada ano que reportamos a la membrecía a lo que transcurrió en los doce meses pasados entonces tuvimos diferentes reportes, tuvimos reporte de cámara de directores, tuvimos reporte de la comitiva de préstamos, el reporte de cámara de educación y el reporte de la cámara de supervisión y por supuesto reporte como gerente general también adonde se le informo a la membrecía de otro un ano exitoso y rentable en ganancias y sobre todo un crecimiento en nuestros activos, la cartera de préstamos, y un crecimiento de membrecía de mil quinientos treinta y ocho.”

P.M Barrow Goes Out Of The Country
The office of the Prime Minister announced today that the leader of the nation, Dean Barrow has departed the country on an 8 day personal/duty leave to Washington DC and Houston, Texas. During his absence, Deputy PM Gaspar Vega will act as PM from May 27th to 31st, and Minister of National Security, John Saldivar will hold over from June 1st to 3rd, the day scheduled for his return.

Custom Guard Dies In Traffic Accident
A Customs Officer is killed in a traffic accident mid-afternoon today. According to reports, the incident took place around 2:30 near Mile two and a quarter on the George Price Highway. Frank Robinson also known as “Mango”, a customs officer originally from Belize City was driving a Gray Isuzu D-Max, property of the Government of Belize. Robinson was hit by a green dump truck which is the property of Imer Hernandez Construction. The driver of the dump truck, whose name was not mentioned told our Colleagues at KREM TV that he and Robinson were headed towards Belize City. Both had just passed one of the recently constructed speeds bumps in that area. He, the driver of the dump truck, says that he was picking up speed when Robinson suddenly made a u turn causing him to collide into Robinson’s side.

PlusTV

Attorney Challenges Markup of Client’s Property
Earlier this week, we reported that court marshals and representatives of Barrow and Company Law Firm visited Trevor Vernon’s home and marked up his appliances. Denys Barrow led the defense of Belize Rural North area representative Edmond Castro suit by Trevor Vernon in which he won a strike-out on...

Belize City Man Shot to the Head Survives
A Belize City man was shot to the head but survived the ordeal. 22-year-old Egbert Bailey, a Belizean Tour Guide of Belize City, reported that he was at his cousin’s home at Antelope Street Extension, Belize about 8:15 p.m. Along with him at the time were three friends watching...

Post Mortem Says Honduran Man Died as a Result of Chop Wounds
Yesterday we told you about the mysterious death of 27 year old Honduran National Oscar Armando Gomez Alvarez. Reports had it that he was attacked by another male person on Sunday May 18th at the village of Los Tambos. He was subsequently taken to the Western Regional Hospital in...

Freezing Order Against Coye Family Lifted
Mere hours after one Supreme Court judge lifted a freezing order against the assets of Melonie and Marlene Coye and Money Exchange International Limited (MEIL) on May 5, another replaced it pending arguments in the case of Internet Experts S.A. Vs. Omni Networks Limited and others, those others being...

Cannabis Cultivation and Drug Trafficking Arrest
24-year-old Dwayne Bradley, a Belizean Farmer of Gardenia Village was arrested for drug trafficking yesterday. The arrest came about after a Composite Patrol from the Belize Defense Force and Police conducted an Anti-Drug Operation between miles 29 and 30 on the Phillip Goldson Highway, Biscayne Village. About 1½ miles...

Belmopan Walkway Robbery
Victims of Robbery “A masked man came out and asked her to give him her cell phone, so, he put the machete to her neck and then she gave it away. The mask was like a knit, like a cap I guess, and it was covering all of his...

A Teacher Says she was Detained for Selling Barbeque at her School
An educator in Roaring Creek, Cayo, claims she was detained for selling Barbeque at her school, however she was not charged and no one took her statement. Selmita Russell, who now teaches at Raymond Shepherd Nazarene Primary School, claims she was at home with her three children on Friday...

Winner for the Belmopan Mural Competition is Presented with Cash Prize
Today the Belmopan City Council Announced the winner for the Belmopan Civic Center Mural Competition, which was launched on May 13th. The competition, which was opened to all secondary and tertiary level students, required participants to draw something historical about Belmopan. Eight entries were submitted but in the end...

Police Recognition in Belmopan
On Wednesday Belmopan Police hosted officers from the Belmopan Police station to a luncheon as a means of positive motivation. Officer Commanding the Belmopan Police station also hinted to the reinstatement of the Officer of the month award which has been dormant for some time. Supt. Howell Gillette- Officer...

Nicole C. Mullen Concert in Belmopan
Award winning gospel artist Nicole C. Mullen is back in Belize, and if you haven’t heard yet, she will perform at the Governor General’s field of Belmopan tomorrow, Saturday May 31st where she will grace the stage. Accompanied with her band, the author of the world famous song, “My...

Amandala

Estranged couple “stab up” each other?
A man and a woman are currently in critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital following a serious stabbing incident that happened on Zericote Street in Belize City early yesterday morning. Although there is little information on what led to the occurrence, police believe that it might have been a case of domestic violence, because the victims are an estranged couple who used to live together until about a year ago. What is known at this time is that Erwin Smith, 50, a resident of Zericote Street, and Jennifer Salam, 33, of a Newtown Barracks address, were both discovered at Smith’s residence early yesterday, Wednesday morning, severely hemorrhaging from multiple knife wounds.

Cayo cop shoots teenager in the back!
The Belize Police Department is currently conducting an internal investigation into a shooting incident which occurred in Unitedville, Cayo, this past Monday, May 26, in which a police officer allegedly shot a teenager in the back, for no apparent reason. Amandala understands that Elston Arnold, 19, and four of his cousins were on their way home from a wake in a nearby village and were riding on bicycles along the George Price Highway sometime after midnight Sunday. When they were about half a mile from their home, a police mobile unit approached the group and proceeded to search them. It was during that search that one of Arnold’s cousins, known only as Calbert, was allegedly assaulted by the four officers, after which Arnold himself was later shot by one of the police constables.

Highway accident claims life of Frank “Mango” Robinson, 51
Amandala and its executive secretary, Odessa Robinson, are mourning the sudden, tragic death of Robinson’s brother, Customs officer Frank Robinson, 51 — the result of a collision between a department vehicle that he was driving, and a sand truck at Mile 2 1/2 on the George Price Highway, near the junction of Krooman Road and the highway at about 2:45 this afternoon. Robinson, also known as “Mango,” suffered massive head and body injuries in the collision between his Isuzu D-Max pickup and the 6-wheel 10-ton sand truck. Police said that in the pickup truck with Robinson were Karima Williams, a fellow Customs officer, and another female, whose name has not been released. The sand truck was driven by Martin Burke, a truck driver of Benque Viejo Del Carmen.

Caledonia villager, 26, chopped to death

Death in Los Tambos
Honduran national Oscar Armando Gomez Alvarez, 28, of Los Tambos Village in the Cayo District, who had been attacked and chopped on May 18 in San Ignacio, was found dead in a room in his house in Los Tambos, at about 5:00 yesterday evening. It is believed that he died from the chop wounds. Police said that on Sunday, May 18, Alvarez was attacked by an unknown man in San Ignacio who chopped him four times in the left shoulder area, and twice on the left side of the face, those two being large cut wounds. Alvarez was taken to the Western Regional Hospital in Belmopan that Sunday, where he was treated and later released. After he was released, Alvarez moved out of San Ignacio and went to live in Los Tambos.

Industrial action threatened over dispute between pharmacists and Ministry of Health
Union sources told Amandala this week that pharmacists, who are members of the Public Service Union (PSU), have indicated that they are ready for industrial action if Minister of Labour Godwin Hulse does not respond favorably to their letter asking him to urgently address their dispute with the Ministry of Health, principally over the hiring of Danini Contreras as Director of the Drug Inspectorate. “If the Minister’s response is not favorable, members have told us from the inception that they are ready to go to the next level – meaning industrial action,” PSU president Marvin Blades told Amandala today. Blades told us that they had already written Hon. Hulse, on the matter, and they were told that no dispute exists between workers and employers, within the ambit of the law, which could be settled under the Settlement of Disputes in Essential Service Act, Chapter 298 of the Laws of Belize.

Court costs paid with pillowcases full of shillings
While it may have been comical to some, confounding to others and just plain cumbersome for the carriers, Trevor Vernon, an unsuccessful claimant whose lawsuit was thrown out by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin last Monday, May 19, yesterday chose to pay the first half of his court costs using a heap of twenty-five cent coins, otherwise known as “shillings”, which were stacked in two old pillowcases. Denys Barrow, SC, the attorney and recipient of the payment, has indicated, however, that when the two bags stuffed with coins were tallied, the total amount paid wasn’t enough. Amandala understands that the sum of money received was $2,489.50, which is $10.50 short of the $2,500 that was due and thus, today, a Supreme Court marshall and a representative from Barrow’s law firm showed up at Vernon’s home in Burrell Boom to demand full payment immediately, based on a writ of execution for payment of costs to Barrow.

Former Toledo West PUP area representative Marcial Mes dies in traffic accident
Marcial Mes, a former two-term People’s United Party (PUP) area representative (1998-2008) for the Toledo West constituency and a former minister of government, died in a traffic accident on Monday, when he lost control of his RAV4 SUV between Miles 7 and 8 on the Southern Highway. Mes, 65, was heading to his home in San Marcos Village, when the tragic accident occurred, police say. A government press release announced that there will be an official memorial service to celebrate the life of Marcial Mes on Friday, May 30, at 10:00 a.m. at the Roman Catholic Church in San Pedro Columbia, Toledo District. Mes and another man, identified as Mario Caal, a resident of San Marcos, were travelling together when the accident occurred. They were rushed to the Punta Gorda Town Hospital, where Mes was pronounced dead on arrival, and Caal was admitted in a stable condition.

Placencia Regatta
With steady breeze and moderately challenging waves, sailors showed off their growing sailing skills with tactical maneuvers at the 2nd Annual Placencia Sailing Regatta 2014, hosted by the Placencia Sailing Club, last Saturday and Sunday, May 24-25. This year saw far fewer capsizes, but last year also experienced 22-knot winds, compared to peak winds of 15 knots this year. Out of 46 competing sailors in the Opti class, San Pedro Junior Sailing Club’s Jerdon Anderson, Christian Trejo and Faith Noel took 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. Trejo and Trent Hardwick of the Belize Sea Scouts led the fleet in 1st and 2nd place standings after the first day of four races, but Faith and Anderson recovered from disappointing finishes in the 2nd and 3rd races and finished on top. Notably, top ranking youth sailor, Antonio Ricardez, Jr. had equipment failure in the 1st race when his hook and block on the sprit halyard broke, and he was unable to recover from this early loss, even though he finished in the top three in four races out of the total 6 races in the regatta.

Introducing “Lily White”
We‘ve been hearing a lot lately about the football promotions being conducted by one “Lily White,” and we got a chance to meet the brother in person this morning when he visited our sports desk to seek some publicity for his upcoming “Happy Father’s Day Football Bash” at the MCC Grounds. Lily White’s official name is Edward Charles Rubio, who returned home a couple years ago from the U.S., and he says since coming back he has been making himself busy holding small football promotions for the youths in Belize City. His most recent event was a “Kids Day” at Holy Redeemer Play Yard at the corner of Hyde’s Lane and North Front Street, which took place on Labor Day, May 1. Edward is “Old School,” and still carries that passion for “peace and love” and the generous spirit typical of his/our generation. He tried to pull me out of retirement, and I promised to start doing some running; but no guarantees yet about the Father’s Day match.

Belize City No Limit
The National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) playoffs got underway over the weekend with a couple semifinal match-ups. The Tigersharks hosted the Point Bandits on Saturday night, and on Friday, the Belize City No Limit Soldiers journeyed to the Sacred Heart College Auditorium in San Ignacio to face the Cayo Western Ballaz. During the regular season, the Belize City No Limit Soldiers were simply unable to defeat the Cayo Western Ballaz in not one, but two attempts. In the first meeting, it was shaping up to be a blowout in favor of the Ballaz, as the Soldiers were down 22 points at one point in the game. The Belize City squad would storm back in the 2nd half, even taking the lead in the closing minutes, but fell short, losing by just one point, 74-73. In their 2nd meeting, the Western Ballaz were without the services of one of their top players, Richard Troyer, and it seemed that the No Limit Soldiers would have their revenge. But the Belize City squad lost that game by an even larger margin, with a final score of 77 to 63. So, naturally, when the news broke that the No Limit Soldiers would be matched up with the Western Ballaz in the playoffs, some fans were a little bit less than optimistic going into game 1 of this semifinal series.

Amiri and Trevon winners
The Belize Table Tennis Association’s (BTTA) 2014 – 2nd Bi-Annual SMART Junior Ranking Tournament took place on the weekend of May 17-18 at the BES Auditorium, and once again resulted in great competition among players in the 3 junior categories – 12Under, 15Under and 18Under – with Amiri Hoare capturing the top prize in both the 12Under and 15Under categories, while Trevon Brown was victorious in the 18Under class. The tournament got under way on Saturday with the Round-Robin qualifiers in all categories, followed by the Double Elimination FINALS on Sunday. In the 12Under Category, some 16 players started out in 4 Round-Robin groups, with the top two from each group qualifying for the 8-Draw Double Elimination FINALS.

Easy Does It
The village of Lemonal in the Belize District is the home of many well-known cricketers. The name of their team was Surprise, of which many trophies and awards were won. At one time, Lemonal had so many players that there were too many for one team, so some went to play with other teams. You could see players on teams like Sunrise, Berlan, Western Eagles, Wicked 11, etc. This was how Easy Does It was formed. Surprise had older men playing, and the younger men could not play in that league; so in 2009, John Anthony, Ike and Denvo Banner got together and started talking to the rest of the youths, and Easy Does It was born. Ike is now the captain of the team. All these years, this small team struggled with the stronger teams in the area to reach in the top finishers, but luck was not on their side. During these years, Surprise was still playing strong, and sometimes looked down on this small team and wondered if they would go anywhere. But today, with determination and dedication, Easy Does It is now heading for the semifinals.

Editorial: Paul of Belize
American producers and directors no longer make cowboy-and-Indian movies. But in the decades leading into the 1960s, such movies were a staple of the American motion picture industry. These cowboy-and-Indian movies were exported to the rest of the world, including British Honduras, and so it was that several generations of Belizeans grew up here cheering for the romanticized white cowboys fighting bravely to defeat the demonized red Indians. In the revolutionary fervor which swept the world in the 1960s following the successes of the Cuban and Algerian revolutions, and amidst the campaigns of world youth against nuclear proliferation and the imperialist excesses of the American war effort in Vietnam, cowboy-and-Indian movies were exposed as propaganda. The truth was that a terrible genocide had been visited upon the various Native American tribes which had inhabited North America for millennia. The Indians had fought heroically, but had ended up being overwhelmed by wave after wave of European immigrants who believed that it was their “manifest destiny” to civilize the red “savages” and claim North America as their own, in the name of God and white womanhood.

From The Publisher
There has been a lot of negativity in the press reports coming out about Brazil in the weeks and months before the World Cup opens there next month. The negativity has focused on street protests and construction problems in infrastructure. Personally, I am inclined to think the negative press is being orchestrated from Washington, because Brazil has become the second largest economy in the Western Hemisphere, because the Brazilian president is a former left-wing guerrilla – Dilma Rousseff, and because Brazil has supported the democratically-elected Venezuelan governments of the late Hugo Chavez and now Nicolás Maduro. South American Brazil has a larger black population than any African country except Nigeria. They speak Portuguese in Brazil, because when the Pope of Rome divided the “New World” between Spain and Portugal in 1494, Brazil was to the eastern side of the Pope’s imaginary line. Everything west of that line became Spain’s. The indigenous people who lived in these territories did not count as human beings: the Treaty of Tordesillas was European imperialism at its most arrogant.

Czarnecki discusses Lopez letter
In a Letter to the Editor, written by Robert Lopez and published on April 1, 2014, under the heading, “Prevention of Corruption Act deadline for disclosure,” I’m curious as to whether these annual financial disclosures were ever…well, disclosed and made available to the public, and also, who are the members of the “Integrity Commission?” I already know that, “You can run, but you can’t hide!”

Welcome………… but!
America has morphed from super hero of liberation and freedom to colonizing bully. Friday after next, 6th June, will mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day. On 6th June, 1944, youthful Americans stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, to free Europe from the clutches of German Nazi terror and tyranny. Glorious young warriors waded, landed defying death, conquered, rebuilt and then left. I was only 6 years old and could not then comprehend the full meaning of what America was doing and did for humanity. As an adult I have prayed that what America had done would last forever as the most powerful monument of man’s everlasting hunger for freedom. A half decade or so passed, and much of my time was consumed watching cowboy movies. I became enchanted by the unselfish heroism portrayed in such movies as Shane. This is the story of a converted gunfighter who stops by and decides to stay to work on a family farm. Their security is threatened by a big farmer bent on devouring all the small farmers, with the help of bullying gunslingers. Shane changes back to his former ways of settling conflicts by violence to preserve this wholesome family of father, mother, and son. The story ends with him riding off into the sunset after a gunfight in which he dispatches all the gunslingers. But he was wounded, and you don’t know if he will survive.

Belize pressed to excise sodomy laws
In an interesting turn of events this week, a CARICOM organization of which the State of Belize is a member has issued a statement supporting the recent firing of Professor Brendan Bain as head of the Caribbean HIV AIDS Regional Training Network (CHART) and making it unequivocally clear that it stands with UNIBAM in its bid to get sodomy laws removed from the nation’s law books. Of note is that the Caribbean Court of Justice, the judicial organ of CARICOM, is at the same time, set to hear a challenge by LGBT activist Maurice Tomlinson against immigration laws in Belize and Trinidad, which he claims discriminate against LGBT visitors. On Wednesday, Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) issued a statement via the CARICOM Secretariat, in which it said that Bain’s testimony in the Caleb Orozco (UNIBAM’s Executive Director) v. A.G. Belize (2012) case is not consistent with the stated goals of PANCAP to reduce stigma and eliminate discrimination, and is, furthermore, in dissonance with PANCAP’s ongoing work to remove discriminatory laws and affirm human rights.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST… Really???
Recently I have heard the term “conflict of interest” wielded like an out of control sword and to me it seems that those wielding the sword were doing so with the intent to intimidate, injure, annihilate, behead and kill. If the sword will be used, those wielding it should know what they are talking about. So I was on Open Your Eyes morning show and my eyes were surely opened to how, at all cost, my hosts, William and Marleni, defended the decision of UWI to unlawfully terminate Professor Bain. They couldn’t even hide their bias and came wielding but since I carry the armor of truth, I did not fear. What struck me was their lack of understanding of what is a conflict of interest, the court process, and what are truly human rights. It had me thinking if two intelligent persons have missed the mark, I wonder how many more either out of ignorance or mis-information are unable to see why so many of us support Professor Bain and will stand up to defend his rights! Thus I thought it important this week to share some information, not expert opinion, but hard core facts based on knowledge and black and white.

The drill rig is coming: US Capital
Senior Counsel Eamon Courtenay indicated to Amandala today that the court hearing to review a request made by the Sarstoon Temash Institute of Indigenous Management (SATIIM) and four Maya villages: Conejo, Crique Sarco, Midway, and Graham Creek, for an injunction order to stop US Capital Energy from proceeding with petroleum works inside the Sarstoon Temash National Park will help to resolve the pending issues which lie at the heart of the dispute between the Government of Belize and some Maya communities in Toledo. The Maya communities in question continue to call on the Government of Belize to consult with them before US Capital begins to drill inside the national park. Currently, the project is at a virtual standstill, but Alistair King, the representative of US Capital in Belize, told Amandala today that they intend to press ahead as soon as possible, but works, he said, have been delayed because they are still waiting for the rig to arrive from Mexico—and they hope it will by the end of the month.

Belize stars in dry cleaning services sector
There are some who believe that Belizean enterprises cannot compete on a regional or even international scale, but in the services sector, there are clearly Belizean businesses which stand out for trying to raise the bar, to achieve higher standards of service. Alan Spielvogel, Director of Technical Services for the National Cleaners Association based in New York City, today concluded an in-house, 1-week training for 11 members of staff at Belize Cry Cleaners – an enterprise which he told us is, for the most part, a lot better than similar kinds of establishments in the USA, and which, he said, “can serve as a model for other members.” “It looks like you’re going into a high-end clothing store. We call it a sizzle!” Spielvogel said, lauding the enterprise’s collections of garments, shoes and accessories, rented for occasions such as proms and weddings. The environment is very clean and well-ventilated; the equipment is well-maintained and regularly updated to make the job easier and more efficient, said Spielvogel. He told us that the owners of the business, Lascelle and Dolores Arnold, are long-time members of the association, and they invited him to Belize to upgrade the skills of the staff – one of the paid services the association provides to its members.

Belize protestors call for fund to fight Professor Bain’s case
At the conclusion of a spirited demonstration inside the Battlefield Park in Belize City during Friday’s lunch hour, organizers asked for, and protestors agreed to give, support for an initiative to open a fund so that donations could be lodged towards legal fees for a court challenge of the recent termination of Professor Brendan Bain as head of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) Network at the University of the West Indies (UWI). Pastor Scott Stirm of Belize Action, the lead organizer, told Amandala that, “…this is victimization, it’s bullying at its best and we’re seeing it happen all over the world and here it is: It’s coming to our shores.” Pastor Eugene Crawford, president of the Evangelical Association of Belize, called the termination of Bain “very, very unjust.” Muriel Laing Arthurs, a prominent Belizean who actively promotes the legacy of Belizean icon Simon Lamb, termed it “cowardly” and said that he should be reinstated.

Nicaraguan acquitted of theft charge for Minister’s tractor parts
A Nicaraguan man who was charged with the theft of almost $50,000 worth of tractor parts that were the property of Minister of State Edmund Castro was acquitted of the charge today when Magistrate Dale Cayetano dismissed the case. With the dismissal of the charge against him, Oscar Hernandez, 46, who was unrepresented by an attorney and whose status in Belize was uncertain at the time of his arrest and arraignment, breathed his first air of freedom after being on remand for over a year because his status prevented him from accessing bail. Minister of State Castro, in late December 2012, reported to police that someone had stolen his tractor sometime between October 1, and December 30, 2012, in Bomba, one of the villages in the Belize Rural North constituency, of which Minister Castro is the area representative. But after numerous adjournments, when the case was finally heard in court, Magistrate Cayetano, citing a number of deficiencies in the police’s investigation during the period when Hernandez was arrested and charged, dismissed the case and freed him of the charge.

COLA vs Elvin Penner adjourned to June 26
There appears to be unwillingness on the part of officials to prosecute Hon. Elvin Penner, the disgraced Cayo North East area representative accused of signing a Belize passport and nationality certificate for the unqualified South Korean criminal Kim Won Hong. Despite a Supreme Court writ of mandamus directed to the Commissioner of Police, Allen Whylie, to conclude the police’s investigation into the matter, according to Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), Whylie has refused to hand over the file to them, saying that the investigation has still not yet been completed. Additionally, in a recent letter to COLA, the Auditor General, Dorothy Bradley, submitted that she could not turn over information she has gathered from an audit of the Immigration Department, saying that the report has to be handed to Cabinet and tabled in the House of Representatives first. And the Ministry of Immigration’s so-called internal investigation led by Immigration Minister Godwin Hulse and his CEO, Candelaria Saldivar, has yielded “nada.”

Mental healthcare providers hold workshop for unemployed mental patients
Persons suffering with mental disabilities often have the most difficulty finding gainful employment; however, the Ministry of Health is attempting to change that harsh reality by hosting a workshop to address the discrimination that such persons face in the workplace and hopefully assist people with mental illness to find work. The two-day workshop, which is being held at the Belize Institute of Management (BIM), is focused on the need for relevant stakeholders to provide employment for persons with mental disabilities as well as to provide coaching and training to potential employers for the inclusion of mentally challenged persons who have generally been left out of the workforce. Eleanor Bennett, who is the Nursing Administrator in the Ministry of Health’s Mental Health Unit, told Amandala that the initiative is long overdue and comprises a three-part project which began by targeting those who work as mental healthcare providers.

American woman overdoses with pills in San Pedro
On Monday, an American, Susan Rose Cop, 47, a medical student, died after overdosing herself with pills in her apartment in San Pedro. Police said that when they went to the apartment, they found a doctor trying to help Cop, and they also saw many bottles of pills near her. She was rushed to the San Pedro Poly Clinic, where doctors worked to save her, but the effort was in vain, as she died shortly after. Police said that the woman had called her father in the United States and informed him that she was going to take the pills. Fearing for life, her father immediately alerted a doctor in San Pedro to check on her, but when he went to her apartment, he saw her on the floor. She had already swallowed a number of pills.

Alex “Cat’ Reid, 34, charged with murder
A Belize City man, Alex “Cat” Reid, 34, who has been in police custody for 7 days while they investigated his connection to a murder that occurred in Santana on Tuesday, May 20, was arraigned in the Magistrate’s Court this morning. Reid, a laborer and resident of Pine Street, has been in police custody as a person of interest in the police’s investigation into the murder of Santana resident Maurice Dennison Young, 69. Police detained Reid on Wednesday, May 21, the day after Young’s body was found. This morning Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith read the single count of murder to Reid, from whom no plea was required for the indictable offense. He was remanded to prison, from where he will begin the routine shuttling back-and-forth to court for the next few years, until his case comes up in the Supreme Court, if there is enough evidence after a preliminary inquiry is completed at the lower court. He returns to court on July 15.

Hard-pay taxi customer arrested by Neighborhood Watch group in San Pedro
A taxicab passenger who ran away without paying after using a taxi was caught by a Neighborhood Watch group and handed over to police. The man, 22, has since been detained, pending charges. The incident occurred at 12:45 Sunday morning in the Boca Del Rio in San Pedro. Boris Fuentes, a taxi driver of Laguna Drive, Boca Del Rio, San Pedro, told police that he was approached by a man who hired his taxi to take him home to the Airstrip area, from Boca Del Rio. Upon arrival at the passenger’s home, however, the passenger jumped out of the vehicle and ran away without paying Fuentes. The San Pedro Ambergris Caye Neighborhood Watch Patrol, which was on patrol in the area, sprang into action and found the hard-pay passenger hiding on the beach. The culprit was immediately seized and taken to the San Pedro Police Station by the patrol and handed over to police.

Taxi driver ambushed and murdered
Police told Amandala today that they still have no leads into the shooting death of taxi driver Norman Stanley Thompson, 57, of corner West Street and Kut Avenue, Belize City, who died at about 1:30 Sunday morning, May 25, after he was ambushed and shot by gunmen after dropping off three passengers in the alley between Logwood Street and Banak Street, at the rear of the Habet and Habet compound on Cemetery Road. A woman told Amandala that she heard two gunshots, and then a loud bang, as a car slammed into a chain link fence, breaking it and damaging a cargo container that was parked in the yard next to the fence. When neighbors rushed to the area, Thompson was seen in his car, slumped over his steering wheel, with gunshots in the upper back: he was dead. He was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival at about 3:10 that same Sunday morning.

Belize City man remanded to prison for armed robbery in Ladyville
A Belize City man who has several criminal matters pending in the Magistrate’s Court was remanded to prison after he was arraigned on charges of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery this morning. He was charged along with a 17-year-old minor, his alleged partner in crime, who is hospitalized and under police guard after sustaining a gunshot wound during the robbery. When Magistrate Hettie Mae Stewart asked Mason Patnett, 27, a construction worker of 72 Cemetery Road, if he understood the robbery charge she had read to him, Patnett replied: “I understand the charge, but that charge is bogus, as I neva meh deh in the village when that happen.” Patnett, who had lived in Ladyville for some time, pleaded not guilty to the charges of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. And Magistrate Stewart, after explaining to him that she could not offer him bail because the alleged robbery was committed with a firearm, remanded him into custody until his next court date on June 24, 2014.

Santa Cruz villagers busted with almost 1 pound of weed
Two persons, believed to be a mother and son, were arrested and charged for drug trafficking after police discovered 448.8 grams – or just short of a pound – of suspected cannabis yesterday near their house in Santa Cruz Village at Mile 21 on the Southern Highway. Police said that while searching the residence at around 2:00 p.m., they found a black plastic bag containing 330.5 grams of suspected cannabis about 15 feet away from the house, and later came upon a “Malher” container with another 157.9 grams of suspected cannabis, which together totaled 448.4 grams.

Eloy Perdomo, 18, charged for BWEL’s robbery
Eloy Perdomo, 18, a laborer of Trial Farm, Orange Walk District, who is one of two men who reportedly robbed Belize Western Energy Limited, a butane gas company office, in San Ignacio and held up the manager at gunpoint, stealing $1,915.43 in cash and two Belize Bank cheques totaling $1,874.58, was remanded on Friday to the Belize Central Prison on robbery charges until Thursday, July 10, by the San Ignacio Magistrate’s Court. The incident occurred at about 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 8. In the office at the time were supervisor Ernest Hill, 46, his son, 13, and a security guard. Hill told police that around 5:50 p.m., two men ran into the office. They were not wearing masks. One of the men was armed with a handgun, which he held to the neck of the security guard, whom he held in a chokehold. The gunman then ordered their victims not to move, or he would shoot them.

Decomposing body found in Indianville
Less than 24 hours after the decomposing body of Norris Tingling, 57, of Majestic Alley, was recovered from within his house, at about 10:00 Monday morning, the decomposing body of Francisco Reyes, 65, of Indianville, was found in his house. Police who went into the house to recover him reported that there were no signs of foul play on his body, and he was nude. They have declared that he died of natural causes. Neighbors reported that Reyes was last seen on Friday, but throughout the weekend, he was not seen, and they became concerned.

Aaron Elijah Juan, 33, remanded for carnal knowledge
A businessman from the Cayo District – who, according to authorities, had been on the run for over five months – is now on remand at the Belize Central Prison after he turned himself in to San Ignacio police last Tuesday, May 20, at around midday, pending charges of carnal knowledge. Police reported that Aaron Elijah Juan, 33, who lives on Burns Avenue in San Ignacio, surrendered himself to police in that municipality in the company of his attorney, Richard “Dickie” Bradley. Juan was wanted based on a December 18, 2013 carnal knowledge report involving a 15-year-old female minor who had accused him of engaging in sexual intercourse with her. He appeared in the San Ignacio Magistrate’s Court, where Magistrate Narda Morgan read him the charge; however, no plea was taken, since it is an indictable offense which will be heard at the Supreme Court level.

Hit-and-run in Orange Walk leaves man dead
The family of Santiago Cocom, 68, of Trial Farm, Orange Walk District, is mourning his death after he was killed by a hit-and-run driver at about 10:00 Saturday night on Queen Victoria Avenue in Orange Walk Town. Cocom was declared dead on the spot after suffering massive head and body injuries. Police said that Santiago Cocom was trying to cross to the other side of the road when he was knocked down by a vehicle, which dragged him about 100 feet from where he was hit. The driver, after knowing that he had hit a person, drove away.

Cousins remanded for aggravated assault with a firearm
Nuri Polanco, 27, an unemployed resident of 7005 Antelope Street Extension and his cousin, Kenroy Willoughby, 21, a carpenter of 75 Antelope Street, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith this morning and were remanded to prison after she arraigned them on a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm upon Jason Lamb. They pleaded not guilty and were remanded to prison until their next court date on July 14, 2014. The allegation against Polanco and Willoughby is that on Sunday, May 25, they committed an aggravated assault with a firearm upon Lamb, 23, a clerk and resident of 7020 Pelican Street Extension. Lamb reported to police that on Sunday, he was attending a family dinner at an address on Antelope Street Extension when he got into an argument with Kenroy Willoughby.

The Reporter

Belize kickstarts World No Tobacco Day festivities
Over six million people die annually from illnesses caused by tobacco products, and this week the National Drug Abuse Control Council is observing World No Tobacco Day to raise public awareness. The NDACC carried out simultaneous educational fairs at all its district offices, including Belmopan and San Pedro, to engage students and the community about the dangers that tobacco poses to its users and those in their surroundings. Esner Vellos, director of the NDACC, explained that even though the celebration date should be May 31, the council wanted students to take part in the activity. “They can not only come and see what we do in terms of tobacco programs, but also the general work of the national drug council, so they will know what are the other services we provide”, he said.

Argentine Vice President summoned in corruption case
Argentine Vice-President, Amado Boudou must appear in court later this year on a charge of corruption. The allegation is that Mr Boudou used his influence to ensure that a company he allegedly controlled got a contract to print Argentina’s banknotes. The case involving the Ciccone Calcografica printing company has been under investigation for more than three years. He was Argentina’s economy minister at the time. While the country’s opposition has called for his resignation, Mr Boudou has denied the charge. He is scheduled to appear in court on 15 July.

Accused killer recaptured
Edwin Paula, 30, the suspected mastermind behind a series of bold armed hold-ups, including one at the dorms at the University of Belize in 2013, is back in custody after a two-month-long run for freedom. Paula, who escaped while being transported from the prison to […]

Lead investigator in Penner case speaks out
Lead investigator in the Penner case, Assistant Commissioner of Police Russell Blackett, confirmed Thursday that he is in possession of the Penner case file. Blackett said that his office received the file about two weeks ago from the Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, with […]

Police under investigation for shooting youth
Police officers from the San Ignacio Police Formation may face criminal charges for allegedly shooting a 19-year-old Unitedville youth with a 12-gauge shotgun to his lower back. Crime Investigation Branch is investigating the four officers who were on duty at the time in that […]

Belize Port planning for bulk-cargo shipping
The Belize Port Authority may soon see increased export activity due to a proposed development by a private company to facilitate bulk-cargo transportation using the facility. Port of Belize’s Arturo Vasquez explained that the Port has been in negotiations with a company called Belize […]

Mayor: Citco still having problems with garbage payments
The Belize City Council continues to have problems keeping up with its sanitation contracts, and is still several weeks in arrears. The Council continues to owe the sanitation company between two and four weeks, which is the limit that the contract allows for arrears, […]

New Auditor General report on the way
Auditor General Dorothy Bradley said that she has finally received the financial statements for the period 2011-2012 and should have her audit of those statements ready within the next three months. Bradley told The Reporter that she received the statements from Accountant General Veronica […]

GDP and exports down in first quarter, says SIB
Belize’s Gross Domestic Product for the first quarter of 2014 declined by 0.4 percent. The decline in GDP follows eight consecutive quarters of positive growth, the Statistical Institute of Belize’s data states. The decline was largely attributed to decreased output in three main sectors: agriculture, […]

Belizeans protest firing of UWI professor
Members of the church and various groups participated in an anti-gay protest last Friday at the Battlefield Park as a way to voice their objection to the recent firing of Professor Brendan Bain from the University of West Indies (UWI). The protesters, who carried […]

EDITORIAL
One week after the unceremonious sack- ing of Professor Brendan Bain, head of the UWI’s Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Network (CHART), the Lesbian and Gay Rights Movement in Belize and the Caribbean has claimed another victim, Vice Chancellor E. Nigel Harris. Earlier this week Professor Harris announced that he would […]

Adjourned! COLA has one month to find evidence
COLA has one month to gather enough evidence to save its private prosecution case against former minister of state, Elvin Penner. On Thursday, Belmopan Magistrate Aretha Ford gave COLA (Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action) until June 26 to obtain the relevant substantiations or risk […]

AG wants to audit Central Health Region AGAIN!
The Auditor General’s Office is planning to do another audit of the Central Health Region (CHR) within the next few months to uncover irregularities which may have gone unnoticed in their first audit. Auditor General Dorothy Bradley told The Reporter that given the amount […]

Court costs paid in “shillings”
Attorney Arthur Saldivar and Burrell Boom resident Trevor Vernon used over $4,000 in coins this week to pay court costs from failed litigations. Saldivar used $2000 in coins to make his initial payment towards the $9,500 in legal fee owed to attorney Rodwell Williams. Vernon […]

Patrick Jones

PM Barrow proceeds on personal leave
The Honorable the Prime Minister Mr. Dean Barrow has traveled to the United States on what a statement from his office says is “personal/duty leave.” The official statement says that Mr. Barrow will be in the US until June 3, with scheduled stops in Houston, Texas and Washington, D.C. The Honorable the Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Gaspar Vega is currently acting as Prime Minister and he will hand over those acting duties on Saturday to the Honorable the Minister of National Security Mr. John Saldivar. Hon. Saldivar will then act as PM until Mr. Barrow’s return to the country next week.

Supreme Court lifts freezing order against Coye family
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Young this morning declined to continue a freezing order made against Melonie and Marlene Coye and their company Money Exchange International Limited. The Coye family was being sued along with Omni Networks Limited for monies owed to Panamanian company Internet Experts S.A. also known as Instadollar. In making her ruling Justice Young stated that Instadollar, represented by Senior Counsel Lisa Shoman had not made a good and arguable case for continuing with the order made on May 5, mere hours after fellow judge Shona Griffith had rescinded it. It essentially means that the Coyes can resume access as soon as the order is made available even as the civil matter continues. It all stems from an alleged agreement made between the Panamanian company and Belizean agents and subagents to open a Moneygram money exchange service in Belize.

Blogs

Ambergris Caye has high population of smart people
For a small Island, I would say Ambergris Caye has a high population of smart people. There are many groups of smart people that meet up weekly with the shared interest of claiming bragging rights and a decent cash prize :) Three times a week they have the opportunity to test their skills with the trivia hosts quizzing local and tourist teams with random interesting questions about the world we live in. Test your knowledge weekly against fellow trivia buffs at the following local Bars: Coco Locos Tuesday night Trivia: The only trivia game north of the bridge. Start time is 7:00pm sharp, there is $5 small buy in, teams can be up to 4 people. Owner Sue walks around to each table and asks teams 18 – 20 questions at the end it is winner take all. Pedro’s Pizza Thursday night trivia: Start time 7:30, 5 people to a team with a $5 buy in. This one is done in rounds and Cindy will call out 5 rounds of 10 questions each with a short break in between each round and a bonus round at the end. Crazy Canucks Friday night Trivia: Start time 7:00 but it is wise to get there early to get a good spot as Think and Drink is a popular night and usually packed. 4 people to a team with a $5 buy in and the last Friday of every month part of the proceeds go to San Pedro Red Cross. Owner Rob does 3 rounds and a bonus speed round at the end. The winning team of each round gets a free shot. If there is a tie, the tiebreaker is usually a beer chug. This of course, helps keep the game at a level playing field.

Carlisle Holdings Limited (Carlisle) – Holding in BTL
Nasdaq: CLHL; London: CLH), a leader in outsourced facilities services and staffing services announced today that their Chairman, Michael A. Ashcroft had recently agreed to purchase 23.5% of Belize Telecommunications Ltd (BTL) previously held by MCI WorldCom, Inc. A twelve month option to purchase this additional BTL stake at cost plus financing was granted to Carlisle by Mr. Ashcroft which would give Carlisle a controlling interest in the company. Notwithstanding Carlisle’s current strategic direction to develop its services businesses in the United States and United Kingdom, the consolidation of BTL would create certain significant advantages which could help to maximize Carlisle’s shareholder value. Background Information Through its OneSource brand, Carlisle Group is a leader in the outsourced facilities services sector in the U.S. and provides janitorial, landscaping, commercial interior painting services, general repair and maintenance and other specialized services for more than 11,000 commercial, institutional and industrial accounts. In the U.K. Carlisle Group is also a leading provider of outsourced facilities services, through LI Group and Capitol Security Services, and has a significant presence in the staffing services sector under a number of leading brands, including Recruit, Indigo Selection and Tate in over 70 locations servicing a diverse base of over 5,000 clients in the following markets: IT, Finance and Banking, Office and Industrial, Education and Care, Retail, Truck Driving, Technical, Legal and Catering.

Scarlet Six Crowdfunding Campaign
The Scarlet Six Biomonitoring Team is trying to raise money to help save the Scarlet Macaws in the Chiquibul National Park. Check out their crowdfunding page, and help them if you can. "Scarlet Six Biomonitoring Team is a small but dedicated group of Belizeans working to save the last remaining Scarlet Macaws in the remote Maya Mountains of Belize. Help us raise money for a long-range radio communication system which will enable the team to quickly and effectively communicate in cases of medical emergencies and poacher activity in these remote areas. This radio system will include a base radio, car battery, extendable antenna, programming, and hand held units for the field crew."

Constitutional Rights Seminar
The Rotaract Club of San Ignacio is having a Constitutional Rights seminar at the Cayo Welcome Center, today, Saturday, May 31st, starting at 4:00pm. Learn more about your rights, and make more informed decisions.

International Sources

Six Key Questions for the 2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season
The 2014 Atlantic hurricane season is officially underway on Sunday, June 1. What will this year's hurricane season bring? My top six questions for the coming season: 1) When will the first "Invest", tropical depression, and named storm of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season form? We have a chance of all three of these events occurring in the Gulf of Mexico during the first week of hurricane season, though the models are currently hazy about this. An area of disturbed weather in the Eastern Pacific located a few hundred miles south of Southeast Mexico is forecast to move slowly northwards towards the Gulf of Mexico Sunday through Tuesday. In their 8 am EDT Friday Tropical Weather Outlook, NHC gave this system a 50% chance of developing into a tropical depression or tropical storm by Wednesday. The 06Z Friday run of the GFS model predicts that this disturbance will make landfall in Southeast Mexico on Tuesday, then spread moisture northwards over the Gulf of Mexico late in the week.

Eastern Pacific May Yield Gulf of Mexico Tropical Concerns
Tropical troubles brewing in the eastern Pacific may lead to concerns in the Gulf and far northwestern Caribbean soon after the official start to the Atlantic hurricane season. AccuWeather.com meteorologists are monitoring an area south of Mexico, in the eastern Pacific, for a new tropical storm to take shape early next week. It is possible that the system's energy could then slowly fuel tropical development in the Atlantic Basin in the days that follow. Hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin officially commences on June 1.

Man Proposes to Girlfriend With Travel Video Four Years in the Making
Sept. 30, 2010. That’s the day Jack Hyer and his girlfriend Becca went on their first date. Afterward, he wrote this in his travel journal: “I’m going to marry this girl eventually.” And an elaborate idea for a proposal formed in his head. That was four years ago. Hyer, who calls himself a “globetrotter, explorer, budget travel expert” on his Twitter profile, has traveled 100,000 miles through 28 countries and spent four months abroad over the past four years. During that time, he and Becca were mostly apart, he said in his video introduction. So he worked on a proposal video. And, finally, it looks like the future Mr. and Mrs. Hyer will be honeymooning in Belize — for free. The Belize Tourism Board liked the video so much, it offered the couple a free honeymoon via Twitter:

Caribbean countries ended 2013 on a stronger economic footing – CDB
Caribbean countries ended 2013 on a more solid economic footing than it had done since the start of the 2007/2008 global economic recession, according to figures released by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The CDB, which is holding its 44th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors here, said that many of its borrowing member states (BMCs) recorded increases “albeit modest in economic activity”. CDB President Dr. Warren Smith said that “at the regional level, growth and sustainability were recurring themes in discussions about performance”. The CDB said that preliminary estimates indicate that the economic activity in the region grew by an average of 1.5 per cent last year, up slightly from a revised figure of 1.2 per cent for 2012.

Disaster-prone Central America shows it means business on climate legislation
The Montañona reserve is the biggest in the northern department of Chalatenango. Not only does it help keep the air clean and healthy, but the 70 water sources in its river basin supply at least 70,000 families in nearby urban areas. The forest protection scheme is part of the first phase of a national programme to restore ecosystems and natural landscapes, launched by the government in May 2012. Across Central America there are similar initiatives to preserve forests and coastal mangroves, which protect against storms, landslides, rising seas and soil erosion. Central American nations have been hammered by extreme weather and climate change impacts in recent years, including floods from heavy summer rains, strong winds, persistent drought and climate-sensitive plant diseases such as coffee rust. According to Nelson Cuellar, an expert with the Salvadoran Research Program on Development and Environment (PRISMA), this is because governments have differing development visions, with some focusing more on climate mitigation policies and others prioritising adaptation. “(Central America) is divided - each country moves individually in international negotiations,” he said. This remains so despite the launch of a regional climate change strategy in 2010 by the Central American Integration System (SICA), which comprises Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panamá and Dominican Republic.

Finding Hope in a Degraded Mangrove
“This is the island of Chira, where women work and men cry.” It was the third time the joke was told, and it still caused a good laugh among this group dominated by women from Chira Island, in Costa Rica’s Gulf of Nicoya. I was standing at the beginning of a “human chain” that was moving, one by one, more than 200 mangrove plants through a degraded mangrove forest. With me were CI consultants Maguil, Annette and Alejandro, as well as Ana, our CI marine program manager. This was their fourth day of work that week — my first — and we had all been up since 4:30 a.m., trying to evade the sun and high temperatures. At 8 a.m. it was already very humid and hot in the mangroves in the small community of Montero. But nothing seemed to dampen the spirits of the group — not mosquitoes, thirst, mud or the fact that each bag carrying dirt and a 12-inch mangrove plant weighed over 5 pounds [2.3 kilograms]. Nor the fact that once our chain of hands moved all the plants 100 feet [30 meters] or so, we would have to line up four more times to move the plants further into the more degraded areas of the forest.

Videos

Video: Belize Bank Mobile Banking Ad, 1/2min.

Video: BELIZE 2014,8 min.
Croisière en catamaran sur la deuxième plus grande barrière de corail après l'Australie... Survol et plongée dans le Blue Hole, unique au monde... Avant de visionner, n'oubliez pas de mettre la qualité au maximum...

Video: Belize Tripping - Snorkel Short, 11min.

Video: Jaguar, video captured during Lakeland College Belize trip, 10sec.

Video: Puma, video captured during Lakeland College Belize trip, 10sec.

Video: Ambergris Caye Belize 2014, 2min.
Diving with Sea Turtles

Video: Belize, 25min.
Belize Trip. May 4-11 2014. Great video. Zip lining, cave tubing, scuba diving, hanging out in Belize...

Video: Scuba diving in Belize, 2 1/2min.
I recently took a weekend trip to Ambergris Caye, which is an island off the coast of Belize. This video is GoPro footage from scuba diving at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, which is an area just 10 minutes from the beaches of San Pedro town.

Video: BELIZE 2014, 8min.
Croisière en catamaran sur la deuxième plus grande barrière de corail après l'Australie... Survol et plongée dans le BLUE HOLE, site unique au monde... Avant de visionner, n'oubliez pas de mettre la qualité au maximum...

Video: High on Belize in Isla Marisol Resort, 12min.
Located 36 miles off the coast of beautiful Belize, Isla Marisol is a private island resort and one of the last true paradises in the Caribbean. From scuba diving and snorkeling, to deep sea fishing or beachcombing, your stay at Isla Marisol Resort will be nothing short of the experience of a lifetime. The private island resort offers the unique opportunity to enjoy one of the few remaining paradises in the world.

Video: Hol Chan Marine Reserve Snorkeling Tour, 1min.

Video: Rosie and Kyle's Big Trip: Central America, 5min.
The highlights of our amazing two months travelling through Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama - such a beautiful part of the world!

May 30, 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 CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Public Service Sector celebrates annual Information Day
Public officers on Ambergris Caye celebrated the 2nd annual Belize Public Service Information Day on Wednesday, May 28th. The event was held under the theme “Belize Public Service: Service for You, Service for Me, Serving the Public, Serving Belize,” and is part of country-wide activities ahead of Public Service Day. 23 of the 24 government departments on the island participated in the event, which took place at the San Pedro Central Park. Public Service Day is held celebrated worldwide on June 23rd, and in Belize, the Public Service Day Committee decided to celebrate Public Service Information Day on different dates throughout the various municipalities. This was done to allow more participation from the schools, as well as to capitalize on favorable weather conditions. The main purpose of the event is to give the government departments the opportunity to showcase their work, network with other departments and receive public feedback on ways to further improve service delivery.

PAHO/WHO release new statistics on Dengue in the Americas
The number of dengue cases in the Americas increased five-fold between 2003 and 2013, according to data presented this week at a high-level regional meeting on dengue hosted by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) this week. Between 2009 and 2012, over 1 million cases were reported annually, on average, with more than 33,900 severe cases and 835 deaths. Last year (2013) was one of the worst years for dengue in the hemisphere’s history, with 2.3 million cases, including 37,705 severe cases and 1,289 deaths. By comparison, the number of cases reported regionwide in 2003 was 517,617. Despite countries’ efforts to control the disease, dengue continues to spread due to uncontrolled, unplanned urbanization, lack of basic services in communities, poor environmental management, and climate change, among other reasons. In the Americas, nearly 500 million people are at risk of contracting the disease. “Controlling the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the disease, is a great regional and global challenge,” said Marcos Espinal, Director of the Department of Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis at PAHO/WHO. “All government sectors, communities, and families have to work together to fight the vector and control this disease, which knows no borders, discriminates against no one , and is everyone’s problem, not just the health sector’s.”

It starts with the first step: my journey in Crossfit with CrossfitCFS
I even agreed to share my experiences with readers of The San Pedro Sun! Everyone’s journey is unique. When that desire has built up and you are ready to make a change, nothing can stop you. I hope my experience can help in pushing you the extra step that will land you at the starting gate. If anything, doing something this different is tons of fun! Believe me, I did the jogging along the beach (until I decided that my legs really hated running). I worked out in the privacy of my home off and on for a year, trying to ‘get fit’ before I would work out in public. I didn’t want anyone to think of me as too fat or too out of shape to be in the gym. (Really! What was I thinking?!) Guess what? Those people working out around me? They’re too busy trying to finish their own workout to notice that I’m breathing heavily or that I have to take a rest. They are trying hard to be better versions of themselves too! The mental hurdle is the hardest, and once I crossed that line, I have not looked back!!

Ambergris Today

San Pedro Information Day Opens Minds of Students
Students were invited at Central Park on Wednesday, May 18, to open their minds by participating San Pedro Information Day 2014, put together by the Ministry of Public Service, the San Pedro Sub-Committee and the San Pedro Town Council. After a brief welcome address by San Pedro Mayor Daniel Guerrero and remarks by Hon. Senator Charles Gibson, Minister of Public Service, Elections & Boundaries, students were invited to visit the various booths set up for them to obtain as much information as they desire. Government Departments that had information booths on display included the Labor Department, Belize Agricultural Health Authority, Belize Tourist Board, Border Management Agency, Customs & Excise Department, Dr. Otto Rodriguez Poly Clinic 2, Education Department, Election & Boundaries, Fire Department, General Sales Tax Department, Human Development, Hol Chan and Fisheries Department, Immigration & Nationality Department, Income Tax Department, Magistrate Court, National Institute of Culture and History, NDACC – Ministry of Health, National Emergency Management Organization, Police Department, San Pedro Post Office, Transport Department San Pedro, Treasury Department and Youth Development.

Tragic Death of Washington University Medical Student in San Pedro
It saddens the administration, instructors, students, and staff of Washington University of Health and Science in announcing the sudden passing and loss of newly accepted medical student Suzanna Kaup on Tuesday. As a new first semester student to the medical university, Ms. Kaup began matriculating within the San Pedro, Ambergris Caye campus on May 12, 2014. The U.S. Information Office of Washington University of Health and Science was contacted early Tuesday afternoon by a family member of Ms. Kaup indicating concern of her well-being, requesting assistance from the university to check-in on her. A medical doctor/instructor along with an administrative assistant of WUHS immediately went to her San Pedro residence where they received no response. Family members provided information which permitted authorities to enter her apartment. Upon entering the apartment, Ms. Kaup was located and immediate medical attention including CPR was administered by the physician in attendance.

Industria del Amor to Highlight Costa Maya Festival 2014
With the success of presenting Los Yonics at last year’s festival, the Costa Maya Festival Committee announces the confirmed concert performance of Industria del Amor during International Night of the festival that will take place on Saturday, August 9, 2014. California’s Industria del Amor began in the late ’80s, scoring several minor hits in Mexico before breaking out in the early ’90s as a sort of mid-level soft-rock Tejano ballad hit machine. The group’s major hit single was “A Capa y Espada” and their albums continued chart throughout the years after. The group’s continuing popularity was confirmed with the release of two greatest-hits packages, 30 Inolvidables and 30 Inolvidables, Vol. 2, both of which were Top 20 Latin chart hits in 2003.

People’s United Party Public Meeting
Belize Rural South members, its advisors and supporters commit to make this campaign season 2014-2015 a clean, respectable and constructive one. We insist that it is extremely necessary to avoid personal attacks for the sole purpose of giving the many issues our community faces the light they deserve. It is our duty and obligation to ensure the election of professional and respectful candidates and will work diligently in keeping this election’s campaign on a professional level. We also acknowledge that it is not necessary to bring down our competitors in order to make us better candidates. We are under greatest confidence that our candidates have and will continue to be outstanding members of this community and that alone will lead this campaign trail to victory. Through this medium we would like to extend an invitation to the general public to attend a meeting to be held Friday, May 30, 2014, at 7:00 p.m. at the Belize Rural South PUP Office, across from the Lion’s Den on Pelican Street. We will be presenting our candidates for the municipal elections, Mayoral Candidate Dr. Giovanni Solorzano, Councilors: Conchita Flota, Omar Guerrero, Marina Kay, Alex Noralez, Mundo Nunez, and Wally Nunez Jr.

Misc Belizean Sources

National Public Service Information Day 2014 (81 photos)
On Thursday, May 28, 2014, the Central Park was setup with various booths where all Public Service Departments had setup their booths with informative posters, pictures, banners and decorations in celebration of National Public Service Information Day 2014. Master of Ceremonies of the event, Mr. Jorge Aldana, welcomed everyone present to the event and invited Mr. Clive Welsh from the Lighthouse Christian Radio to offer the invocation. Sining the National Anthem was pre-schooler Alfredo Gongora, which was quite impressive. Mayor Daniel Guerrero then offered the welcome address and thanked all the people working at the various departments for their hard work. Keynote speaker for the event was Hon. Senator Charles Gibson, Minister of Public Service and Elections and Boundaries. Before officially opening the event the participating departments were presented with a Certificate of Appreciation which was given by Ms. Ninfa Matus, fro the Public Service Day National Committee. The participating departments were: 1. Labour Department 2. Belize Agricultural Health Authority 3. Belize Tourist Board 4. Border Management Agency 5. Customs & Excise Department 6. Dr. Otto Rodriguez Clinic #2 7. Education Department 8. Elections & Boundaries Department 9. Fire Department 10. General Sales Tax Department 11. Hol Chan and Fisheries Department 12. Human Development 13. Immigration & Nationality Department 14. Income Tax Department 15. Magistrate Court 16. National Institute of Culture & History 17. NDACC- Ministry of Health 18. NEMO 19. Police Department 20. San Pedro Post Oce 21. San Pedro Transport Department 22. Treasury Department 23. Youth Department

Mr. Abel Guerrero, our new town foreman
The San Pedro Town Council would like to extend a warm welcome and at the same time introduce you all to Mr. Abel Guerrero, our new town foreman. With his managerial expertise, Mr. Guerrero will ensure that workers are organized and that our town is maintained clean and well-kept. Mr. Guerrero brings with him more than 35 years of experience in supervision as he was previously the manager at Krystal Shipping and prior to that, the co-manager at The Victoria House. He is a very hard working man with nothing but the town's best interest at heart. Welcome Mr. Abel Guerrero!

Full Moon Concert featuring Super Furia Band
Pin your Calendars for the upcoming month of June. The Corozal House of Culture (NICH) has the month of June loaded with various events - June 14th the House of Culture will be hosting another Full Moon Concert featuring Super Furia Band! Come out with the family and Enjoy!

Surgical technician: Helping people is its own reward
For U.S. Staff Sgt. Nicholasa Partida, New Horizons surgical service technician, "helping people, in general, is its own reward," she said. As a surgical service technician, Partida finds herself in operating rooms assisting surgeons and specialists as they perform necessary, and sometimes life-saving, procedures. In Belize, she is doing the same as part of New Horizons Belize 2014, a multi-faceted exercise that provides valuable training experiences for Belizean and U.S. medical providers. "This is my first humanitarian mission, and it's pretty awesome," said Partida, a native of Victoria, Texas. "I'm here helping patients. I'm here helping the urologists. "Back home, everything can seem real routine, but it's not routine here at all," she said of the opportunity to train and learn in her field. "There are a lot of things you would normally not see in the states. Here, we're going back to the basics." The technician has found that flexibility is imperative when conducting operations in an unfamiliar environment.

Mergers and Cutbacks!
By Abdulmajeed K Nunez. Oh you minister in charge of the people’s finances! Please stop enriching your friends and cronies Kindly review the tapes of the Cayo teachers' rally Listen to Don Hector’s suggestions of saving monies He suggested merging ministries and cutting back on ambassadors’ responsibilities How are you so out of touch with your people’s realities? Don Hector suggested mergers and cutbacks To get the country back on track His suggestion was to you despots Who want to take the citizenry for idiots? Belizeans must mount a counterattack We the working poor are enduring the rise in tax There is talk about merging Excelsior, Sadie Vernon and Maud Williams High Teachers are of the opinion that their hands are tied These nonsensical moves must not be allowed to fly What so many people in this ministry so qualified? If this is not planned properly we are sending our children to die More mothers are going to cry

CDB approves loan for highway upgrade, gender capacity building for Belize
The directors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) have approved a loan of US$29.719 million to the government of Belize that will allow for the rehabilitation of a major highway and the replacement of the Haulover Bridge. The loan will fund upgrade of 9.81 km of the Philip S. W. Goldson Highway, one of three main arterial roads in the country’s road network. This upgrade is expected to reduce congestion as well as improve safety on the highway, which passes through the Orange Walk and Corozal Districts. This area is of increasing importance for tourism and trade. The historic Haulover Bridge is a major thoroughfare providing the only access to and from Belize City, and from the airport.

Mrs. Anna Banner Guy, was elected as the new Deputy Mayor of Belmopan
At a meeting of the Belmopan City Council held on Thursday, 22nd May, 2014, Mrs. Anna Banner Guy, was elected as the new Deputy Mayor of Belmopan for 2014-2015. She succeeds Councilor Joel Westby who held the post for period 2013-2014. Mrs. Guy is the only elected female in the Council, she is a successful entrepreneur and youth advocate. She is the founder and President of the Belmopan Active Youth (BAY), a fast growing community youth group with over 500 members, which aims to empower, educate and positively entertain youths of Belmopan. She was recently nominated for the 2014 United States Embassy Woman of the Year award. She also holds the portfolio of Community Resource Development, Seniors, Women, Public Health and Youth. She currently chairs the 2014 Belmopan Celebrations Committee and serves on several boards in relation to her duties as a council member.

Mango Pound Cake
Ingredients 1 stick butter, room temperature 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup mango puree (1 fresh mango, peeled and processed in the blender) 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 large eggs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Here’s How: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour one loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the mango puree and mix until incorporated. Sift the baking soda and flour together. Add to the creamed mixture alternating with eggs, beating in each egg 1 at a time. Add vanilla. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Enjoy!

Centennial Park Fajina Project
CACHE is having their Fajina Project this Saturday morning, and they'll be upgrading Centennial Park. It was moved to the 31st from the 26th. Snacks will be provided for volunteers, so lend a hand if you can. "Working towards our community is one CACHE's key roles. Lets all work for our community and build one where everyone can feel proud of what we are and what we make of it. Monday 26th a Fajina Project will be carried out. Be there. Make the difference. Let the community be a part of you, and not you be a part of the community. Snacks and refreshments will be provided."

Cayo Classifieds - Issue 18
This week's Buy and Sell Weekly.

Hon. Dean Barrow Departed the Country on Personal/Duty Leave
Government of Belize Press Office

Ms. Rheisha Shol representing Belize in Houston Caribbean Queen Pageant. Support Belize and Vote for her.
Houston Caribbean Queen Pageant is a cultural, educational, and festive event that seeks to celebrate the talent and intellectual abilities of young Caribbean women. The HCQ pageant will be a distinguished public affair held in Houston, which will showcase feminine charisma, poise, congeniality and positive spirit among contestants. The pageant will present an opportunity of a life-time to aspiring young Caribbean women in Houston and surrounding areas. The pageantry aims to bring out the best qualities such as talent, public speaking skills, commitment to public service, discipline and drive for success from young pageant hopefuls. It will offer the female ambassadors the opportunity for personal enhancement through an educational scholarship, as well as other cash prizes and gifts. The HCQ winner will be a role model and an inspiration to young women both in Houston and the Caribbean. Read her bio here.

Channel 7

Hon. Penner Back To Court On Criminal Charge
For the past 2 months, Elvin Penner has been out on bail from Magistrate's Court after he was criminally charged for 2 immigration offenses. His prosecution was initiated by the Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), after the Director of Public Prosecutions stated that she doesn't have enough evidence at her disposal to prosecute him for his role in the Won Hong Kim Passport scandal. But all through that time, COLA and its attorney Kareem Musa have not had any kind of success with the Auditor General, the Ombudsman and the Commissioner of Police to get evidence to substantiate their criminal case against Penner. So, today, they went back to court for the first adjournment of the case, and 7News was there. Here's how it went: Daniel Ortiz reporting Elvin Penner exited the courtroom today stoic and silent, not a hint of concern that he was being criminally prosecuted.He ignored all questions from the press demanding a comment for this scandal, which he has yet to publicly address since his email to 7News. The fact is though, he got one step closer to walking away from this criminal case and walking away unscathed. The private prosecution just barely made it past this adjournment after heated arguments from both sides.

Customs Guard Dies In Traffic Accident
Well-known customs Guard Frank Mango Robinson died in a traffic accident in Belize City this afternoon. It happened this afternoon at around 3:00 pm. Robinson was driving a DMax pickup truck headed towards Belmopan. But, reports say that at the end of the Lord Ridge Cemetery, Robinson took an abrupt turn as if he was about to head back towards the city. But, he didn't pay attention to the ten wheel dump truck behind him and that rammed into the side of the pickup. The impact was massive and Robinson was crushed inside. He had to be extracted by the jaws of life. Regrettably, he died as a result of his injuries. His passenger, a female who works at the Customs Department was seriously injured but is reported in a stable condition. Those on the scene at the time tell us he was using his cellular telephone, and that's why he may not have realized the dump truck was right behind him.

Ecuador Wants Ebanks, but How Will They Get Him?
For weeks, we've been reporting on the Ecuadoran Fugitive, Floyd Wendel Ebanks - who was living in Belize under the name Christian Ebanks. He remains on remand at the Belize Central Prison for firearm possession. The last we heard from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was that the Ecuadorians hadn't made any formal request for him to be handed over. But today, we caught up with the Commander of the Gang Suppression Unit, Superintendent Linden Flowers. He told us that law enforcement from that country has made contact with him, and that they're seeking him for murder: Supt. Linden Flowers, Commander - Gang Suppression Unit "Communications that have been received out of Ecuador is in fact that Mr. Ebanks is a person of interest in Ecuador and I would say that it has to do with a murder that occurred in Ecuador some years ago." Reporter "He is wanted for that murder?" Supt. Linden Flowers "He is wanted as part of that investigation." Reporter "Has the communication led to any diplomatic relationship meaning that they are asking for him to be send to Ecuador?" Supt. Linden Flowers "There is communication in that he would be a person on interest and they would like to have communication with him."

Very Dangerous Prisoner Recaptured
As we told you, Paula, who is charged with a slew of criminal offences including robbery and murder, was being transferred to Belmopan for a court hearing on February 3. He managed to pull a Houdini and escaped from a moving police van when it slowed down at a speed bump in Cotton Tree. Since then, he's been on the run, but that came to an end last night when police got intelligence that he was in the Salvapan area of Belmopan. The Commanding officer from the Belmopan Police station explained his recapture to the media today: Supt. Howell Gillett - OC, Belmopan Police "We found that Mr. Edwin Paula was one of the persons who was pending to be recaptured. This morning shortly after 2 based on information we gathered we launched an operation in the Salvapan area where Mr. Edwin Paula, 30 years unemployed of San Martin area was found in a hotel the name I do not care to disclose, and he was in the company of one Martha Vasquez, nineteen-years-old.

Man Found Dead In Cayo District, Murder Suspected
Tonight, San Ignacio police continue to investigate the death of a man who was found yesterday evening in Los Tambos Village in the Cayo District. At this time, they don't know if it is murder, or if the man died of natural causes. 28 year-old Honduran Oscar Armando Gomez Alvarez was found dead inside his room on a farm. The problem is that there was no evidence that was found that his death could have been caused by violence. The only signs police found were several chop wounds all over his face and, left shoulder, and what's even more perplexing is that he got those in a fight 10 days ago. He was treated at the Western Regional Hospital, and he was released, so police are trying to determine if those wounds ended up claiming his life after such a long time later. Today, the Deputy Commander of San Ignacio Police told us about what they know so far:

Cops Blocking Investigation Into Shooting
And while we had the Opportunity, we asked the Deputy Commander from San Ignacio Police about that report from 19 year-old Elston Arnold who says that a police shot him in the back in Unitedville on Monday Morning, and left him for dead. As we've reported Arnold has complained to police internal affairs that the officer who shot him with a shotgun did so without any reason because he wasn't resisting arrest or assaulting the officer in any way. Today Inspector Reyes told us that police strongly suspect that one of 4 officers pulled the trigger, but they are using their knowledge as officers of the law to evade prosecution: Inspector Reymundo Reyes - Deputy OC "In respect to that case here a criminal investigation has been launched. Statements from the victim has been recorded as well as his companions who were along with him. Internal affairs has also come in and interviewed officers which we are also doing - statements and reports obtained from them. We are still in the process of doing a re-interview with the officers and then submit all the information that we have to the office of DPP for directives."

Hapless Bank Robber Ready For Charges
And while that shooting could possibly result in criminal charges for one of those 4 officers, the officer who shot Teakettle resident Cannon Obispo will likely get recognized for good police work. As we told you, Obispo went on a robbery spree in Belmopan where he stole from a clothing store and then stole $6,500 from a patron inside the Scotia Bank across the street. He tried to escape, and when the officer responded and cornered him, Obispo pulled out a machete and threatened him with it. The officer was forced to shoot him to subdue and arrested him, after which, $5,500 dollars of the stolen money was recovered. The officer commanding Belmopan Police told us that Obispo continues to recover from his wounds at the KHMH under police guard. As soon as he is released, he will be facing criminal charges, including robbery:

Dr. Barnett Resigns From CDB, Takes Up Chair of BTB
Dr. Carla Barnett has officially resigned from her senior post at the Caribbean Development Bank. Barnett was appointed to the post of Vice President Operations in March of 2012. On Monday the Bank posted a terse release announcing her resignation effective May 23rd, 2014. It quotes President Dr. Warren Smith and says, "We appreciate Dr. Barnett's service and contribution and wish her well in her future endeavors," Those future endeavors bring here right back to Belize where Barnett will take up the post as Chair of the Belize Tourism Board in mid June. Barnett was the Cabinet choice for new Chair of the BTB which has had a recent history of governance issues, resulting in the resignations of two Directors of Tourism and one Board Chairman in two years.

BEL Cashes In On Excess Liquidity
The commercial banks are being stingier than ever with super-low interest rates on savings, and that allowed BEL to cash in big time with its latest debenture offering. The power company opened a $25 million dollar debenture offering on May fifth, and it reports today that as of today, it been fully subscribed. That's 32 days before the advertised closing date - and a sign that there's a lot of money out there looking for a secure, higher interest yield. This series of debentures yield a fixed interest rate of 6.5 per cent and will mature in 16 years on December 31, 2030. The company reports that it had to turn down 20 million dollars in surplus offers for the debentures. So, the offer is now officially closed and BEL says the proceeds will be used to refinance the $24.8 million Series 3 Debentures which carried a 10% interest rate. The company has consistently paid interest on time to Debenture holders.

Four Manatee Deaths In Three Days
Last night at the end of the news - we told you about a manatee corpse that was seen floating in the Belize City Harbor - just behind Brodies Warehouse on Southern Foreshore. Today, manatee expert Jamal Galvez went in to remove the corpse - which had floated over to the vicinity of the Dive Center, which is closer to the swing bridge. Galvez and his assistant had to drag it off to a nearby island off the coast of Belize City. It is alarming news since it is the fourth report made of a dead manatee within the last 3 days - all as a result of watercraft collision. Jamal Galvez- Manatee Conservation Coordinator "Within the last 3 days we've had 4 dead manatees; 3 in the Haulover Creek and one in the Tourist Village area, all as a result f water craft collision mainly from huge boats from big propellers, not small propellers. All of the animals were found along the "No Wake" areas which is quite alarming because that's the last place you would want to see dead manatees in the area that you are supposed to be going slow.

Brothers Charged For Rape
25 year-old Jeffrey Pott and his brother, 27 year-old Roger Pott are out on bail tonight after being accused of attacking 2 sisters, one of whom was allegedly raped. A 16 year-old girl reported to police that on May 2, she woke up and found Jeffrey Pott on top of her 17 year-old sister having intercourse with her against her will because the young woman was drunk and asleep. She told police that when she saw this, she attacked Jeffrey Pott, and that's when his brother Roger intervened and pulled a hammer on her.

Tillett Accused of Thievery
37 year-old Eugene Tillett, a construction worker of Western Avenue, was taken to court today for breaking into a woman's house and cleaning her out of all her belongings. The complainant, Edelma Ruiz, reported to the police that her house, located at 141 Cemetery Road, was burglarized on Tuesday, and several household items including electronics and jewelry were stolen. Quick police work led officers to Tillett that same day. He was caught with a bag which contained all the stolen items, so, he was charged with burglary and handling stolen goods. He was arraigned today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was offered a bail of $4,000. His case was adjourned until July 10.

A Plan For The Department of The Environment
The Department of the Environment - known as the D-O-E - is coming up with a new five-year action plan. The last one expired in 2011, and now the World Bank has stepped up to provide funding and technical assistance. Today, the DOE, conducted a National Stakeholder Consultation Workshop for industry, government and civil society stakeholders, as well as interested private individuals. Chief Environmental Officer Martin Allegria told us what it's about: Martin Allegria, Chief Environmental Officer "Because with time, things change, new priorities comes in, new issues arises that are of importance that take the headline and so we need to plan and execute actions needed. The paramount in every action plan - the past 4 that we have had since 1992 has always been environmental planning. Physical, environment and social planning - all those are part of and that's why the theme that World Bank set up has a social plan a part of it and we acknowledge it."

Haulover Bridge Will Be Replaced
Last night we told you about the 29 million US Dollar loan that the CDB had approved for roadwork's in Belize. But the release wasn't quite clear about what roads would be repaired. Well, we spoke with the CEO in the Ministry of Works Errol Gentle and he told us that the money will be used to upgrade the Northern Highway from the Burrell Boom junction to the first roundabout entering Belize City. He says the upgrade will include a new bridge to replace the Haulover Bridge. That's right, the decades old Haulover will be replaced by a new two lane bridge. But the old Haulover will be rehabilitated before it is removed, while the new one is being built beside it. The CEO says it can may be moved and used somewhere else after the new one is opened.

UDP Hopeful Speaks About Cayo Convention
At the top of the newscast, we told you about Eduardo Salim Juan, one of the 3 UDP Aspirants for Cayo Northeast who are trying to replace Elvin Penner as Standard Bearer. The other 2 are former 3-term San Ignacio Mayor John August Jr. and Tony McNab. Though they're all newcomers to the Cayo Northeast Constituency. And as we've told you, although Penner is still an elected area representative, the UDP have distanced themselves from him in the wake of the Citizen Kim passport scandal. That's left a political vacuum that needs to be filled, and these men want the job. We asked Juan about his campaign today and how he intends to win the convention: Eduardo Salim Juan - UDP Aspirant, Cayo Northeast "My strategy is to visit every single house. House to house, deal with our people, find out what the problems in our villages are and the problem that we have with the residents."

Chief Environmental Officer Alegria On Azul
Puerto Azul - the proposed mega luxury development has conservationists in an uproar. That's because it's planned for Northern Two Caye on the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. It's seen as a delicate environment, and it is an area of high use for many lobster fishermen. Right now, the project is only at the proposal stage, and we asked the Chief Environmental Officer Martin Allegria what he had heard about it:... Martin Allegria, Chief Environmental Officer "What I can tell you is that project has been in the discussion not officially but out there for the past year and a half or so. It has come back, revised and based on conversations we have had with the investment committee and other ministers and so on. But where we are at this stage in terms of the department of the environment I will have to find out and let you know Monday or next week."

Belize's Lady Jaguars Taking Goals But Gaining Experience
Earlier this month, the Belize National Women's Football Team, the Lady Jaguars, went to Guatemala to participate in the UNCAF Female tournament in that country. It's part of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, but the Lady Jaguars performed in less than spectacular fashion. Today, the President of the Football Federation of Belize told us that though the losses were tough, he's happy that they're getting the experience: Ruperto Vicente, President - FFB "Our first game was against Honduras and we lost 8-1 to Honduras and we played our second match against Panama, panama defeat us 13-1. In the third game which was against Guatemala, we lost 5 goals 2-0." Reporter "The goals that were scored, who scored those goals?"

FFB Getting Ready For Champion's League
Since March, the Football Federation of Belize has been doing an extensive renovation of their football field in Belmopan. This upgrade is budgeted at 1.8 million dollars, and it will see the only stadium that was FIFA certified to reach standards seen in other Central American Countries which focus very strongly on the sport. The most exciting thing for the FFB is that Belize will be able to take part in the Champion's League: Ruperto Vicente, President - FFB "The work here began in the month of March with the electrical part of it doing the lights, doing the bleachers as well as the locker rooms and the field itself and so we are way ahead. We are a little behind of course with the pitch but we will catch up this week because the people who are working on the pitch are committed to complete all of this work this week. If you notice behind here the trucks are running the dirt and once it's leveled and rolled then the pipes are going to be laid for the drainage as well as the irrigation. And so that is going to be done this weekend."

YES Saying No To Hopelessness
Youth Enhancement Services - better known as Y-E-S - has tapped into the European Union funded Belize Rural Development Programme for a novel programme. They got twenty two thousand dollars approved for a craft center in Lord's Bank LAdyville. That includes equipment, training and the building for the craft center. At the opening today, we found out how it will be pout to use:.. The craft center is located near Ramos Bus in Lord's Bank across from the Youth Enhancement Services Training Centre.

Belmopan Police Building Morale
Superintendent Howell Gillett became the commanding officer of the Belmopan Police Station on April 30, and since then, he's been working out different strategies to improve performance within his jurisdiction. He's been observing the success of precinct policing in Belize City, and after careful planning, Gillett will employ aspects of that model at the Belmopan Police Station. He also says that he's working on building morale in the officers under his command: Gillett tells us that he will reactivate a number of community policing initiatives, to increase the relationship between his officers and the community they serve.

Channel 5

Fatal traffic accident in Belize City claims the life of Customs Officer
A customs officer identified as Frank Robinson, en route to Belize City shortly after three o’clock this afternoon, lost his life in yet another fatal road traffic accident.  The collision [...]

Salvadoran fugitive Edwin Paula recaptured in Belmopan
After four months of being on the run, thirty-year-old Edwin Paula, indicted on charges of robbery and murder, has been recaptured by police during an overnight raid.  After being arraigned [...]

Elvin Penner returns to court; case adjourned
The private prosecution brought by COLA against former Minister of State Elvin Penner came back to the courtroom of Magistrate Aretha Ford in Belmopan this morning. Penner sat through the [...]

Honduran national murdered in Los Tambos
On Wednesday night, we reported that the body of a man had been found in Los Tambos, which is located in the Cayo District. Police have identified the body as [...]

Chief Environmental officer speaks on tourism development projects
The Puerto Azul Project by an Italian development company has been raising the ire of environmentalists. Last week, ministers Manuel Heredia and Erwin Contreras were at the Cannes Film Festival [...]

NCL mega-tourism project in its final stages
Another mega development project that has come under a lot of fire from various quarters is the Norwegian Cruise Line’s multimillion dollar port of call on Harvest Caye. As of [...]

Department of Environment holds workshop to develop 10 year plan
The Department of the Environment is updating its policy framework and action plan. Since its establishment in 1992, D.O.E. has formulated four, five-year plans. Today, key stakeholders, including the private [...]

Woman charged with harm for attacking her stepmother
  A stepdaughter who felt she was being disrespected pleaded guilty to two counts of harm upon her step mother and her sister. Stephanie Flowers was charged after she admitted [...]

Carla Barnett resigns as Vice President of the Caribbean Development Bank
  Doctor Carla Barnett is heading back home to chair the Belize Tourism Board. Back in April, the government announced that Barnett was taking over as Chairperson of the Belize [...]

World Milk Day 2014
World Milk Day was first celebrated in Belize in 2012 but the event has been growing leaps and bounds. This morning, the Santiago Castillo Group of companies staged a fair [...]

Prerogative – a new exhibit opens at the Mexican Institute
Four budding Belizean artists are holding an art exhibition called ‘Prerogative’, the venue is the Mexican Institute. The exhibit includes a wide range of pieces that were completed individually by [...]

Tracking baby turtles; a Wildlife Conservation Society feature
For the past fourteen years, May twenty-third has been celebrated as World Turtle Day.  The event is primarily to build awareness on the plight of the turtles because the shelled [...]

Healthy Living looks at preparations for Cancer Walk 2014
The annual Cancer Awareness Walk from Ladyville to Belize City takes place this Saturday. The event has continued to attract thousands of Belizeans year after year to walk the almost [...]

LOVE FM

Fugitive Captured After Three Months
30-year-old prisoner Edwin Paula who had been on the run since February was recaptured earlier today when Police conducted an operation at an apartment complex in the Salvapan area of Belmopan. Paula was found in the company of a 19-year-old woman. Both persons were detained. Paula was charged along with three other men with three counts of robbery and murder in connection with the shooting death of Salvadoran national Isabel Antonio Balona. On February 3, Paula was being transported from Central Prison to the Belmopan Police Station when the van slowed down at a bump in Cotton Tree Village and he managed to escape. Paula was also charged with nine counts of aggravated assault for the robbery of students at the dormitory at the University of Belize last year.

Customs Boatman Perishes in Road Incident
A traffic accident on the George Price Highway proved fatal this evening as an employee of the Customs Department is dead while his passenger is hospitalized at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. It was just before three o’clock this evening when a Government silver pickup truck assigned to the Customs Department was clipped by a sand truck which sent the vehicle spinning off to the left side of the highway. Upon our arrival at the scene the Customs boatman, 51-year-old, Frank Robinson and 24-year-old, Customs clerk, Camira Brown were already transported to the hospital with Robinson in a critical condition. Both vehicles were headed west from Belize City and according to the sand truck driver, he was heading to mile seven when Robinson made a sudden u-turn and so the impact was unavoidable. Robinson was pronounced dead at 3:50 this evening. The sand truck is the property of Imer Hernandez Development Company Limited from Orange Walk Town. Love will have more on this story in tomorrow’s newscast.

A Case of Rape Goes Complex
Twenty-five year old Jeffrey Pott, an unemployed of Victoria Street, was charged with rape when he appeared today before Magistrate Dale Cayetano. No plea was taken because the offence is indictable. Pott was released on a bail of seven thousand dollars. His case was adjourned until July 31. According to the allegation, a 16 year old girl, who is a sister of the alleged rape victim, a 17 year old, reported that at about 4 a.m. on May 2, she awoke to find Pott on top of her sister having sex with her against her will. The 16 year old said her sister was drunk and asleep. As a result of the report, an altercation ensued between the family of the alleged rape victim and the family of the alleged perpetrator.

Caught Red Handed with Stolen Goods But He Pleads Not Guilty
Thirty-seven year old Eugene Tillett, a construction worker of Western Avenue who allegedly broke into a house on Cemetery Road, was charged with burglary and handling stolen goods when he appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. Tillett pled not guilty to the charges. He was offered a bail of our thousand dollars and his case was adjourned until July 10. The complainant, Edelma Ruiz, reported to the police that on Tuesday, May 27, her house, located on Cemetery Road, was burglarized and several household items were stolen. The items amounted to just over four thousand dollars in value. The police investigated the matter and later the same day they reported that they found Tillett with a bag that contained all of the stolen items.

Debentures Fully Prescribed Before Deadline
BEL’s 25 million dollar series six debentures have been fully prescribed. According to the company this is thirty two days before the scheduled closing date. The Series 6 Debentures will yield a fixed interest rate of 6.5 per cent and will mature in 16 years on December 31, 2030. The cost of each debenture was one hundred dollars. According to BEL’s Senior Manager Finance & Human Resources they received subscriptions for over 45 million dollars. The proceeds are being utilized in whole or in part to refinance the 24.8 million dollars Series 3 Debentures bearing interest at 10 per cent, and or to redeem existing Debentures held by Debenture holders who chose not to invest in the new offering. According to the BEL official, the Company is in the process of allocating the debentures based on subscriptions received and will advise subscribers of the status of their subscriptions by June 6.

PlusTV

COLA Gets Extension to Collect Elusive Evidence Against Penner
Ex Minister of State and current Area Representative for Cayo North East Hon. Elvin Penner appeared in court today before Magistrate Aretha Ford for the second day for disclosure of evidence for the Prosecution of Elvin Penner. On February 28th, 2014, Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, COLA filed a private prosecution against the Area [...]

Police Recapture Murder Suspect in Hotel of Belmopan
Four months on the run, but today, escaped prisoner Edwin Paula was recaptured by police. Paula, who was on remand for murder, escaped on February 3rd while he and other inmates were being transported from the Central Prison in a police van. When the van reached the pedestrian ramp in Cotton Tree Village, Paula somehow [...]

Customs Officer Perishes in Road Traffic Accident
There was a fatal traffic accident this afternoon at mile two on the George Price Highway. The incident happened around 2:30 this afternoon and claimed the life of a customs officer. Frank Robinson aka “Mango” was driving a Gray Isuzu D-Max, property of the Government of Belize and was travelling with two other men when [...]

Cayo Police Investigates the Murder of a Honduran National
The body of a Honduran national identified as 28 year old Oscar Armando Gomez Alvarez was reportedly found in the outskirts of a village in the District of Cayo, called Los Tambos. According to reports, Alvarez has not been in Belize very long. Sources say he arrived in the village of Los Tambos some two [...]

Government Loan for Roads Linked to Gender Capacity Building
The Caribbean Development Bank has approved a 30.1 million dollar loan to Belize for rehabilitation of 9.81 km of the Philip S. W. Goldson Highway and the replacement of the Haulover Bridge. But $110,000 of that loan has to be used to assist in financing consultancy services for gender capacity building within the Ministry of [...]

Teachers to be Dismissed Due to Amalgamation of Southside Schools
The Ministry of Education is planning to merge three Southside Belize City high schools – Maud Williams High School, Sadie Vernon Technical High and Excelsior High School. We understand that this is to be done by August of this year, in time for the new school year. On Wednesday evening, there was a meeting hosted by [...]

Transferred Senior Nurses Have Years of Service in Present Location
Seven senior nurses are being transferred across the country and the Nurses Association has expressed its disapproval and concern. We have reported that the association says that the proposed transfer is being spearheaded by Dr. Peter Allen, CEO in the Ministry of Health and the association “views the management of the entire process by the CEO [...]

The Guardian

Pay Now!
There are two things that are cute in life and Arthur Saldivar is definitely not one of them. If he thought his stunt of bringing coins to pay legal fees of 9 thousand 500 dollars which he owes to Senior Counsel Rodwell Williams was cute, then he is learning the hard way that he needs to forget the small change and bring the big money whine (refer to article: Arthur and Vernon pay up! On page 3). On Tuesday May 27, Arthur, trying to be the clown that he is and probably being the mastermind of a similar stunt with Trevor Vernon, decided to try to make a mockery of a court judgment by paying the legal fees he owes in small change. Well no sooner had his minions arrived at the law offices of S.C. Williams than they and his two cans were sent through the door. The payment of two thousand dollars in small change was not received by the office staff at the law firm. The $2000 dollar payment was not received because under a Central Bank Statute, no debt in excess of fifty dollars can be paid with coins. More than that, for Saldivar to have settled the debt, he would have had to pay the entire amount in full as the court had ordered. Two thousand dollars is hardly settlement.

Melinda Guerra has much to answer to
The Auditor General believes that $85,183.49, was misappropriated from public funds by Melinda Guerra, the Manager of the Central Health Region. As a result, she is now before the Public Service Commission to answer to an inquiry as to why she misrepresented, misled and misused public monies in her capacity of regional manager. Of important note is that Guerra has denied all claims that she acted inappropriately with those funds, and that she is innocent of wrong doing. CEO of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Peter Allen contacted the Auditor General on August 26, 2013, requesting that she look into the public spending at the Central Health Region for the year of 2012 because he had received credible allegations that public funds were being misused. An audit team was assembled 4 days later, and they started to audit the Central Health Region.What they found was that there were a series of transactions which Melinda Guerra, the Manager, the Former Finance Officer, Judith Swift, and the current Finance Officer, Ena Codrington, were connected to which were dubious in nature. The first 4 transactions involved reimbursements of Melinda Guerra for out-of-pocket expenses which she incurred in her official capacity as Manager. Those came up to a total of $3,407.50, in which she supposedly paid for food and other medical supplies for different workshops which were already covered by the Ministry of Health, but she requested payment misleading the Ministry of Health that she incurred them herself.

Vernon’s Assets Crow footed
Trevor Vernon must have thought himself as cute as Arthr on Tuesday when he made a half payment of a 5 thousand dollar debt which he owed to Senior Counsel Denys Barrow after he was ordered to pay cost in a matter which he initiated against Hon. Edmund Castro but failed. While he made half the payment in shillings, the court had ordered that he pay in full but he did not do so. Since Tuesday, Barrow made an application to the Supreme Court for a writ of execution and it was granted him. On Wednesday a Supreme Court bailiff paid a visit to Vernon’s house where crow foot markings were placed on his belongings to be confiscated if he is unable to make the second payment. With the crow footing, none of those assets marked can be disposed of by Vernon since these will be sold off in the event that he does not pay the full amount.

10,000 Shillings
We confirmed that it was a PUP transaction when the bags of coins that Trevor Vernon used to pay legal fees to S.C. Denys Barrow turned up short. On Tuesday May 28, Vernon assisted by Peter Carter, carried two sacks of coins to Barrow and company where he was given a temporary receipt stating that he had paid half of a $5000 bill which he owed. The bill arose after Vernon, maliciously, frivolously and vexatiously took a matter to the Supreme Court where he claimed that Hon. Edmund Castro abused his authority when he assisted constituents of the Belize Rural North Constituency. But more than it being done simply to put the good minister’s name in disrepute, he retained the services of a poco-tiempo attorney who improperly prepared the documents. After submissions by S.C. Denys Barrow, Vernon and his attorney were sent packing but not before the judge ordered that Vernon pay legal fees. To ensure that the court not be taken lightly again, the court ordered that Vernon pay Hon. Castro’s fees of $5000. Immediately upon hearing the judgment, Vernon jumped on Facebook and began to beg for help and seek sympathy for his misdeed. Needless to say, no one took pity on him as everyone knew that he was just another PUP hack trying to create mischief.

UDP-Now celebrates 25 years
Over 700 women countrywide, members of the United Democratic Party-National Organization of Women (UDP-NOW) are expected to descend on the Belize City House of Culture on Saturday, May 31 at 10:00A.M.for the 25th Anniversary Rally and Re-organization of NOW. Of the 700 plus women, 25 will represent each constituency. The number 25 is symbolic because NOW has been in existence since May 27, 1989, 25 years ago. A highlight of the event is that 38 women from all over the country who are foundation members of NOW will be honoured for their tenacity and vision to have seen the need for such an organization to support and complement the work of the United Democratic Party while advancing the cause of women. UDP-NOW celebrates 25 years Guest Speaker for the occasion is Sen. the Hon. Lisel Alamilla while President, Diane Haylock will present a way forward for the organization.

Protest for Professor Brendan Bain
The terminated Professor from the University of the West Indies, Brendan Bain, continues to be a controversial topic within Belize and Jamaica, which has caused the university to come under sustained criticism and denunciation. On Friday, May 23, the Belize Evangelical Association of Churches along with Belize Action’s Pastor Scott Stirm organized a midday demonstration at the Battlefield Park in front of the Supreme Court. They were protesting against Bain’s termination, calling it a silencing of freedom of speech. Following after the protests being held in Jamaica, majority of the 100 or so participants who showed up donned tapes over their mouths with the slogan, “Freedom Under Attack”. The taping of their mouths represented their sentiments that UWI was used by the LGBT community in the Caribbean to silence Professor Bain for his witness evidence which was taken as being “anti-gay”.

SIF Sponsors Computer Skills Training for San Jose Villagers
On Saturday, May 24, the Social Investment Fund collaborated with the Orange Walk Institute for Technical and Vocational Education & Training (OWITVET) to host a Certification Ceremony for residents of San Jose Village who successfully completed basic computer skills training. The training program was a component of the San Jose Multipurpose Center sub project. The training was implemented by the Social Investment Fund as part of its mandate to work in line with the Government’s poverty alleviation strategy. Twenty trainees attended sessions every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon for six months. The lessons were both theoretical and practical, focusing on an in-depth understanding of Microsoft Suite such as Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Publisher. Trainees received lessons on onscreen components and formatting; browsers, search engines; spreadsheet columns and rows, creating workbooks as well as using formulas to make calculations. Graduates are now competent in using computers as members of water boards, to create flyers/promotional items for their businesses as well as equipped with the relevant computer skills and competencies for the expanding business sector in the northern district of the country, and by extension the wider society of Belize. The program cost $18,770 and was financed by the Government of Belize through a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

Sattiim did not win the case
On April 3, Justice Michelle Arana passed judgment on a case in which SATIIM took the Government of Belize and U.S. Capital Energy to court claiming that these two had violated environmental law which protect the Sartsoon Temash National Park as well as they violated the Maya's customary land rights to these lands. At the time both parties claimed that the judgment was in their favor, on one hand the GOB and U.S. Capital explained that the company could drill in the national park since the permits to do so were not struck down and were deemed legal. For its part SATIIM claimed that the judge had told the government that before any exploration is done permission needed to be sought from the Maya people. Well those positions were maintained up until a couple of weeks ago when the order was to have been perfected. In perfecting the order, attorneys generally reach common ground on interpreting the judge's ruling and the order is thereafter perfected. That was not the case on this matter and the Judge, Michelle Arana, perfected the order since consensus could not be reached. The perfection of the order maintained that U.S. Capital was not in breach of any of the laws. She went on to explain that Government now needs to engage in good faith attempts to seek consent from the Mayas. The government has commenced with that exercise and it is being well received.

We have a Stable Economy Says Statistical Institute of Belize
In the first quarter of 2014, the Belizean economy contracted by 0.4 percent; however, the results of a recently conducted Labour Force Survey by the Statistical Institute of Belize will likely show that the country’s unemployment rate has also decreased. From January to March of 2014, crude oil extraction fell by 23 percent (from 221,000 barrels in 2013 to 170,000 barrels) as the Spanish Lookout wells are bottoming out. Production in the agricultural sector fell significantly. Earnings from sugarcane, citrus and banana fell by 30 percent. The Citrus Greening Disease has a lot to do with the strong decline in the industry but disagreements between farmers and the company also played a significant part in low citrus products output. Earnings from exporting sugar decreased by $16 million in the first quarter of this year. Because of disagreements between farmers and the company, the crop season which was scheduled to start in mid November was delayed until January. Banana production fell only slightly because of unfavourable weather conditions at the beginning of the year.

Miss Sadie Vernon is Special Envoy’s Trailblazer of the Week
This week’s trailblazer made waves in one of the most important areas of a nation’s development; education! Ms. Sadie Vernon (1918-2008) No truer words were spoken of Sadie Vernon than a 1983 description of her as an “advocate for the voiceless and the powerless”. Sadie had no idea that the outcome of her 1963 proposal writing efforts would result in a permanent home for twenty-five times as many girls and boys in similar situations to those of the four mothers who first sought her help more than three decades earlier. On September 6th 1999 a ceremony was held to rename the Belize Continuation School as Sadie Vernon High School. Sadie started the institution in 1964 in the borrowed spaces of the YWCA. After they ran out of space at the YWCA they moved first to the Catholic Extension building and then to a leased space on Dean Street in 1994 before a permanent space was secured for the now Sadie Vernon High School at the end of that decade. Almost a quarter century after Sadie had begun the Belize Continuation School she established the high school preparatory institution ‘Friends Boys School’.

Dennis Gabourel Allegedly Beats Up “Interfering” Neighbour
Well known businessman and horse & carriage driver, 58-year-old Dennis Gabourel, is being accused of beating up a woman, Kathleen Grant. Gabourel is the son of recent fire victim, Orseline Wallace Gabourel, who was trapped inside her Cleghorn Street home as the structure was destroyed by fire last week. Grant is the deceased neighbour who called out Gabourel’s relatives for leaving the house unattended an unkept. According to reports, on Thursday, May 22, Grant was on North Front Street when a car pulled up and Dennis Gabourel exited. Gabourel told Grant to “Get out ah meh business” and he slapped her across the right side of the face. The hit caused Grant to fall to the sidewalk and Gabourel kicked her several times to the stomach before he got into the vehicle and sped off.

Three Brothers Arrested for Caledonia Murder
Corozal Police have detained brothers, 31-year-old Elias Rosalez, 34-year-old Perfecto Rosalez Jr. and 27-year-old David Rosalez, all fishermen of Caledonia Village, for their part in the murder of 26-year-old Eder Alcoser. Sometime around 9 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, Eder Alcoser went to a local store where he got into an argument with David Rosalez. The argument became heated and developed into a fist fight. Rosalez’s brothers, Elias and Perfecto Jr., came to their brother’s aid armed with machetes. According to police, at this same time Eder Alcoser’s father, Marcelo Alcoser, arrived and tried to stop the fight. However, the brawl continued and moved from in front of the shop to a nearby area up the street. During the brawl, the Rosalez brothers inflicted major injuries upon Eder and Marcelo Alcoser.

Man in stable condition after being shot in Cayo
A few minutes after midnight on Monday of this week, information was received of a male person being transported to the San Ignacio Town Hospital with gunshot wounds. Elson Arnold from Unitedville Village had been shot on the lower left side of his back. Police visited the San Ignacio Town Hospital where Elson Arnold was issued a medical form and he was then transported to the Western Regional Hospital. He was later transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he underwent surgery to retrieve gunshot pellets from his back.

Remanded for pulling gun on Clerk
Two Belize City men, 27-year-old Nuri Polanco, a resident of #7005 Antelope Street extension, along with 21-year-old Kenroy Willoughby, a Carpenter of #75 Antelope Street Extension in Belize City were charged jointly for the Sunday, May 25, aggravated assault with a firearm upon 23-year-old Jason Lamb, a clerk of #7020 Pelican Street Extension, Belize City. In court, both Polanco and Willoughby were unrepresented. They both pleaded not guilty to the charge but due to the nature of the offense, bail was denied and both were remanded to the Belize Central Prison until July 14, 2014. In a report to police, Jason Lamb reported that on Sunday, May 25, 2014, at 5:45 p.m., he was attending a family dinner on Antelope Street Extension when he got into an argument with Kenroy Willoughby who allegedly pulled a black revolver from his pants waist.

Oscar Hernandez Accused of Stealing Parts from Hon. Castro’s Tractor
Nicaraguan national, Oscar Hernandez, is a free man after he was acquitted of a charge of theft by Magistrate Dale Cayetano on Friday, May 23. Allegations made against Hernandez are that sometime between October 1, 2012 and December 30, 2012 in Bomba Village he stole over $49,000 worth of tractor parts belonging to Hon. Edmond Castro. The parts include a cylinder head valued $970.02, a set injectors valued $1,211.94, a sniffler valued $889.48, a hydraulic pump valued $4,589.24, an exhaust valued $9,090.39, an alternator valued $1,986.53 and two jacks valued $11, 305.94. Police investigation led to the arrest and charge of 46-year-old Oscar Hernandez. Hernandez had been incarcerated for more than a year after he was denied bail due to the uncertainty of his immigration status in Belize.

Charles Herrera Charged for Murder of Ezekiel Hernandez
Police have arrested and charged 43-year-old Charles Herrera of #6959 Lavender Street, Belize City for the murder of 25-year-old Dangriga resident Ezekiel Hernandez. According to a police report, police visited the corner of Partridge and Lavender Streets at 5:23 a.m. on Monday, May 26, and saw the lifeless body of Hernandez near the river side. Officers observed three stab wounds to the upper right side of his back and transported the body to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where it was pronounced dead. Hernandez’s relative says that he is a mechanic and he came to Belize to collect money that was owed to him for services rendered. They say that the person who owed him was not honouring his debt and Hernandez was frustrated. From the location where Hernandez’s body was found, police tracked a trail of blood to a vehicle.

Two motorcycles stolen in one night in San Ignacio Town
Jorje Bradley, a 33 year old Belizean construction worker and employee at the Mystic River Resort on Cristo Rey Road, reports that his motorbike has been stolen. According to Jorje Bradley he had left his 2013 red and black in color Meliun Motorcycle, with markings ML200GY-5A, in front of the Legends Establishment in San Ignacio Town, sometime between 10:30 PM and 11:30 PM on Friday of last week. He reports that on his return from a nights outing, the motorcycle was nowhere to be seen. Jorje Bradley is now offering a reward of $500.00 for the recovery of his motorcycle.

Albert Moody Acquitted of Attempted Murder
Albert Moody of the Jane Usher Boulevard area has been acquitted of the charge of attempted murder upon Kent Moss. Moody was accused of the January 15, 2013 shooting of Moss on Raccoon Street. Moss, a resident of Freedom Street, was conversing with a friend on a verandah on Raccoon Street when a lone gunman came from behind the house and fired several shots in their direction. Moss was hit three times to the body and was rushed by ambulance to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for treatment. Albert Moody was charged later that same month for the shooting. However, a letter dated May 14, 2014 instructed the Magistrates’ Court to withdraw three indictable charges of attempted murder, dangerous harm and use of deadly means of harm upon Kent Moss. No reason was given for the withdrawal.

Albert Reid charged for Murder
On Tuesday May 27, 34-year-old Albert Reid was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith where he was charged with a single count of murder. Reid was charged for the death of 69-year-old Santana resident, Maurice Dennison Young. Due to the nature of the offense no plea was taken and Reid was remanded to custody at the Belize Central Prison until July 15. Reid who was detained since Wednesday, May 21, is accused of the Tuesday, May 20, murder of Young. On Tuesday, May 20, 2014, at about 6:10 a.m., Ladyville Police visited Santana Village where they were taken approximately 100 feet into a bushy area behind Young’s home where they found his body lying face up in a state of decomposition. Young had a cut wound to the neck and was dressed in a blue long jeans pants and a pair of shoes.

Belize City Taxi man Murdered
Relatives of Belize City taxi driver Norman Stanley Thompson, 56, believe he was ambushed and killed on Banak Street early Sunday morning, May 25. Police visited Banak Street at 1:46 a.m. on Sunday morning where they saw a green 4 door Geo Prism crashed into a fence. Inside the car was the body of Norman Stanley Thompson of #163 West Street, Belize City. The body had one gunshot wound to the right upper shoulder and one to the right upper back. According to police investigation, Thompson was driving his car in an alley beside La Popular Bakery heading towards Banak Street when he was ambushed by unknown person(s) who fired two gunshots at him which caused the fatal injuries. Two 9mm Aguila Brand expended shells were retrieved from the area and the body was transported to the Belize City Morgue.

Belizean athletes medalled at Central American Junior Championship
The Belize Athletics Association participated in the Central American Junior Athletics Championship that held in Managua, Nicaragua from the 23rd to the 25th May, 2014. Belize had representation in the following events and by the following athletes in the Jr. B Female category: Shanicka Augustine in the 100m, Long Jump and Triple Jump; Ashanti Carr in Shot-put, Long Jump and Triple Jump; Ashonti Carr in 400m, Shot-put, and Long Jump; Deannia Cooke in 100m and 200m; Zhanea Jex in 100m, 200m and 400m; Julia Puerto in the 1500m and 3000m and Catherine Tan in the Shot-put, Discus and Javelin.

Belize City primary schools basketball competition opens
The 2013-2014 Belize City Primary Schools Basketball Competition opened on Wednesday May 28, 2014, at the Bird’s Isle with five games on the schedule. This school year, there are some ten schools participating in the girls’ competition which includes Wesley Upper School, St. John Vianney, Muslim Community, Buttonwood Bay Nazarene, Holy Redeemer School, Belize Elementary School, St. John’s Primary, Calvary Temple School, St. Martin De Porres School, and St. Luke Methodist School. Meanwhile, in the boys’ competition, there are nineteen Schools competition in this year’s competition. The schools competing are Wesley Upper School, St. John Vianney, Muslim Community, Buttonwood Bay Nazarene, Holy Redeemer, Unity Presbyterian School, Trinity Methodist, Belize Elementary School, St. John’s Primary School, Calvary Temple School, St. Martin De Porres, St. Luke Methodist, Salvation Army School, Caye Caulker Roman Catholic, St. Ignatius School, Queen Street Baptist School, Ebenezer Methodist School, Grace Primary School and St. Mary’s Anglican School.

Belize Elementary School girls and boys Belize District Primary Schools Volleyball champions
The 2013-2014 Belize District Primary Schools Volleyball Competition came to an end on Tuesday May 27, 2014, at Bird’s Isle. In the girls’ championship game, Belize Elementary School representing Belize City defeated Holy Redeemer School also representing Belize City in two sets by the score of 25-12 and 25-10. In the first game in the girls’ competition, Holy Redeemer School defeated Burrell Boom Methodist School in two sets by the score of 25-17 and 25-3. In game two, it was Belize Elementary School winning over The Island Academy from San Pedro in two sets by the score of 25-6 and 25-8. Meanwhile, in the boys’ championship game, Belize Elementary School defeated Crooked Tree Government School by the score of 25-14 and 25-20.

Burrell Boom Methodist girls and Crooked Tree Government School boys are Belize Rural Volleyball champions
The Belize Rural Volleyball Championship was played on Tuesday May 20 2014, out in Ladyville Village. In the girls’ championship game, Burrell Boom Methodist School defeated Lucky Strike Government School in three sets by the score of 22-25, 25-17 and 15-7. In the first game of the tourney, St. Agnes Primary School defeated Pancotto Primary School in three sets by the score of 11-25, 25-15 and 15-8. In game two, Belize Rural Primary School defeated Lucky Strike Government School in two sets by the score of 26-24 and 25-18. In round two of the competition, Burrell Boom Methodist School defeated St. Agnes Primary School in three sets by the score of 20-25, 25-1 and 15-13. In the boys’ championship game, Crooked Tree Government School defeated Pancotto Primary School in three sets by the score of 25-23, 20-25and 15-9.

FFB President’s Cup tourney resumes
The FFB President’s Cup Tournament for 2014 resumed on Saturday May 24, with a single game on the schedule. Out at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan, the visiting Progresso FC defeated Roaring Creek United by the score of 3-1. The goals for Progresso FC were scored by Gabriel Perez in the 20th minute of play and Eliazar Itza In the 53rd and 80th minute of play. For Roaring Creek United, the only goal of the game was scored by Ricky Tamai via a penalty kick in the 33rd minute of play. The competition then continued on Sunday May 25, 2014, with three more games on the schedule. Out at the Carl Ramos Stadium in Dangriga Town, Belize District Stars edged out Pomona United by the score of 3-2. The goals for Belize District Stars were scored by Brian Martinez in the 24th minutes of play, Carlos Lino in the 83rd minutes of play and Dalton Cayetano in the 4th minute of play. For Pomona United, their goals were scored by Jevon Aranda in the 33rd minute of play and Elroy Smith in the 92nd minute of play.

Credit Union holds AGM in San Ignacio Town
The Saint Martin’s Credit Union SMCU held its 65th Annual General Meeting on Friday of this past week in San Ignacio Town. Hundreds of residents turned out to attend the meeting at the Octavia Waight Center Convention Hall; where financial prudence in the credit union movement was a mainstay. Present at the AGM were representatives from the La Immaculada Credit Union of Orange Walk, the St. Francis Xavier Credit Union of Corozal and the Belize Credit Union League. Today the SMCU is a strong financial institution, which was incorporated in 1949 to improve the economic standing of its members. As of March 31, 2014 the SMCU had 7,441 members. In a report to the gathering, President Dr. John Morris reported that SMCU’s assets stood at $17,985,534.00 and had an increase of over a million dollars from last year. According to Dr. John Morris, studies are now showing that there were at least 1000 untapped members for the credit union movement in Benque Viejo del Carmen, Succotz, Arenal and Calla Creek in Western Belize and that the SMCU needed to expand in those areas.

Ariel Rosado Foundation holds bike ride
It was a RIDE for Scholarships… a RIDE for Healthy Living…… a RIDE for fun! Just before 1:00 pm on Saturday May 10th 2014 about 150 cyclists rolled into the Hour Bar and Grill Compound, Newtown Barracks in Belize City. This marked the culmination of a third very successful Ariel Rosado Annual Bike Ride. The ride started at 6:15 a.m. from Galen University in Central Farm and cruised the 75 miles to The Hour Bar & Grill in Belize City at an average speed of 15 miles per hour. There were rest stops at the Galen Campus in Belmopan, Cheers on the George Price Highway and at the CD Gas Station on the Burrell Boom Road. After its Third Year the Ariel Rosado Annual Bike Ride is being described by knowledgeable members of the cycling community as the best organized and managed Bike Ride in Belize. The Board of Directors of the Ariel Rosado Foundation extends a sincere THANK YOU to all RIDERS, WORKERS, SPONSORS and SUPPORTERS whose participation made it possible to keep the mission and vision of the ARIEL ROSADO FOUNDATION alive.

Arthur and Vernon Pay up!
Arthur Saldivar, the failed PUP politician who has sometimes resorted to all kinds of tactics to further his agenda, has to cough up $69,500 to Prime Minister Dean Barrow for defamation of character. That’s what the Supreme Court of Belize says he owes in a record award of damages for a lawsuit of this kind. The defamation attempt by Saldivar took place in 2011, when Saldivar called in on the KREM Wake Up Belize Morning Talkshow. Known as the serial caller, Saldivar is often heard on the radio pushing his different points of view, which tend to have a self-serving motive. On that particular day, he made comments about the Prime Minister and suggested to the public that the Prime Minister was a corrupt politician. In response, Prime Minister Barrow sued him in the Supreme Court, and instead of defending himself against the lawsuit, Saldivar chose to ignore the case. He claims to have not been made aware of it in a timely manner and that’s why he didn’t offer a defence. If you listen to his explanation to the media carefully, you may pick up on the fact that he and his attorneys thought lightly of the lawsuit, that it didn’t have anything of substance that he was liable for.

Ministry of Health Commemorates World No Tobacco Day 2014
The National Drug Abuse Control Council (NDACC) of the Ministry of Health invites the public to join us as we commemorate World No Tobacco Day on May 30th, 2014. This year we will celebrate the day through public awareness activities focusing on the negative effects of tobacco consumption and other ‘No Tobacco’ initiatives to encourage voluntary adoption by communities to live in a smoke free environment. | The theme this year is “Raise taxes on Tobacco”. Under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO/FCTC), countries are encouraged to implement tax and price policies as a way to reduce tobacco consumption. An increase in excise tax is considered one of the most cost effective tobacco control measures. Activities for World No Tobacco Day will be conducted through NDACC district offices simultaneously on May 30th. Information booths will be in front of office space locations in Belize City, Dangriga Town and Orange Walk Town from 9am to 3pm. San Ignacio and Santa Elena will have a booth at Public Service information Day at the San Ignacio Welcome Center and Belmopan will setup at the market square location.

Facts on Harmonyville Subdivision
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture takes this opportunity to share the following facts on the Harmonyville Subdivision:- 1. In 2010 Cabinet approved the acquisition of 1,327.139 acres of land located between miles 41 and 42 on the George Price Highway- the area now known as Harmonyville 2. Acquisition cost- BZ$1,990,708.50 plus 3% interest. 3. Cabinet subsequently approved the subdivision design for the development that includes over 1000-one acre plots, open areas (parks, cemetery, and school) and the buffer strip (reserve) along the highway. 4. Cabinet further approved for the distribution of lots to be done based on the recommendation of BGYEA. 5. Cabinet also agreed that the purchase price for each one acre plot be at a social rate of $1000/ one acre plot. a. Note- the purchase price for regular a house lot in rural areas is currently $1,500/lot. A one acre plot allows for 4 regular house lots (100ft/100ft). 6. In 2011, the Department of Lands and Surveys facilitated the urgent acceptance and processing of applications from BGYEA members by accommodating for an unusual opening of our offices on three consecutive weekends and also by the deployment of additional staff to further facilitate.

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Seeking journalists and reporters
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: The Caye Caulker Chronicles is actively seeking journalists and reporters. We will pay for articles by the piece, so this can be a side job. We are looking for journalists and reporters with cameras, as submitted articles must be accompanied by photos. If you are interested in becoming a reporter, please email us at [email protected]. Going price for a published piece with photo is $10.

Patrick Jones

Youth Enhancement Services opens craft center
Youth Enhancement Services (YES) today opened the new home for their craft center, where young women will work toward becoming self-sufficient with their own handiwork. The students, young women from rural communities such as Ladyville and Lords’ Bank, have been taught how to make paper from discarded objects such as banana leaves and fish scale, which they turned into greeting cards, and jewelry from old seeds and wood. Now, they want to expand their work into a means of making money. The program turned to the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA)’s Expanding Economic Opportunities through Entrepreneurship and Marketing Development Project (EEOEM), a subsidiary of the Belize Rural Development Project (BRDP) funded by the European Union, for assistance. It gave them a $22,000 grant to fund the building of the center and according to its coordinator, Regina Campbell, trained the youth in accounting, bookkeeping and other business-related subjects.

Charges for accused house breaker
A Belize City man has been charged for burglary and handling stolen goods. 37 year old construction worker Eugene Tillett of Western Avenue appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer this morning. He is accused of going into the home of Edelmira Ruiz on Cemetery Road on Tuesday of this week and stealing $4,395 worth of electronic and household goods, all of which police later recovered from him. Tillett told the court that he was handed the bag of goods by a young man who came to him asking him to hold it for him. Tillett said he sent the young man on an errand but police showed up at the same time, searched the bag and found the stolen items inside.

Alleged rape leads to confrontation between families
A 17 year old minor who is alleged to have been raped earlier this month has been charged for a later confrontation with her attacker’s brother. She appeared in the Belize Family Court today on a charge of wounding and will be released on bail of $1,000. Meanwhile, the accused rapist, identified as 25 year old Jeffrey Pott of Victoria Street, was read his charge today before Magistrate Dale Cayetano. He is accused of forcing himself on the teenager at her home around 4 in the morning of May 2, 2014. A younger sister of the victim told police that she woke up around that time and saw a man she identified as Pott lying on top of her sister, who was reportedly intoxicated and sleeping. Magistrate Cayetano set bail at $7,000 and Jeffrey Pott will return to court on July 31.

DOE prepares new environmental strategy and action plans
The old maxim goes, “If you fail to prepare, be prepared to fail.” When your battle ground is the environment, the results can have lasting consequences. The Department of the Environment’s five-year strategic statement and action plans expired back in 2011 and it is now on the homestretch to create a new plan that will take it through the next decade. Today it hosted the first of a series of consultations with stakeholders in Belize City. We asked Chief Environmental Officer Martin Alegria to grade how well the Department has done in the last five years. He said that they have met most of their targets, including increasing public awareness, but there remain some challenges, including getting financing to address key issues.

Customs Department employee killed in traffic accident
A mid-afternoon traffic accident today on the George Price Highway has claimed the life of one man. The victim has been identified as Frank Robinson, an employee of the Customs Department. The accident happened around 3 pm near mile 2 on the George Price Highway in Belize City. According to reports, Robinson and a female employee of the Customs Department were west-bound in a DMax pickup truck when the incident happened. Reports are that the pickup truck made a U-turn into the path of a dump truck that was following.

Blogs

Michele Henderson wins CARICOM song competition
Dominican, jazz, fusion singer Michele Henderson is the winner of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) song competition, and her winning entry “Celebrating CARICOM” is now the regional body’s official anthem. Henderson beat out 57 semi-finalists and ten finalists to emerge winner in the competition which was announced last year. She says she screamed in disbelief when she first heard the news, and she is “happy and proud” for the accomplishment. “I want to thank CARICOM for the honour. I want to thank my husband (Roland Delsol Jr.) from the bottom of my heart for believing I could do it and for producing the song; Earlson Mathew for his arrangement; Michael Ferrol for his drumming skills and the St. Alphonsus Choir for their choral input.” According to the competition rules, the song should reflect a strong Caribbean cultural identity, have versatility and lend itself to be played by various instruments, have a strong Caribbean cultural flavour and rhythm and inspire a sense of regional pride and unity.

Top 5 attractions in Belize
Belize is probably not the number one location on your list of countries you must visit. It should be. Sitting just on the Central American east coast, Belize benefits from Caribbean temperatures and beaches on the Caribbean Sea. More than that it offers a wide range of stunning attractions which tap into the ancient history of the region as well as being immensely enjoyable. A private villa in Belize will give you the luxury you deserve for your holiday as you explore our top five attractions. Ambergris Caye, Lamanai, Actun Tunichil Muknal, Xunantunich, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Maya King of Cahal Pech
Archaeological news of the day, courtesy of Nine Eco Cultural Tours. King Kawil Ka’an Chan Ba’lam was his name. Cahal Pech is still actively being excavated by Dr. Awe and his archaeological students, and they've made some great discoveries. "In the Summer of 2013 Dr. Jaime Awe and archaeologists colleagues did some excavations at the summit of the grand temple in Plaza B of the site... This was a special gift to the King Kawil Ka’an Chan Ba’lam whose remains was embellished with jade jewellery and a corn god relief. His name, most impressively, was on a ring made out of the remains of a deer antler. Awesome! For the first time, since the early 1950s when Linton Satterwaite first excavated Cahal Pech, we are introduced to a name of a King. Sixty four years we waited and with lucky strokes of the pick axe and the faithful trowel and faithful and ambitious archaeologists, a royal tomb, for the world to know that a living god walked here."

National Song Workshops
The National Celebrations Commission, along with Atlantic Bank, are doing song writing workshops around the country in preparation for the National Song Competition. They'll be in Cayo, at the Cayo Welcome Center, on June 27th. All song writers and artists are invited to attend. In related news, the National Theme Competition deadline for submissions has been extended until May 30th.

Pandy Show Celebrates 22 Years
The Pandy Show celebrated its 22nd anniversary on the 27th. The Pandy Show, based in Cayo, is the longest running show in Belize. Thanks for the positive entertainment, and Congratulations, Pandy! Here's to another 44!

Fully Subscribed before Scheduled Closing Date; BEL closes its $25 million Series 6 Debenture Offer
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) advises that as of today, its $25 million Series 6 Debenture Offer has been fully subscribed, thirty-two days before the scheduled closing date. The Company opened the offer on May 5, 2014 and was scheduled to close on June 30, 2014. With the offer now fully subscribed the Company has closed the offer today, May 29, 2014. The Series 6 Debentures will yield a fixed interest rate of 6.5 per cent and will mature in 16 years on December 31, 2030. The cost of each debenture was $100. "There evidently remains high confidence in the operations of BEL," said BEL's Senior Manager Finance & Human Resources, Ms. Betty Tam. “We received subscriptions for over $45 million and are grateful for the high expression of interest in the offering.”

Day 1: From Belize City to Flores, Guatemala
We arrived in Belize a little early. My friend landed shortly before us. Well, actually three planes landed within minutes of each other creating a bit of a long wait to get through immigration and customs (especially when you really had to pee!). I got stamped and met Lindsay on the other side. We grabbed a taxi to the bus/water taxi station to take the express bus from Belize City to Flores, Guatemala. We ended waiting about an hour or so until the bus showed up. The express bus left around 1:30pm and we got to the station way before either of us had originally thought. We chatted with a Belizean local from the Southern part of the country about Southern Belize and the Belizean culture. Finally the bus arrived. The border crossing was rather simple once we figured what our Spanish-speaking driver told us to do. Get off. Walk through Belize Immigration. Pay $15 USD exit tax (we paid slightly less because we just arrived in Belize that day). Walk to customs and get passport stamp. Walk across river-bridge to Guatemala. Walk up to Guatemala immigrations and customs to pay the $3 entrance fee and get passport stamped. Find bus driver and bus.

Gone sailing: Caye Caulker to Placencia
Snorkelling stops, rum at midday, a deserted island (Goffs Caye), an army sleepover...and that's just the first day. We had booked ourselves onto a $300pp sailing boat tour from Caye Caulker to Placencia with a local boating company called Liberty. Another company called Raggamuffins were much better known (and more expensive) but we couldn't get a space on their party boat, which as things turned out, was a brilliant thing! Not only were we keeping things local but we were about to experience a once in a life time trip with a wonderful captain and his first mate who brought the seas alive for us. The winds were strong today and so both sails were up and we cruised along at a good place. The sun was shining and the rum flowing, so all 8 of us quickly relaxed and got to know each other. Papa Jo was our all knowing, gentle and seriously amazing 72 year old captain and Raul was our quirky, rum drinking and hilarious first mate. Papa Jo is prepping Raul to take over as captain one day so he can finally hang up his sailing shoes and retire, but we reckon he'll stay on the seas until it is time to go...

Life on Caye Caulker
Great set of photos of Caye Caulker….

ISLAND LIFE OF BELIZE
The stunning island of Caye Caulker, a place of flat sand like lands, skies open wide as the eye can see, the people are a picture of reggae life. If you want the real Caribbean experience this is the place to go. The waters are full of marine life, everywhere you look there are creatures swimming about and exploring. You might even see a Manatee… I saw three.

The King of Cahal Pech: Kawil Ka’an Chan Ba’lam
When you walk into the site of Cahal Pech the buildings that you will see were built somewhere in the middle of the classic period (700-750AD). The ancient Maya organised and managed space extravagantly well. To prove it, Dr. Jaime Awe did an excavation on a small building in the Southeastern corner of the B Plaza and dug as far as 30 feet in depth. This translates to approximately 13 construction phases (note that there were at least 2 more construction phases over this very building discussed here but we lost them due to looting damage). Superimposition is rampant at this site. There are buildings below the plaza floor you will walk on that date from before the birth of Christ. In fact, the age of the site is only challenged by the great City of Lamanai (Submerged Crocodile), of Northern Belize.

A Week to 10 days in Belize – What to Do?
Belize is a perfect destination for North American travelers during the winter months for a ton of reasons: Its warm for starters, just off shore lies the 2nd largest reef system in the world along with a bunch of beautiful islands, on the other side of the country is full of rain forest, and they even speak English! This small country, nestled under Mexico’s famous Yucatan, packs a lot of punch for its size. There is something for everyone beaches, jungle, relaxation, and plenty of adventure. It many only be a few hours away on a plane, but once you are there you will feel worlds away.

International Sources

Caribbean countries ended 2013 on a stronger economic footing says CDB
Caribbean countries ended 2013 on a more solid economic footing than it had done since the start of the 2007/2008 global economic recession, according to figures released by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The CDB, which is holding its 44th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors here, said that many of its borrowing member states (BMCs) recorded increases “albeit modest in economic activity”. CDB President Dr. Warren Smith said that “at the regional level, growth and sustainability were recurring themes in discussions about performance”. The CDB said that preliminary estimates indicate that the economic activity in the region grew by an average of 1.5 per cent last year, up slightly from a revised figure of 1.2 per cent for 2012. The region’s premier development financial institution noted that higher incomes and employment in advanced economies and renewed flows of foreign direct investment(FDI) contributed to solid growth in construction activity and continued recovery in tourism in most of the BMCs.

Stigma and discrimination driving the HIV epidemic in the Caribbean PANCAP statement
The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) affirms that Professor Brendan Bain’s testimony in the Orozco v. A.G. Belize (2012) case is not consistent with the stated goals of PANCAP to reduce stigma and eliminate discrimination. In fact, it is in dissonance with PANCAP’s ongoing work to remove discriminatory laws and affirm human rights. Although the Partnership is inclusive and members are free to have their individual views and beliefs, PANCAP is of the view that, on principle, Prof Bain’s action was not compatible with his leadership position. In adopting an active position of opposing the decriminalization of anal sex between two consenting male adults in private, Prof. Bain has undermined the public health and human rights goals of PANCAP. This view was communicated to Professor Bain during the Fifteenth Meeting of the Priority Areas Coordinating Committee (PACC), a technical committee of the PANCAP Executive Board, which was held via teleconference on 15 January 2014. Professor Bain subsequently resigned as a member of the PACC on 14 March 2014. PANCAP recognizes Prof. Bain’s significant contribution to the HIV response in the Caribbean including treatment and training and to the work of the Partnership and its governance bodies.

Videos

Video: Kids Milking Goats on the Oregon Homestead | Belize Family Living, 4min.
Follow along with the kids as they start their morning chores on the farm. There is always a lot to do on the homestead here in Oregon. Starting out with feeding the animals and milking the goats is their normal routine. Part 1 shows them preparing the goats for milking. Part 2 shows the actual milking. The La Mancha named "Cindie" is a wonderful doe who give a little more than one gallon of raw milk per day. The Nubian, "Brownie" was a good milker also giving between 1/2 - 3/4 gallon per day. Her milk was delicious! The kids have always loved goats milk. Some goats milk is much stronger than others. A lot depends on the breed and also on what the goats eat. Many people say you should pasteurize all milk that doesn't come from a store. We never pasteurized the goats milk. We always drank raw milk. There is little better than cold, sweet goats milk! Unless it is Ice Cream made from fresh goats milk! We used goats milk in a lot of different things such as cheese making, ice cream, cooking and so much more. We miss our goats and our farm! Just a note: Brownie died unexpectedly from an undetermined cause. She was fine one day, a bit listless the next day and pretty much done for by the third day. We believe she died from an ectopic pregnancy as the timing would have been right for that and she did not respond to any treatment at all. In this video you can see that we have Geese, Turkeys, Chickens with their chicks, goats, honeybees and more.

Video: The chicken game in San Pedro, Belize, 2min.

Video: Dev balina ile yakn temas kamerada, 2min.
Divers with whale sharks. Orta Amerika ülkesi Belize açklarnda dal yapan bir grup dalgç, yüzeye çkp tekrar derinlere dalan dev bir balina köpekbalnn esiz anlarna ahit oldu. Orta Amerika ülkesi Belize açklarnda dal yapan bir grup dalgç, yüzeye çkp tekrar derinlere dalan dev bir balina köpekbalnn esiz anlarna ahit oldu. Orta Amerika ülkesi Belize açklarnda dal yapan bir grup dalgç, yüzeye çkp tekrar derinlere dalan dev bir balina köpekbalnn esiz anlarna ahit oldu. Dalgçlarn.

Video: Belize Blue Hole, 3min.
Diving the Blue Hole in Belize

Video: Caye Caulker Belize Trip, 2013, 26min.
Yeah, its long. Yeah, its kinda boring. But you see the stinkin island for crying out loud and the music's good so deal with it. I'll make a better (see also: shorter, with more sea life) one for this year's trip. And it wont take me a year to edit.

Video: Shark Ray Alley, 10min.
Coral reef Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Video: Dünyann Renkleri ile Meksika - Belize - Guatemala 2012-1, 4min.

Video: Tortola Marine Management (TMM), 4min.
TMM Yacht Charters is located at Road Reef Marina - Road Town, Tortola. Top quality service with a wide variety of yachts. Good repeat discounts! Powerboats available. Owner on premise. Other TMM Yacht Charters locations: Grenadines and Belize

May 29, 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 CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Tigersharks wins first game in playoffs
With a win in the first of three playoff matches, the San Pedro Tigersharks are eying the big prize. They faced off against the Belmopan Bandits on Saturday May 24th at the Rafael Angel Nuñez Auditorium in San Pedro Town. Having won all home games in the season, the Tigersharks were ready to defend their home-court. The San Pedro Tigersharks stepped up on court with starters Michael Adams, Winston Pratt, Tyron Edwards, Darwin Leslie and Ashton Edwards. The Bandits also put out their best, starting with Arnold Li, Carswell Adams, Christian Rodriguez, Stephen Williams and Dorian Jones. But the visiting start-up squad came under sustained attack from the home team as the Tigersharks took control of the game from the onset. A couple of shots by the Edward brothers and Pratt were enough to give the Tigersharks a big lead to end the first quarter with a score of 26-12. But the underdogs were not prepared to give up to the mighty Tigersharks. A change in strategy saw Williams and Jones making an impressive appearance for the Bandits, and the duo slashed the lead and headed to halftime with a score of 39 to 30, still in favor of islanders.

SPRC Honors Moms and Dads
It was a day dedicated to the hard working moms and dads of the island on Friday, May 23rd at the San Pedro Roman Catholic (SPRC) Primary School. The family day entailed activities that incorporated parents and in particular, fostering the union of children and their fathers. On the agenda was a lot of games, dances, musical performance and most importantly, family bonding. According to Vice Principal, Patricia Lopez the family day is an event whereby the students can show appreciation to their parents for the education they are being provided with. “The students look forward to family day because they can show their parents what they have learned in school. The students also get to spend quality time with their parents in a relaxed environment without the stress of ‘home’ or ‘school’,” said Lopez. As part of the activities, students and teachers focused particularly in honoring the fathers, as they are often under underappreciated. “Fathers do play a key role in a child’s education and that’s what we want to show today that all fathers are important.”

Former Minister Marcial Mes dies in traffic accident
A traffic accident claimed the life of a former Belizean parliamentarian over the weekend. He is 65 year old Honorable Marcial Mes, a two term Minister of government. The traffic accident occurred around 1:15 AM on Monday May 26th near the community of Yemeri Grove in Toledo District. According to preliminary reports from the Toledo District, the former People’s United Party (PUP) area representative for Toledo West was driving from Punta Gorda Town to his home in San Marcos Village. Near the village of Yemeri Gove, located some seven miles out of Punta Gorda Town, Mes lost control of his green Rav4 SUV. Inside the vehicle was another man, later identified as Mario Caal, also of San Marcos Village. As a result, the two injured men were transported to the Punta Gorda Town Community Hospital where Hon. Mes was pronounced dead on arrival. Caal is listed in a serious condition and is undergoing treatment. Mes was a successful two-term Parliamentarian who served as a Junior Minister and later as a Minister in the Said Musa administration of 1998 to 2008. He served as Minister of Rural Development and Culture from 1998-2001, Minister of Rural Development 2001-2003, and Minister of Human Development, Local Government, and Labour from 2003 to date 2007. In January of 2007, Mes was briefly suspended from his duties as the Minister of State in the Ministry of National Development, due to a charge of a hit-and-run accident but the case did not go to court and Mes was restored to his post.

Cell Phone found
A cell phone was found on Barrier Reef Drive (Front Street) during lunchtime yesterday. It seems to belong to a visitor on the island. If you or someone you know (perhaps a guest at your hotel) is looking for a phone, this may be the one. Kindly call 226-2070 and describe the phone to claim it.

Ambergris Today

Daredevil Boys Captured on Video Jumping Across San Pedro Rooftops
When you see this video, you will have one reaction and many others will have a different one. “This is pretty cool,” someone might say while others might say, “Oh my God, these children are crazy!” Some might immediately start blaming their parents, while others will praise such daring acts. But there is great concern as these children were seen jumping from rooftop to rooftop from buildings in downtown San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. They were tempting fate and putting their lives at risk. There is no doubt that these kids were prompted to do this due to curiosity. Curiosity is the mother of inventions. Curiosity is also what prompts young people to investigate and ask many questions and learn many things. But curiosity also killed the cat. Indeed this kind of curiosity you are witnessing can lead to serious consequences. Kids are known to have caused big fires due to their curiosity in experimenting with matches, lighters, and other such objects.

San Pedro Junior Sailing Team Sweeps Placencia Regatta
According to the sailing kids, the San Pedro Junior Sailing Club has been "rigging hard and sailing hard" and are so happy with their success in the past regattas. Since the beginning of the season they have won the last four regattas in Corozal, Buttonwood Bay, Belize City and now Placencia. Their next regatta will be in their hometown island of Ambergris Caye, followed by one at St. George’s Caye and then they are off to the nationals. The San Pedro Regatta is scheduled for July 5th and 6th. The Sailing Club members and their parents hope to see as many residents possible at the hometown San Pedro Regatta showing their support for the island’s winning team. The children practice very hard and their discipline in the sports is proof of their success.

Teen Talk: The Fear of Rejection and Overcoming It
Having a fear of rejection is a very common thing. Nobody likes being rejected so we tend to try and do fewer things that you think would get us rejected. This is a problem because it stops us from doing certain things we want to do. People can get rejected from many things like a job, asking for help, a date, or the scariest – someone you like. So how do we get over this fear? Well, we must first understand rejection and why it’s so scary. If you think about it, it’s basically just someone telling you,”No.” Nothing too harsh; it’s not like that the word “No” will murder you in your sleep. I have recently stumbled upon a game that is called Rejection Therapy where the point is to try and get rejected once a day. There is a challenge posted on the website for people to try and do this for 100 days; I am taking up these challenges. I highly recommend trying this because it is a good way to get over your fear of rejection. It will also challenge your brain because you will have to think of a new way to get rejected each day.

Misc Belizean Sources

Night of GREAT performances at the George Price Center
No where to go this Thursday?? The Belmopan International Women's Group will be offering a Night of GREAT performances at the George Price Center...starts at 6:30...complimentary snacks!! Drinks will be on sale! Come out and sing, dance, laugh and support the work of the BIWG!!

Tropic Air Increases Flights To Cancun
Tropic Air today announced that it will be adding two additional round-trip flights between Belize International (BZE) and Cancun International (CUN) Airports starting November 1, 2014. These flights will be on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and will be in addition to the current daily flight. More importantly, these two new frequencies, will allow for the first time, our European visitors to connect southbound (same day) to Belize in Cancun. Passengers will be able to transit in Cancun from Frankfurt, London, Manchester, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Amsterdam and get to Belize without cumbersome overnights. The current daily flight already allows for similar connections to be made northbound without overnighting.

Secret Passages Exhibit at Soul Project
The Secret Passages exhibit will be opening this Friday evening, May 30th, at the Soul Project. DJ Check My Move will be mixing at the event, starting at 8pm. "This new exhibit features works of collage by people from all over the world visiting Belize. Collage is a very interesting medium. In collage, the artist assembles existing print material into a new format, a new picture. The artist creates a new context for the text or images selected, as they appear in the collage in relationship to one another."

Belize Zoo Conservation Camp
The Belize Zoo is gearing up for this year's Conservation Camp. It starts on June 30th. Kids between the ages of 12 and 17 can learn all about nature and zoology while having a great time at the Tropical Education Center. Call 822-800, or email [email protected] for more information. "The Zoo is getting ready to host Conservation Camp 2014! Students ages 12-17 are invited to join the Zoo's education team for a week of activities geared toward gaining knowledge and appreciation of our natural world. Night walks, canoeing, wildlife studies, acting, and forest hikes are just some of the many exciting activities planned this year. Camp runs from June 30th to July 4th. Facebook message us, call the Zoo at (501)-822-8000, or email [email protected] for more information. There are only 25 spaces left, so hop to it!"

April 2014 External Trade & Consumer Price Index
Here are S.I.B's latest releases: April 2014 External Trade Bulletin, April 2014 Consumer Price Index, First Quarter 2014 Gross Domestic Product.

Rotary Scholars Graduate
6 of the Rotary Scholars are graduating, and one will be awarded the Paulita Bedran Scholarship. Thanks, Rotary! "The Rotary Club of San Ignacio will celebrate the graduation of 6 of our Rotary Scholars on May 29th. The top scholar over the last 4 years will receive the Paulita Bedran Tertiary Scholarship to help continue their education."

Western Ballaz Fan Video
The Western Ballaz are travelling to Belize City to play the No Limit this Friday, after having lost last week 66 to 52. Adma Chuc from Adma's Photography has complied a fan video, and if you've attended some home games, you might be on it. She has also uploaded pictures of every Western Ballaz player, so if you have a favorite, you can see some quality stills. Go Ballaz. In related news, the Belmopan Bandits host the Tiger Sharks on Friday. Go Ballaz! "This video is dedicated to all Western Ballaz Fans, we made it this far with your support."

Caribbean Export Food Portal
The Caribbean has been a player in the Specialty Food market for more then twenty-five years. The awareness and interest in Caribbean products have been growing internationally especially in major urban market centres in the US (New York City – tri-state Metro market, Boston, Washington, D.C, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago) and in the EU in particular the UK. The presence of Caribbean migrants in these places along with the increasing number of tourist visitors to the region have assisted in the promotion and sale of these products whose appeal is linked in a substantive way to their product development, creativity and exotic nature. Typically, the easiest way to define a specialty product is by knowing what it is not: a basic food staple that the consumer buys for every day eating from a grocery store. That means that specialty foods are a step above what the consumer normally eats as part of the everyday diet. There is a broad umbrella for what can be considered part of the specialty foods market. Typically, specialty foods refer to a type of gourmet food products many of which could be more expensive than what consumers find on grocery store shelves; specialty foods are instead a step above what the consumer normally eats as part of the everyday diet. They should not be confused with ethnic foods, which are generally characterized by low price and high quantity, because specialty foods are generally high price, low quantity food. However, there can be some overlap between both.

Its EXPO season once again!
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) will be holding its renowned EXPO Belize Market Place 2014, at the ITVET Grounds on Freetown Road in Belize City on September 13th and 14th, 2014. You are invited to showcase your products or services at this year’s Expo. The primary contact for your company should have received an email a few minutes ago with username and password that will enable you to log on to identify yourself as member to request your EXPO booth and receive the deep discounts that only members enjoy. Please be reminded that each member is allowed a maximum of 6 booths and these are on a first come first serve basis. There is a new area added to the map referred to as table spaces. These are only for micro businesses.

National Song Competition 2014
Calling all Artists and Song Writers... Please take note!!!

Ministry of Health Commemorates World No Tobacco Day 2014
Government of Belize Press Office

2014 Belize Festival of Arts
Belize Annual Festival of Arts to be held from June 3rd to June 14th. Schedule of activities below.

Channel 7

Denys Barrow Tells Vernon, "Pay Up!"
About an hour or so before news time, a Supreme Court bailiff was at Trevor Vernon's house in Burrell Boom marking his belongings to be confiscated because he didn't pay the entire sum owed to attorney Denys Barrow. Viewers may remember that Barrow successfully defended Edmond Castro against Vernon accusation that Castro violated the Cabinet code of ethics for those well-known Belize Airport Authority cheques. Vernon lost, and had to pay the five thousand dollar cost of Castro's attorney Denys Barrow by yesterday. As we showed you yesterday, Vernon showed up to pay half of the cost in coins. When those money bags stuffed with coins were all counted up, he had paid $2,489.50 – ten dollars and fifty cents short of half of what was due. Well, as was his right because of the short of payment, Denys Barrow applied to the court and got a writ of execution granted against Vernon. The bailiff executed the writ this evening, and went to Vernon's house and started a valuation process on his belongings to ensure that the debt owed can somehow be collected if Vernon is unable to pay the rest of the money.

Man Charged For Murder After Killing Car Thief
Tonight, 43 year-old Charles Herrera, aka Bundy, a taxi driver from Lavender Street, is in jail after he was taken to court for the murder of 25 year-old Ezekiel Hernandez Medina. As we told you, Medina was found early on Monday morning, and his body was already starting to decompose. He was later identified, and after police investigated, Herrera was detained and later arrested and charged with murder after he reportedly confessed to the crime. Herrera was taken to Magistrate's Court today, and before his arraignment, he told court reporters that on the day in question, he caught Medina trying to break into his car. Herrera said that when he confronted Medina about the attempted theft, Medina pulled out a knife and attacked him. He said that in self-defense, he managed to take away the knife and he stabbed Medina 3 times in the upper right side of his back. When they retrieved his body, Police investigators found a screwdriver in Medina's hand and a plastic bag which contained a flash light and a knife.

GDP Sees Negative Growth In First Quarter
The Gross Domestic Product or GDP, it's the total market value of all goods and services produced in a country in a given time period. And, generally, it is the most relied indicator to see how a country's economy is doing. Much political grist was made in February when the Statistical Institute of Belize pegged GDP growth for the 2013 calendar year at less than 1%. Well, there's more to be made now, after the Institute released its initial GDP and inflation figures for the first quarter of 2014 today. Here's what the number say: Jules Vasquez Reporting The GDP experienced negative growth in the first quarter, tumbling to -0.4% - only the second time on record that the first quarter has seen negative growth: Glen Avilez - Director, SIB "We see a slight dip in the economy in the first quarter when compared to the same period of last year of roughly 0.4%." Avilez outlined the three main sectors driving the contraction: Glen Avilez "The central reasons or the main reasons for the contraction in the first quarter is attributed to three sectors, agriculture, mining - that is oil, manufacturing being the result of the poor performance in agriculture."

Dismissing Dr Bain
Since news broke last week about the termination of Professor Brendan Bain from the University of the West Indies, there's been a firestorm of controversy, with organizations in Belize and Jamaica coming out against the decision. Well tonight, we'll tell you a bit about those who support UWI. The first comes from the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP). They maintain that Professor Bain's testimony in the Orozco UNIBAM challenge is not consistent with the goals of PANCAP in trying to reduce stigma and discrimination. They say that quote, "Professor Bain has undermined the public health and human rights goals of PANCAP." Professor Rose Marie Antoine, a Commissioner on the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, says that the reason that it became important for Professor Bain to be terminated is because, quote "it is about a program leader publicly undermining the very program and principles he was mandated to support."

Get An Injunction Against Thy Neighbor
In February, we told you about the dispute where residents of the Palm Grove Estate, at mile 4 on the Northern Highway, were opposed to a contractor building an apartment complex in their neighborhood. As we told you, the small community consider Palm Grove as private property, and they've been trying to fight this development because they're afraid that if they open it up to outsiders, the security of their homes and their families will be put at risk. Well, as we showed you, Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley wasn't listening to them, and he ok'd the development. Since then, the residents have kept at it, trying to stop the private company, Keas New Road Limited. Today, that meant turning to the courts for an injunction to block the further construction of the complex. That injunction hearing went before Justice Courtney Abel today for the first time since the Palm Grove residents started to agitate against them, the media got a chance to speak with a representative of the company. Here's what the attorney said:

Police Say Cops Who Shot 19 Year Old Liable To Criminal Charges
There's a 19 year old recovering from a gunshot wound in the Western Regional Hospital and the 6 shotgun pellets that were removed from his back were fired by police. A Cayo patrol shot Elston Arnold in Unitedville on Monday morning and left him for dead. Today the Police Department issued a sheepish press release saying, quote, "Police have launched an investigation into this matter where officers if found guilty will be liable to both criminal and internal charges." End quote. Sources tell us the police department was late in catching up on the shooting because the police left Arnold on the ground where he was shot and did not report it.

Stole A Car But Forgot His Bicycle In The Trunk
39 year-old Jason Jeffries, an unemployed of Lacroix Boulevard, is out on bail tonight after he was taken to court for allegedly trying to steal a man's car. Carlos Aquino, who resides at 2 St. James Street, reported to the police that yesterday at around 12 a.m. he parked his car in front of his house and he forgot to take the key out of the ignition. He said that at about 5 a.m. he was awakened by the sound of his car starting and when he went outside he saw Jeffries behind the steering wheel. He said he pursued Jeffries as he drove off and caught up with him. He yanked Jeffries out of the car and went to make a report. While Aquino was at the police station Jeffries arrived and he was taken into custody and charged. Jeffries said that he went to the station because he had left his bicycle in the trunk of Aquino's car!

New CEO For Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development
At the very end of the news On Friday night, we told you that CEO in the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development Wendel Parham had left the ministry – we have since learned that he was terminated. Tonight, we have confirmed that well-known consultant Adele Catzim-Sanchez will replace him. Catzim-Sanchez is seen as a high profile acquisition for the Ministry because of her well rounded background, and solid, independent reputation.

Environmentalist Warns of The Perils of Puerto Azul
Last week Friday, we told you about Ministers Manuel Heredia Jr and Erwin Contreras who travelled to at the French Riviera to represent Belize at the Puerto Azul Experience Party in Cannes. As we've told you, the Italian development company is advertising on their website that the Puerto Azul Development is a large scale, super exclusive resort intended for the Northern 2 Caye at Lighthouse Reef. Supposedly, the resort will be very high end with 350 rooms, a golf course, a 250 boat marina, and its own small airport. But, as we've also told you, conservationists say that this proposed development is an environmental disaster. That was reiterated today by Roberto Pott, a representative of the conservationist organization, Health Reefs for Healthy People Initiative. He told us that the first he heard of the project was in October of last year, and this reincarnation of the project since that time, hardly seems more feasible than last time.

CDB Earmarks Major Loan For Belize
The Caribbean Development Bank today announced the approval of a 29 million US dollar loan to Belize. The press release says the loan will fund the upgrade of 9.81 kilometers – which is about 6 miles - of the Philip Goldson Highway. The release doesn't say where those six miles are but adds, quote, "this upgrade is expected to reduce congestion as well as improve safety on the highway which passes through the Orange Walk and Corozal Districts." It refers also to the Haulover Bridge and says, quote, "A key aspect of the project will be the implementation of climate adaptation features during the upgrade and rehabilitation phases in order to reduce climate change vulnerability of the road and bridge." 111, 000 US Dollars of the loan will be used to get women involved in the road works. The release says the Ministry of Works and Belizean contractors will "address gender equality and social inclusion in current and future construction projects."

Cancer Care Symposium Focuses On Menâ™s Health
This year, the Annual Cancer care Symposium focused on Men's Health, namely cancers affecting men, principally Prostate and colo-rectal cancer. One of the keynote speakers was a prostate cancer survivor – Michael Finnegan and he used his time on the stage not to inspire the audience with his story of survival, but to get everyone's blood flowing: Hon. Michael Finnegan - Cancer Survivor "Cancer likes when it keeps us in a little corner, and we creep up in bed, and we cry, and lash out. It wants us to behave just like how everybody in here looks right now, sad. I would want everybody get up and begin to give hugs to one another before I continue. Shake hands and get to know who you don't know. Let's stand up and hug each other." Dr. Milton Harrison Arthurs - Gastroenterologist "Women outnumber the men by almost 7 to 1, and this is intended to be a presentation focusing on men's health, and in particular, cancer, and we're not seeing the men. I know they're not in jail. They're not out there serving in the army. Where are they?"

Their Prerogative
We're used to seeing all kinds of Mexican art at the institute of Mexico in Belize City. But tomorrow, the Institute is debuting the work of four new Belizean artists. It's their first show and we found three of them getting ready today. We asked them about the pre-show jitters: The show opens tomorrow night.

Quandary Over SATIIM Judgment
Tonight, there's a bit of a quandary that's surrounding the decision from Justice Michelle Arana in the case where SATIIM and the Buffer Communities were trying to stop US Capital Energy from drilling inside the Sarstoon Temash National Park. As we told you, both SATIIM and US Capital were claiming victory in that case, and since then, depending on who you ask, the judgment supposedly swings one way or the other. But, now, there is a perfected order from the court, which was recently issued. We've not seen the order ourselves, but those we've spoken to suggests that it shows clearly that the case was decided in US Capital's favour. Now, a perfected order is supposed to be a distillation of the findings of the court, a simplification of how the case was decided, and it's done after attorneys for all parties have had an opportunity to read, digest and interpret it. It is then signed off on by all the attorneys, and then presented back to the court where the judge weighs in and puts the final touches.

Report: Multiple Manatees Killed
A dead Manatee was seen floating in the sea behind Brodies warehouse in the Foreshore area of Belize City today. When we observed it this evening, the sea mammal appeared to have a cut wound – the kind we've seen many times from boat propellers. Now, normally this wouldn't be news, but persons in the area tell us this is the third dead manatee they've seen floating over a short period of time. So we'd caution boats in the very busy harbour to please be mindful of the very docile marine mammals.

The Problems of Touring With a Turtle Shell
And while we may lament the loss of that manatee, the Garifuna Collective finds audiences that aren't cool with their main percussion instrument, the turtle shell. They travelled today and had to get a special permit for the shell., The man who plays it Mohobub Flores told us how it freaked out one Canadian concert goer: The Collective got their turtle shell permit from the Fisheries Department.

Channel 5

Breaking News: Body of a man found in Los Tambos, Cayo
This just in to our newsroom. San Ignacio Police are currently processing a scene in Los Tambos in the outskirts of Spanish Lookout where the body of a man was [...]

4 cops under investigation; one is likely to face criminal charges for shooting of a Unitedville youth
Four police officers are tonight under investigation and it is likely that one will be charged criminally for the shooting of a Unitedville youth. Nineteen year old Elston Arnold was [...]

Domestic violence lands couple in K.H.M.H.
Tonight, there is little information on the motive behind an incident of domestic violence which has left two persons in critical condition at the K.H.M.H.  Fifty year old Erwin Smith, [...]

More on the Central Health Region audit
Last week, News Five took a look at a comprehensive audit of the Central Health Region. The report detailed many cases of apparent financial misappropriation, financial misrepresentation and financial misallocation. [...]

Taxi operator is charged for the murder of a Dangriga resident
  One man was viciously attacked and stabbed to death; the body of twenty-five year old Ezekiel Hernandez was found on Monday morning. This afternoon, forty-three year old taxi operator, [...]

Attorneys hound Trevor Vernon for payment
On Tuesday, Trevor Vernon made a bold statement when he delivered two pillow-cases full of shillings to the law firm of Barrow and Company. The payment, twenty-five hundred dollars, is [...]

SIB reports slight economic dip in first quarter of the year
The latest figures released from the Statistical Institute of Belize indicate that there has been a slight contraction of the economy when compared to last year’s economic performance in the [...]

Ministers Heredia and Contreras at the glamour and glitz of the Cannes Festival
Minister of Tourism, Manuel Heredia, as well as Minister of Economic Development, Erwin Contreras were photographed at the Cannes Film Festival in France last week. They are now back in [...]

Former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding saddened by termination of Professor Bain
The Bain debate continues unabated, with heated arguments for and against the firing of the UWI Professor last week Tuesday. Bain has received tremendous support from many organizations, and today, [...]

UWI Professor says Bain publicly undermined the program he was mandated to support
There is also much support for the decision to terminate Professor Brendan Bain, and not all of it is coming from the gay lobby. One of Bain’s colleagues at UWI, [...]

ITVET Toledo and the Ministry of Education at an impasse over removal of manager
This morning at the Toledo District Education Center, instructors from the local ITVET, as well as Belize National Teachers’ Union President Luke Palacio, along with ITVET’s Board of Governance met [...]

ITVET Toledo manager’s employment is under the Public Service Commission
According to Vernon, following the ministry’s decision they will proceed with the investigation and it is anticipated that Genus’ employment falls under the Public Service Commission’s Handbook.   Via Phone: [...]

8 year old missing; Mother says he was taken by her ex-husband
The mother of an eight year old student of a Presbyterian primary school in Belize City is tonight appealing that her son be returned home. Erica Bardalez today told News [...]

Garifuna Collective goes on tour
Late last year, the Garifuna Collective was on tour in Europe promoting their recent album, Ayo, which pays tribute to musical legend, Andy Palacio. The group made a big splash [...]

LOVE FM

Taxi Man Murdered – Motive Unknown
The family of Norman Stanley Thompson are in mourning as they are faced with his murder that occurred on the south side of Belize City in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Thompson, a taxi driver of a West Street address was shot twice to the head whilst he sat in the driver’s seat of his green Geo Prism taxi cab. Love News visited his common-law, Sherette Willoughby, who told us that the last time she saw her was on Friday evening around four o’clock. SHERETTE WILLOUGHBY “I saw Norman about after four in the evening, he had come to bring meat pies and stuff for the baby and then he went to continue work. As for his activities from then up to the point of three o’clock in the morning on the 24th, when the police came and wake me to tell me that they found his body in his car, shot twice in the back and to take them to locate his parents that was as far as I got. The police just said that he had two shots in the back and it seemed to them like a robbery but they have to wait until the investigation is over so that we could get a clear picture on what had happened but so far I have not had that picture as yet. He is a taxi man that works on call. He would not go there naturally without someone calling him; however that would have been a call taxi job but to me I feel like it was a lure, a setup because they only took the phone; the money in the wallet was intact; that’s what the police said. So, they only took the phone.

Killer Bees Uncovered on Mahogany Street
The Belize Police Department, the Belize City Council and residents of Mahogany Street and surrounding areas have joined efforts in carrying out a positive initiative in the vicinity. Several abandoned lots have been identified and all parties are working together to clean the lots. They started with an abandoned lot at the corner of Flamboyant Street and Mahogany Street where they came across a nest of killer bees. Hipolito Novelo has the story. “Today City Council and Mahogany sub-precinct, we have observed a property that has been abandoned for a long while now which is situated on Mahogany Street and Flamboyant Street, this property has housed a lot off illegal drugs and guns and so forth and I was told by a neighborhood watch committee that I have from around here that this area was used where someone had been raped long time ago. So as a result of that we decided to team up and give the property a little clean up and remove the bees. According to the agriculture people there, the experts, they are saying that they had remove the queen and so by removing the queen nothing can happen and I am glad that they have removed it.” Several other lots have been identified in the area and those, we understand, will be cleaned up by next month.

Story of Car Theft Gets Twisted
Thirty-nine year old Jason Jeffries, an unemployed of La Croix Bouevard, was charged with the theft of a red Mazda car when he appeared today before Chief magistrate, Anne Marie Smith. Jeffries had pled guilty to the charge but a plea of not guilty was entered because he said that the owner, Carlos Aquino, gave him permission to drive the car. Jeffries was offered a bail of 500 dollars and his case was adjourned until July 22. Aquino, who resides on St. James Street, reported to the police that at around 12 a.m. May 27, he parked his car in front of his residence and he forgot to take the key out of the ignition. He said that at about 5 a.m. he was awakened by the sound of his car starting up. He said that when he ran outside he saw Jeffries behind the steering wheel and as Jeffries drove off he pursued the car and caught up with it. He said he managed to remove Jeffries from the car and while he was at the police station making the report Jeffries arrived and he was taken into custody. Jeffries said that he went to the station to get his bicycle that he had put in the trunk of Aquino’s car. Jeffries said that he saw Aquino in the car and Aquino appeared intoxicated and he decided to offer Aquino assistance by driving him home. According to Jeffries, while he was driving Aquino home Aquino suddenly got mad and grabbed him in his shirt and threw him out of the car.

American National Overdoses in San Pedro
A US national reportedly overdosed on pills yesterday in San Pedro. According to reports 46-year-old Susan Ruth Kaup who was a medical student was found in an apartment on the island. We understand when Police went to the apartment they saw a doctor trying to resuscitate Kaup who had taken a large number of pills. The woman reportedly called her father in the US to tell him what she was about to do. He in turn called a doctor to check on her but when he got to the apartment it was apparently too late. Kaup was taken to the Poly Clinic where efforts continued to revive her however they proved futile as she died shortly after. Police say they do not suspect foul play.

Taxi Driver Arraigned for Ezekiel’s Murder
Forty-three year old Charles Herrera, a.k.a. “Bundy”, a taxi driver of Lavender Street, was charged with the murder of Dangriga resident Ezekiel Medina when he appeared today before Magistrate Dale Cayetano. Herrera was remanded into custody until July 31. On Monday, May 26, at about 5:23 a.m., police, acting on information they received, went to the corner of Partridge Street and Lavender Street and saw Medina lying dead on the ground with three stab wounds to the upper right side of his back. Medina had the name, Ezekiel, tattooed on his upper left arm and EH tattooed on his right leg above the knee. He wore a yellow polo shirt and a pair of black and white pants. Herrera said he caught Medina breaking into his car and Medina attacked him with a knife and he took the knife away from Medina and stabbed him with it.

Annual Cancer Symposium Focuses on Men
The cancer society of Belize held its annual symposium today. It is an event held each year in the effort to highlight cancer prevention, care and treatment as well as bringing awareness to the various forms of cancer and their causes. Love News attended a portion of the symposium and had the opportunity to speak with the President of the Belize Cancer Society, Laura Tucker-Longsworth. LAURA TUCKER-LONGSWORTH “Today is our annually cancer care symposium; the Belize Cancer Society has for a number of years now make this a highlight of our cancer awareness month where we target health professionals; we bring them together along with people interesting in the community to review and look at different topics that’s really important in terms of providing services not necessary cancer care services but health care services to those persons who may become impacted by cancer. What we are particularly looking at is how do we engage our health professionals in adopting a different way of health care delivery services that we do not end up with missed opportunities; when somebody enters the door, enter a primary health care setting like Cleopatra White, a clinic in Orange walk or Dangriga, public facility where they treat that person as a whole person. When last have you been screened; whether it’s for a fever or cold; when last have you been screened? Do you have a family history of cancer? How are you doing with your diet and so on and that’s the purpose. We want to really stimulate discussion and interests in really getting all of us engaged in not only wellness check but also in early detection screening.”

PlusTV

Through Jesus Christ, You Can Also Stand Healed
We leave you with some words of inspiration from Acts 4:10-11: “Know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is the rock you builders rejected, which [...]

19 Year Old Shot in the Back by Police
19 year old Elston Arnold resident of Unitedville, Cayo district, is still recovering from a surgery to remove multiple gunshot pellets from his back after being shot by police on Monday morning. The family is saying that the actions of the police are unjustifiable. According to Elston Arnold he and three other friends were coming [...]

A Detective Constable Detained by his Very Own
The Belize Police Department has another case of alleged unlawful behaviour of Police Officers. In the Stann Creek District, Detective Constable Perfecto Tush attached to the Special Branch office at the Intermediate Southern Formation has been detained by his very own after he allegedly pulled his service firearm at civilians in Red Bank over the [...]

Taxi Man Arrested for Murder of Ezekiel Hernandez
25 year old Ezekiel Medina Hernandez was stabbed to death on Monday morning around 5:30 at the corner of Partridge and Lavender Streets. But information has emerged which suggests that his presence in the area may not have been entirely benevolent. At the scene police recovered a bag containing a knife and a flashlight as well as a screwdriver, [...]

Puma Gas Station in Havana Robbed
More than a $1,000 was robbed from a Puma Gas station in Havana when a lone gun man, caught on camera, held up the establishment. Our Dangriga Correspondent Harry Arzu has more on this report. Harry Arzu- News Correspondent from Dangriga According to reports, this establishment, located on 22 Havana Street here in Dangriga, has been [...]

Apparent Suicide in Belize City
A Belize City man apparently killed himself by hanging over the weekend. Police have released no details but 57 year old Maurice Tingling, a.k.a. “Pappy Bal“, named among to residents of the Majestic/Pinks Alley area, and alarm rose when he was not seen around after Friday night. One person we spoke to off-camera says they [...]

Eight Persons Arrested Over Pen Gun
Eight young men are behind bars after they were caught with a pen gun. At 12:40 on the morning of May 25th, the Orange Walk Police Quick Response Team searched a group of young men gathered under a tree in Yo Creek Village. Authorities did not find anything [...]

Patrick Jones

Belize Media Group pays tribute to Maya Angelou
American author, poet and civil activist, Maya Angelou died this morning in North Carolina at age 86. Maya was known for using her writings to provide eloquent and powerful commentary on race, gender and living life and was an inspiration to millions of people including myself. We are saddened to learn about the death of this wonderful person and on behalf of the Belize Media Group, we send our sincere condolences to her family and friends during this difficult time.

The National Garifuna Council elects new Executive Members
The National Garifuna Council (NGC) held its 30thAnnunal Convention at the Chülühadiwa Garinagu Monument Site from May 23rd to 25th in beautiful Dangriga. The National Garifuna Council is managed by a Board of Directors with representatives from the branches in Dangriga, Hopkins, Belize City, Belmopan, Georgetown, Seine Bight, Punta Gorda, Libertad, and San Pedro Town. The convention is the highest body of the Board. A new executive for the Board of Directors was elected on Sunday: President, Robert Mariano; 1st Vice President, Sandra Miranda; 2nd Vice-President, Francisco Zuniga; Secretary, Gwen Nunez Gonzalez; Asst. Secretary, Orlando Augustine; Treasurer, Marietta Enriquez; Asst. Treasurer, Pamela Zuniga.These members serve a two-year term. The Miss Garifuna Belize Cultural Pageant and the Solidarity Mass for 2014 will be hosted by the Dangriga Branch and next year’s convention will be hosted by San Pedro Branch.

Family appeals for help in locating eight year old boy
A Belize City mother is desperately searching for her 8 year old son. Richard Antonio Chacon was last seen on Tuesday, May 20. That was when the boy’s father, who is estranged from the mother of the child, picked him up from the grandmother’s house in the Racoon Street extension area of Belize City. Richard’s mother had gone to Honduras to seek medical treatment, leaving Chacon in the care of her mother. It was while the boy was with the grandmother that the father, Jose Antonio Chacon, reportedly took Richard and neither of them has been seen or heard from since.

Teachers affected by high school merger meet with BNTU
For the last month or so there have been reports that the Ministry of Education intends to merge three Southside Belize City high schools – Maud Williams High School, Sadie Vernon Technical High and Excelsior High School. But the Ministry has kept quiet thus far and as the school year draws to a close, many questions – including that of the fate of the more than 50 educators affected – remain unanswered. On Wednesday evening there was a meeting hosted by the Belize National Teachers’ Union’s Belize City branch at its headquarters off Mercy Lane. President of the Belize District Branch of the Union, Kathleen Flowers, said that they have begun the process of dialogue with the teachers and the Ministry. The purpose of the meeting, said Flowers, was to find out the facts and what the teachers know, so that the Union can help them achieve due process.

Palm Grove estate residents seek injunction against apartment complex
Residents of the Palm Grove estate, a small development enclave located at Mile 4 1/2 on the Philip Goldson Highway, want a ten-unit apartment complex being built by Keas New Road Limited in the area to be stopped for illegality. The problem is, the developers have largely addressed the concerns the residents raised, and have complied with all legal requirements, including permissions and permits from authorities. But the residents are still adamantly opposed, and so they have followed the advice of Belize City Mayor and attorney Darrell Bradley, and taken the matter to court, seeking an injunction to block the building of the complex. The first hearing took place today in chambers before Justice Courtney Abel. Representative for the residents Stephen Heusner and attorney Senior Counsel Dean Lindo declined an on-the-record interview, saying they preferred to wait until the matter was heard next Friday, June 6.

Police and residents clean up abandoned lot with bees’ nest
Abandoned and overgrown properties in Belize City are everywhere. In addition to being a nuisance for the Belize City Council, they have become handy hiding places for drugs and firearms to be stashed until they are claimed by police as “found property,” and even actual crimes such as rapes and robberies. One such property is located along the major thoroughfare of Mahogany Street at its junction with Flamboyant Street, and the nearby Police Department Precinct 2 Substation, working along with the Council’s employees and neighborhood residents organized into a watch committee, set to work cleaning up the area today. But they ran into an unexpected problem: a hive of bees. Sergeant Brent Hamilton, the Officer in Charge of Precinct 2 Substation says they removed the queen of the hive, causing her subjects to become disoriented. But they planned to clear out the entire area today, including cutting down the overgrown trees in the yard.

Charles Herrera charged for murder
25 year old Ezekiel Medina Hernandez was stabbed to death on Monday morning around 5:30 at the corner of Partridge and Lavender Streets. But information has emerged which suggests that his presence in the area may not have been entirely benevolent. At the scene police recovered a bag containing a knife and a flashlight as well as a screwdriver, and observed a trail of Hernandez’s blood leading back to a nearby vehicle. The owner of that vehicle, 43 year old taxi operator Charles Herrera also known as “Bundy,” has claimed that he found a person identified as Hernandez breaking into his vehicle parked in front of his residence.

Two sides to alleged car theft case
There was a strange matter brought to Magistrate’s Court today. 39 year old Jason Jeffries of LaCroix Boulevard is being accused of theft of a vehicle valued at $2,000. According to St. James Street resident Carlos Aquino, he caught Jeffries inside his red Mazda Protégé vehicle around 5:00 a.m. on May 27 after hearing it starting up from inside his house. He had parked the vehicle in front of his residence after coming home around midnight but forgot to retrieve his car keys. Aquino claims that he saw Jeffries in the driver’s seat and as soon as Jeffries saw him he drove off. Aquino set chase and then Jeffries stopped the vehicle allowing Aquino to catch up.

Cancer Care Symposium looks at men’s health
A one-day symposium hosted by the Belize Cancer Society and its partners at the Radisson today took a look at cancers common to men and ways to reach out and address issues related to men’s health and cancer. Prostate and colorectal cancers are especially on the rise among men, particularly, for prostate cancer, in those of African descent, as shown in a recent study where African men in Trinidad and Tobago are three and a half times more likely to catch the disease than those of Indian descent. But with the macho culture prevalent among males preventing serious visits to the clinic, how does the health sector reach that half of the population? President of the Belize Cancer Society, Nurse Laura Longsworth says the health service system basically forgets about males after the vaccination scheme instituted for all children from birth to 5 years. She says there must be means of educating and making services available to men at risk for these cancers.

Economy slowing according to SIB statistics
The monthly review of economic and social statistics from the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) is out and the news is not particularly good. The gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2014, January to March, is down by 0.4%, mainly due to decreased output in agriculture, mining and manufacturing. The big three of sugar, citrus and bananas are down as is petroleum, while tourism and smaller productive sectors like construction, shrimp production, beer production and even electricity production are up. The year-over-year inflation rate, known as the Consumer Price Index (CPI), is up 1.4% for the month of April, with increases in prices for some foods, transport, home rentals and butane (LPG). There are some decreases, particularly in diesel fuel and gasoline. Belmopan saw a 1.3% increase, in the middle between Dangriga’s high of 2.5% and Orange Walk’s low of 0.5%.

‘Pen gun” lands men in prison on remand
The Belize Police Department’s Quick Response Team is currently undergoing operations designed to rid streets of Orange Walk Town and surrounding villages of bad elements, firearms, ammunition and drugs. On Monday, May 25, the QRT team searched a group of young men gathered under a tree in Yo Creek Village. Authorities did not find anything incriminating on any of the eight persons but when they search the area, they found a black Pen Gun.

Blogs

“The Secret Garden ( Sweet Seduction Suite) in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
I think I may have stirred myself from what has been a fairly dormant spell for me. I haven’t been totally inactive but I think it would be fair to say that I have been lackadaisical. By the way, I just love this word. It conjures up images for me of Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins. I know that she never said the word in the film but if she had I’m sure it would have been ‘up there’ with “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (about now you are now switching to Google to find out if I spelt it right!). I mentioned in yesterday’s edition that Rose and I (more Rose than me, I have to acknowledge) have been giving some serious thought as to how we are going to landscape our garden. There are also a number of other things that we are keen to ‘get on the go’ so yesterday morning when out on the veranda with my mug of black coffee and the iPad I curtailed my reading of The Times online and my general daydreaming. Casting the iPad (gently of course) to one side I got myself a pad and pen and did what many of us do when we are planning something. Yes, that’s right, I started a list!

International Sources

Global Tropical Cyclones Shifting Poleward as the Climate Warms
Over the past 30 years, the location where tropical cyclones reach their maximum intensity has been shifting toward the poles in both the northern and southern hemispheres at a rate of about 35 miles (1/2° of latitude) per decade, according to a May 2014 study published in the journal Nature. Tropical cyclones include tropical storms, hurricanes, and typhoons. "Historical intensity estimates can be very inconsistent over time, but the location where a tropical cyclone reaches its maximum intensity is a more reliable value and less likely to be influenced by data discrepancies or uncertainties," said NOAA/University of Wisconsin lead author Jim Kossin in a NOAA press release. The researchers used data only from 1982 - 2012, the era when accurate global satellite data makes a full study of tropical cyclone intensities most feasible. Causes of the poleward shift: The poleward shift in tropical cyclones was likely due to observed changes in vertical wind shear and tropical cyclone potential intensity over the past 30years, which changed the regions most favorable for tropical cyclone development, the researchers said. Wind shear has been decreasing closer to the poles, and the potential intensity has been increasing (the potential intensity of a tropical cyclone depends upon the sea surface temperature underneath the storm and the amount of atmospheric instability, with warm air near the surface and cold air aloft giving higher instability and potential intensity.) Interestingly, these shifts were primarily observed in the Western North Pacific Ocean and the Southern Hemisphere's ocean areas.

Belize oil exploration campaign on deck
Belize authorities have received an EIS for oil exploration in the center of the country, BNamericas has learned. BCH International plans to ...

Why cruise ship activities are a waste of my holiday time
WHEN it comes to cruise ship activities, I’m missing out. Instead of playing $US1500 ($A1622.94) Powerball Bingo, I watched my cabin steward make a frog out of a bath towel. Instead of attending the Sunglow Make-Up seminar, I sat on a balcony and stared down at the waves. I hate to admit it, but I have missed Latin Beats with DJ Sir Charles. I didn’t sing at Superstar Karaoke. I never stayed up for the midnight Texas Hold-’em meet-up at the Jackpot Casino. I skipped Bodacious 80s Fun, Foot Print Analysis and trivia. Mainly, I’ve been wandering around trying to find my room and showing up for dinner. I’ve been sitting in chairs on the deck. I went ashore for part of a day in Belize. That’s pretty much it. After three days, I haven’t yet gone swimming in the pool or down the giant waterslide. Haven’t had a Quartz Lift Facial or gone to Game Show Mania. I’m actually not sure where the days have gone. Cozumel. Belize City. Honduras. It’s a blur. But I am sleeping quite well at night, the soft hum of the cruise ship motor a lullaby. If cruise ships did not have all these things to do, we would certainly complain. What would a cruise ship be if not for Snorkel With Lunch excursions? It has to offer Ionithermie Detox & Inch Loss seminars and the Giant Jenga Challenge or risk the wrath of longtime customers. But maybe cruise ships should also have other classes. The Art of Napping. The Zen of Doing Nothing in Particular. IPhone Detox.

Myrtle Beach area men face charges they stole $6.4 million from Sprint through fraudulent billing Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/05/28/3472342/myrtle-beach-area-men-face-charges.html#storylink=cpy
Two Horry County men are facing charges in federal court in San Antonio that they stole $6.4 million from the Sprint-Nextel wireless company through a series of fraudulent billings, and then used the proceeds to buy luxury automobiles and a home on an island in Belize. Darrell Doyle, 50, and Jason Boyd, 37, each face five felony charges of wire or mail fraud as well as felony conspiracy and money laundering charges. All told, the charges could put both men in prison for life. The men were arrested last week and released on $50,000 bonds during a detention hearing last week in Florence. In addition to the prison sentences, both men face fines of up to $20 million and the possible forfeiture of their property to pay back the $6.4 million. Among that property, according to court records, is a 2013 Mercedes automobile, a 2008 BMW automobile, the men’s personal residences, an oceanfront condominium in North Myrtle Beach and the home in Belize, located in the La Casa Pura Vida development.

Prof Bain's Endgame?
Having allowed his supporters to peddle the fallacy that his sacking was an attack on academic freedom and free speech, we can now only wonder at the intent of Professor Brendan Bain. For by failing to declare the larger contextual truth, Professor Bain is helping not only to deepen the poles between protagonists in the gay-rights debate but distracting attention from, and potentially weakening, a project to which he has made an invaluable contribution: the delivery of care to people living with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean. Professor Bain is a pioneer in the field. Until his firing a week ago by the University of the West Indies (UWI), he ran Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) Network, a regional agency that operates under the umbrella of the university, but is funded mostly by foreign donors. Having retired as an academic, his job at CHART, stripped to the core, was essentially as an administrator. There is, however, confusion - deliberately or otherwise - among Professor Bain's supporters.

Jamaica’s ‘unique’ brand of homophobia
Angeline Jackson, executive director of Quality of Citizenship Jamaica, an organization that advocates on behalf of lesbian and bisexual women and transgender Jamaicans, was walking with a friend in a town outside of Kingston, the country’s capital, in 2009 when two men robbed them. Jackson, now 24, said during a Capitol Hill reception on May 21 that U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) attended, that the two men who were stepbrothers forced her to perform oral sex on them at gunpoint. The two men raped Jackson’s friend before bringing them to one of their mother’s homes two hours later. Two female police officers came to Jackson’s home after she told her mother about the alleged incident. She said one of them told her that she “should leave this lifestyle and go back to church.” “I looked at her,” said Jackson as she spoke during the Capitol Hill reception. “I was like, you mean the same night that this has just happened to me this is the response that you give me as an officer of the law.”

Videos

Video: Belize 1, 8min.
Tom Guinan vacation

Video: Belize 2, 6min.
Tom Guinan vacation

Video: Belize 3, 14min.
Tom Guinan vacation

Video: Belize 4, 18min.
Tom Guinan vacation

Video: Belize 5, 16min.
Tom Guinan vacation

Video: Belize april 2014, 5min.
Nice vacation video

Video: Belize Tour Snorkeling whale sharks, 1/4 min.
Snorkeling with Whale Sharks with Robert's Grove Beach Resort in Placencia Belize!

Video: Night dive off Ambergris Caye Belize, 1min.
Took this short video of an octopus while night diving in Ambergris Caye Belize. Amazing how her colors change.

Video: Belize 2014, 4min.
The Grove visited Belize this last week for the fourth year in a row. Here's a short video detailing our experiences and the impact we encountered on this year's trip.

Video: , 5min.
The Beauty of Belize - Real Estate Marketing for The Placencia Resort, Residence, Golf Course and Marina Petit pays d'Amérique centrale, le Belize, ex Honduras britannique, est un paradis tropical, recouvert de forêts luxuriantes donnant sur la mer des Caraïbes. Le Belize est une destination connue pour les amateurs de l'écotourisme. La côte, les îles et les récifs de corail raviront les amateurs de plongée. Il rassemble une mosaïque de cultures fascinantes, populations créole, maya et métis.

Video: Blue Creek Cave, Belize, 3min.
This video is about Blue Creek Cave, Belize- May 23, 2014 Our tour guide was Silvano Sho, a local man who lived by the creek. The Maya name for the Blue Creek is “Hokeb Ha,” or “Where the water enters the earth”. Blue Creek is an extremely large cave that begins near the village of Santa Cruz, where the river rushes under ground, resurfacing five mile later near the village of Blue Creek. The cave is classified as a wet cave with dry routes.

Video: OUTREACH LIVING WORD CHURCH SAN PEDRO TOWN BELIZE, 8min.
Isidore zaldivar

Video: Tiburones Nodriza, 4min.
Cayo Ambergris, Belize

May 28, 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 CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

SFXCU reach out to high school students
The Saint Francis Xavier Credit Union (SFXCU) Limited has been on Ambergris Caye for over 10 years and it is estimated that ¼ of the island’s population is a member of the organization. And now the credit union is reaching out to a new set of member, the students on the island. On Wednesday May 21st, the staff of the SFXCU visited and met with business and general studies students of the San Pedro High School. According to Lina Martinez, SFXCU San Pedro Branch Manager, the purpose of the visit was to encourage students to save. She explained that from the show of hands, the majority of the students have not learned to save and most of the initiative to save has to come from their parents. As part of SFXCU’s education program, they are reaching out to the student population and showing them some of the benefits that come with being a member. “The main purpose is to teach students to save. It is very important for youth to learn to put aside some of the cash they are receiving and even build up a savings and use their money in the future for their own benefit. SFXCU does have a student’s saving program, and some can even benefit of a student grant,” explained Martinez.

Stingrays – worth more alive than dead!
Stingrays are a common sight in the tropical waters off Ambergris Caye, and they are some of the main attractions for visitors, contributing to the millions of tourism generated dollars for the country’s economy. However, all that was not taken into consideration after a Southern Stingray was fished, dragged on shore, then left to die in the Boca del Rio Area. Marine conservationists found the dead animal on Tuesday May 20th and notified authorities about their finding. One person who has been studying sharks and rays in Belize and in the region and who responded to the call was Dr Rachael Graham, Director of MAR Alliance. According to Dr. Graham, they were notified of the dead ray by Marine Biologists at Hol Chan Marine Reserve. “We found the ray on the sand in the general area near the bridge. The ray was recently killed, perhaps in the night or early in the morning and she had a large J-hook lodged in her mouth with large piece of bait on it. Her spine was not broken and it did not appear that she was beaten or hit. She was just dragged ashore and left to die on the sand,” explained Graham.

2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season draws near
The 2014 Atlantic Hurricane Season is right around the corner and Drs Philip J. Klotzbach and William M. Gray, of the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University have predicted a below-average season as compared to activity from 1981 to 2010. The forecast was issued Thursday, April 10th and predicts a relatively quiet hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin. According to information gathered, the El Niño effect will most likely develop through Summer and Fall with a moderate strength. Due to the cooler temperatures in the tropical Atlantic over the past few months it is anticipated that there will be below-average probability for major hurricanes to make landfall along the United Sates coastline and the Caribbean. The forecast predicts that the 2014 hurricane season will only see three hurricanes, nine named storms, 35 named storm days, 12 hurricane days, one major hurricane and two major hurricane days.

Making Bollos (Tamales)!
You can’t possibly come to Belize and not try a bollo! That would be like going to the beach and not getting into the water! Bollos or tamales as it is popularly known are a traditional Mestizo dish, enjoyed and adopted by all cultures in Belize. What is it? A bollo is a meal of seasoned meat (chicken or pork) wrapped in soft homemade corn dough (masa), and then steamed in plantain or banana leaves. Bollos can also be vegetarian by substituting the meat with additional veggies! Yum! Wanna try em? Here is a super yummy, easy to follow recipe provided by: Uj Janal Aj Maya a collection of traditional Maya cuisines by Aurora Garcia Saqui. But first, you’ll need to get two banana leaves! (Most international ethnic stores sell them- and once you wrap the bollo once, foil can seal the deal.)

Rum+ Bean at Mahogany Bay Village
Looking for a quick caffeine fix? Check out Rum+ Bean at Mahogany Bay Village.....good coffee, great ambiance -Trust us, it's worth the drive! (7 photos)

Ambergris Today

Ambergris Caye Citizens for Sustainable Development Appoints New Chairman
The Ambergris Caye Citizens for Sustainable Development(ACCSD) is proud to announce that they have a newly appointed Co-Chairman for their organization. As of May 13, 2014 Mr. Francis ‘Billy’ Leslie has accepted the post and will be working with the ACCSD in his new position. He has been serving as Director for the past four years and has been very fundamental in the establishing of the organization. The ACCSD is pleased that Mr. Leslie has accepted this appointment and know he will represent the organization well and will contribute much to the community.

Two Golf Carts Donated to Dr. Otto Rodriguez Polyclinic II San Pedro
On Friday, May 23, 2014, two golf carts were handed over to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez Polyclinic II that were donated by Ramon's Village Resort through the San Pedro Town Council. On site for the presentation were Mayor Daniel Guerrero, Deputy Mayor Gabriel Nuñez, Councilor Severo Guerrero, Mr. Ramon Nuñez, Dr. Javier Zuniga, Mr. Owen Vellos and Nurse Maria Jeffrey.

Fearless Men of the Sea in Ambergris Caye Part 4
But this time the unexpected happened. Wilber had just struck a fine 15-pound grouper and was joyfully surfacing with his catch to put it inside his dory with the other 20 groupers he had already speared early that morning. Suddenly the shark was coming directly at him and he only noticed when it was some 15 feet away. Its mouth was already open and instinct told him the animal was hungry and on the attack mood. Of course as an experienced four-year old skin diver, Wilber knew that the shark was after the grouper and not after him. Instinctively, he placed the spear with the grouper directly in front of him to offer it to his new “guest”. At the precise moment the shark ripped off half of the fish and the spear partly entered its mouth but so did the bamboo of the Hawaiian sling, and Wilber’s left hand. Fortunately for Wilber he was able to pull his arm on the split second. The razor sharp teeth of the animal grazed like sharp knives damaging skin, tendons, and blood vessels. As best as he could Wilber surfaced and hollered, “SHARK”. This immediately caught the attention of one of his companions who came to the rescue. The remainder of the story was a fight against time. It took some time for the crew of Edwardo Brown’s boat, La Perdida, to stop the bleeding. It took time to stop the pain in a boat with no first aid kit. It took many hours of sailing in a calm day to reach Belize City and the hospital. And it took close to a month in the hospital for the injuries to heal properly before Wilber was given the green light. And here is the worst part. How much time did Wilber need to recover from this frightening experience to return to skin diving? It did not take much as there was no other choice. Soon he was back at sea to challenge the forces of nature and to brush aside that slight fear of the shark encounter. Fearless “men of the sea” indeed!

Flashbacks: The Famous Fido's in Ambergris Caye
If there is one place that has left a landmark in San Pedro and that has undergone lots of transformation, it has got to be Fido’s. It started as Fido’s Hotel and was part of the chain of Coral Beach Hotels. The Original Fido Nuñez then transformed it to Fido’s Place with restaurant and bar which became a central point for tourists from all over. Fido’s place seen here was an open place with palm trees, sea grape, and even a tall almond. The small palapa in the background was the entertainment area where Wil Nuñez, son of Fido Nuñez, and Chico Flores entertained with guitars, harmonica and maracas. There was a boardwalk, sand and even some patches of grass. This was the beginning of what was to be transformed into the famous Fido’s Courtyard.

The Art of Listening
Mayor of San Pedro Town, His Lordship Mayor Daniel Guerrero, is perhaps the mayor that has communicated the most with the residents. His medium is the Reef TV Good Morning Show where he entertains questions, complaints, suggestions from the public. And very often he comments that he welcomes suggestions because it is the only way that he can know what the people want. Recently, however, it has been suggested to the Mayor to cut down on unnecessary spending so that the council can have money to invest on security/policing so as to lower crime and vandalism. The area that callers have been suggesting is to cut down on fireworks spending which could amount to up to $80,000 per year. This, the Mayor says, will never happen because his people and tourists deserve colorful celebrations.

Misc Belizean Sources

Statement from Bowen and Bowen
On improvements, supply, and quality

Attracting investments and growing the Belizean Economy Part IV
Coming back to the general theme of this article, empirical studies have consistently shown that if developing countries (like Belize) are indeed serious about addressing the problem of job and economic growth, we need to shift our focus on those policy hindrances that have been highlighted time and time again. The policy makers and those who put them there ought to raise the bar on the conversation on this matter FAR beyond the political rhetoric that seems to have trivialized this issue. It’s not rocket science. If decades’ worth of data from a myriad of researchers are pointing out that poor quality institutions (bad governance, corruption, red tape, and poor provision of public goods) and low levels of human capital development (reflected in poor education policies) are at the core growth issues that have been widely talked about, then it is relatively conspicuous what needs to be done in this country to achieve the desired growth levels.

Public Service Information Day
The Ministry of Public Service is having their Public Service Information Day in Belmopan this Thursday, May 29th, starting at 9:30am. It'll be taking place at Sir George Brown Field. Learn more about the Belize Public Service.

The Summer of Gold: How the Yellow Cortez tree can change Belize
Not unlike the Cherry Blossom trees that bloom every April/May in Washington DC, Belizean Richard Harrison is hoping that the Yellow Cortez tree will draw tourists to Central America. The Yellow Cortez tree is native to the dry forests native to Central America, and Belize. Like the Cherry blossoms they bloom with the rainy season between Mid April and Mid May. Harrison is behind the Summer of Gold or Verano de Oro project whose goal is to plant 100,000 Yellow Cortez trees throughout Belize, particularly along highways. Mr. Harrison believes that this will create a spectacularly unique man-made wonder of very high value to Belize utilizing a natural forest species. In addition to adding a beautiful tourism draw, Harrison feels the project can foster participation by Belizeans, which may improve quality of life and contribute to the wealth of the area.

Belize residents threatened with imprisonment over corn planting
The office of the attorney general of Belize has filed an interim injunction that threatens imprisonment and other sanctions against members of the Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association (BGYEA), if they proceed with an initiative to utilize basic agricultural development in their maintenance of the buffer zone of the Harmonyville Farming Community. The buffer zone is the narrow strip of land that separates the highway and the community. According to the 'National Guidelines for Subdivision and Consolidation of Land in Belize 2010', a 20ft buffer is required between the property and the shoulder of the road for all subdivisions next to a main highway to minimize accidents and obstruction of the traffic flow. In the case of the Harmonyville buffer zone, a 50ft wide buffer was mandated. Some 29 acres have been cleared so far for the project in question. The innovative initiative would not only clean and beautify the buffer zone (something the government had previously indicated was BGYEA’s responsibility) but, was also designed to provide for the development of roads for the Harmonyville Community (something for which the government had previously indicated that no help would be forthcoming), all in a manner that in no way precludes future use of the buffer zone for public purposes.

No Show Biz Revolution!
By Abdulmajeed K Nunez Everyone is looking for a showbiz revolution When the real revolution is returning to our agricultural orientation Being able to feed ourselves as a nation Poverty is not Belize’s ailment Poverty is not having the confidence To take opportunities for our own development Why are we waiting for a government? Why do the people like to lament? PUDP is not about development The real similitude of this government Is that of tenant paying rent, but we have as a people have become decadent We’ll allowed this government to renege on our arrangement

Using intellectual property to enhance business
The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) has launched its latest initiative on the subject of intellectual property (IP): a series of private sector IP clinics that will take place across the region. The first of the sessions took place in Belize from April 29-30 and three more sessions are scheduled to follow over the next two months in the region. The clinics are the second phase of a developmental project which was initiated through an intensive workshop entitled “The Use of Intellectual Property as a Tool for Business/Export Enhancement”, which the Agency hosted in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in 2013 and where participants recommended that engagement take place at the national level to help tease out issues businesses are facing with regards to protecting their intellectual property assets (i.e. trademarks, brands, trade secrets, etc.). These clinics directly correlate to a critical component of the EU 10th European Development Fund (EDF). The intervention also responds to a specific need in the entertainment industry: the need for knowledge and correct observance of intellectual property rights and procedures.

Belmopan Humane Society Clinic
Animal Lovers please make note that the Belmopan Humane Society will be doing a clinic Sunday, June 1 at the BHS property. If you know of anyone that can benefit from the subsidized spay/neuter program please have them contact Lilly Morison at 602-7947 to work out a price and an appointment time.They can only do 10 animals.

Power interruption 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Sunday, June 1: entire San Pedro Town
Power interruption 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Sunday, June 1: entire San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye. This scheduled power interruption is necessary for BEL to replace utility poles and insulators, install voltage regulators and reclosers on the transmission system; and conduct maintenance and upgrades at the San Pedro Substation.

Simm'r a flaverfil soup fer a heertee dinn'r
Soups air always a good meal opshun fer dinn'r. A'followin air a few faves frum T' Amish Cook column ov'r t'yeers. VEGETABLE SOUP 1 pound hamburg'r 1 onion, choppet 2 cups potatoes, dicet 1 cup carrots, dicet 1 pint corn 1 pint peas 1 quart mater juice 1 1 /2 teespoons salt 1 teespoon black pepp'r Direckshuns: Brown hamburg'r an' onion n' a skillet. Put hamburg'r an' onion into a large pot an' add potatoes, carrots, corn peas, mater juice, an' salt an' pepp'r. Cook ov'r medium heat until vegetables air soft. Recipe note: Sumtimes I use a pint o'beef chunks insteed o'hamburg'r. I also leeve t'onion whole an' cook it wit t'res o't' vegetables.

May 18 - May 24 2014 Fishing Report
Ferdy is the only German at the lodge this week. He is a riot. His passion for fly fishing can be described only as bubbling enthusiasm. He said he will let all of Germany know about all the fun here at El Pescador. Walking down the dock, Ferdy told me, “I wear my most lucky shirt today! It is from New Zealand. I always have good luck with this shirt!” When he came back, he had slammed on fly! 500 pictures later and a ton of stories about each day out on the water. We’ll get some of those pictures out soon for everyone to see. For me, I just love it when our anglers come back to fish here. Kevin, George and Bobbi, Dave and Donna, Mark just brought his family and he was here last month… Rob and Donn showed up yesterday well armed… Anyway, our EP family loves it when you return. We like to see you take ownership with your familiar EP life. It makes us feel good!

Channel 7

Man Stabbed To Death In City; Was He Caught Stealing?
The holiday weekend was deadly: one man was shot to death in Belize City, while another was stabbed; and in Caledonia village a teenager was chopped to death. We start in the city where an unidentified man was found dead on the river side in Lake Independence. He had been stabbed to death - but it didn't appear to be the usual type of city based violence - which usually involves guns, gang rivalries or old beefs. None of those seems to have applied here, so why was the mystery man killed. Daniel Ortiz tried to find that out today:... Daniel Ortiz reporting The body of 25 year-old Dangriga resident Ezekiel Hernandez Medina was found on the riverside at the corner of Lavender and Partridge Streets yesterday morning just before 5:30. He was unknown in the area, and not even the police knew who he was. It is believed that he had been killed earlier in the night because his body was already starting to decompose. The police found a tattoo on his arm, and with the help of the media, his family came looking to confirm that it was his body.

Taxi-Man Murder In City
That was the long weekend's second murder; the first happened on Saturday morning around 1:30 when another taxi man was killed. 56 year old Stanley Thompson was ambushed on Logwood Street - which is off Vernon Street. We say "ambush" because as his common law explains, Thompson was at home when he got a call to make a taxi run - presumably a call from someone he knows. His family believes that was a setup for murder:.. Sharette Willoughby, Common-Law Wife of Deceased "The information I have gotten was from the police telling me that he was shot. They didn't say whether or not it was in the car or how it exactly happen. They just said he had two shots to the back and it seem to have been a robbery. However I don't feel that way. I believe that it was an ambush - someone set him up because he only work on calls, he doesn't come out for anybody and he has to scrutinize you thoroughly before he comes out to get you. However they did not take any money, the wallet was intact, but they took only the phone and that was all I got from the police."

Family Dispute Spawns Machete Killing In Caledonia
And to round out the stories of long weekend violence, a 26 year old was chopped to death in Caledonia Village in the Corozal District - and three brothers are in jail for it tonight. On Sunday night at 9:00 Eder Alcoser was attacked as he stood in front of a Chinese store in the village. He was attacked by three of the Rosales brothers, David, Elias and Perfecto Jr. They chopped him numerously and repeatedly - until his family rushed to his defence - and that's when his father in law also got chopped. Eyewitnesses say it was a terrible, bloody scene where onlookers didn't want to help to take the injured to the hospital. Alcoser was still alive, but died on the way to the hospital. All three Rosales brothers were immediately detained and they were charged for murder today.

Marcial Mes Crashes And Dies
Former PUP Minister and two-term PUP Toledo West Area Representative Marcial Mes died yesterday in a traffic accident. It happened at about 1:15 am in Yemeri Grove village, about 7 miles outside of Punta Gorda town. According to Patrick Jones.com Mes was behind the wheel of his Toyota RAV 4 early on Monday morning when the vehicle ran off the road, plunged into a ditch and crashed into a cement culvert. He died on the spot while his passenger was injured. He was reportedly driving to his home in San Marcos village. The 64 year old Mes has an unfortunate history of traffic accidents. He knocked down two children in Forest Home Village in 2007 - which resulted in criminal charges bring brought while he was a member of the House of Representatives and Cabinet. He would later get off those charges. And in 2008, after he left politics, he was charged for drunk driving when he crashed into the back of a police mobile.

Nickel and Coming A Senior Counsel?
A week ago, we told you about Minister of State Edmond Castro, the Area Rep for Belize Rural North, who had to face a court challenge brought by one of his constituents, Trevor Vernon. He believed that Castro had violated the Cabinet code of conduct. Castro's attorney, Denys Barrow, managed to get the case thrown out on the technicality that Vernon made an error when he started a public law claim instead of going the private law route. Vernon was slapped with a $5,000 cost of court which Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin ordered that he pay to Castro for legal fees. That basically meant that Vernon had to pay Denys Barrow for defending Castro. So today, Vernon showed up to Barrow's law office on Coney Drive with two pillow cases filled with what he says is half the money. You might suspect that he was taking this matter "mek papishow" because he was forcing the persons receiving the money to count out $2,500 in small change. He told us today that it was nothing like that; this it was a contribution from people in Belize Rural North who supported that he was challenging Castro's actions as a sitting Minister. Here's how he explained it:

Arthur Tells Rodwell, It's All About Change
Another attorney who got paid today in shillings and dollar coins was Rodwell Williams. As we told you last week Friday, the Supreme Court granted Prime Minister Dean Barrow the biggest award ever for defamation - and the man doing the defaming was attorney Arthur Saldivar. He called in on the WUB in 2011 and wrongfully accused Prime Minister Dean Barrow of being corrupt. He now has to pay $60,000 to the Prime Minister for the defamatory remarks, and an additional $9,500 to his attorney Rodwell Williams for his costs in defending the prime minister. And to hear his story - it's just like Vernon's: he says the people of Belize Rural North chipped in to pay. So, if you follow this fanciful narrative, then you'd have to believe that Saldivar's Rural North supporters were in an especially giving mood this weekend because in addition to the $2,500 they supposedly raised for his committee member Trevor Vernon, they then raised another $2,000 for Saldivar to pay up. Saldivar invited the media to view the two pans of coins before it was delivered to Rodwell William's law office this evening. Here's what he had to say about Rural North's supposed generosity:

Belize Council Of Churches Stands Up For Professor Bain
The public pressure in Jamaica continues to build against the University of the West Indies for its decision to terminate Professor Brendan Bain, for what was taken as an "anti-gay" affidavit in Belize's UNIBAM case. Today, the Belize Council of Churches - for whom he made the affidavit - joined in the condemnation of that decision in a letter to the University of the West Indies. The letter says they wish to quote, "express our disappointment and outrage at the…termination." They characterize it as quote, "an act of extreme cowardice carried out at the behest of an ungrateful and unreasonable minority." The statements concludes angrily, "we and the over two billion Christians in this world will not be silenced by this terrible injustice....carried out at the behest of the LBGT community." And while the council of Churches is producing strident declarations in Belize, the press in Jamaica is reporting that an online petition demanding that Professor E. Nigel Harris, the Vice Chancellor of UWI, must apologize for unjustly terminating Professor Bain, has already gotten over 1,900 votes. A protest was staged yesterday in front of the UWI Mona Campus in Jamaica, and reporters from Jamaica Observer Newspaper, spoke to a few of the demonstrators about its importance. Here's what they had to say:

Police Shot A 19 Year Old
Tonight a 19 year resident of Unitedville is at the KHMH recovering from a surgery to remove multiple gunshot pellets from his back. Early on Monday morning, Elston Arnold was shot in the back by police - and his family says it is for no reason at all. Arnold and two friends were coming from a wake and a church bus had dropped them on the highway about half a mile from their home. A police mobile pulled up and searched them. One of Arnold's cousins had words with the police, and the police started to beat him. Arnold's family says that Elston Arbnold started to leave, when one of the police officers shot him in the back with a pump action shotgun. Worse than that, they say the officers then left him there - and a justice of the peace had to rush him to the Western Regional Hospital. He later had to be transferred to the KHMH - which is where he had surgery today to remove multiple shotgun pellets.

Albert Reid Remanded To Jail
Last week, we told you about 24 year-old Albert "Cat" Reid, who was charged for the murder of 57 year-old Maurice Young. Well tonight he's at the Belize Central Prison. He was arraigned today before the Chief Magistrate, Ann Marie Smith, and due to the nature of the offence, he was remanded to prison until July 15. As we told you, Young was found in a bushy area behind his house in the quiet village along the old Northern Highway. He was chopped to death, and it is suspected that the assailant was trying to rob him.

Cousins To Court On Gun Charge
Cousins 21 year old Kenroy Willoughby and 26 year old Nuri Polanco are at the Belize Central Prison tonight after they were taken to court for threatening a man with a gun. The complainant, 23 year old Jason Lamb, reported to the police that on Sunday evening, he was attending a dinner function on antelope Street Extension when he got into an argument with Willoughby. Lamb said Willoughby pulled out a firearm from the waist of his pants and pointed it at him. Lamb said he tried to move away, but he was blocked by Polanco who approached him. Lamb said he began to fear for his life so he jumped into his car and drove off.

Playing with Fire At Club Elite
Club Elite is the latest incarnation of the Princess Ramada Hotel's clubbing scene inside the hotel, but on last Friday, patrons got a bit more than they bargained for when a pyrotechnic stunt got out of control. Persons who were there told us that one of the bartenders ran liquor along the length of the bar, and lit it on fire. Might sound scary, but they do that all the time when the club is hyped up - and, if you've had a few - it's usually quite a show to see the trail of fire race from one end of the bar to the next. On Friday, however, the bartender reportedly wanted to keep the fire going a little longer than usual and he poured more liquor on the bar. But, the fire spread from the bar to liquor bottle causing it to explode. One of the patrons who was nearby caught the brunt of the explosion and reportedly suffered significant burns because of it. Another nearby patron got a little bit of the rum on fire on his clothes which caught on fire. We're told that in their panic to try to put out the blazing liquid on them, then scared a large number of the club goers who dashed for the exit.

MIT Makes Weed Busts
A joint law enforcement patrol made a good sized marijuana bust yesterday. At 10:00 in the morning, the team comprising the Mobile Interdiction Team, the K9 Unit, the Anti Drug Unit and Customs searched an abandoned lot on George Price Avenue in Santa Elena where k9 TOONJE picked up the scent of illegal narcotics. Well, he smelt right through the ground, because the team had to dig to find a white bucket buried with a large garbage bag inside. It contained 4.9 kilos - or almost 11 pounds of cannabis. No one was in the area and it was Labeled as Found Property. And this morning at 5:00 am, a joint team conducted a Vehicle Check Point in Roaring Creek on the Western Highway in front of West Star Gas station. A search was conducted on a J & J bus was searched and it led to the discovery of a red / black and white bag. That contained 2 small buckets with 3 packages wrapped in gray duct tape containing 2 kilos, or four and a half pounds of cannabis. No one claimed the bag so it was labeled a Found Property.

Central Region Kept Ipad Purchase Secret
The Auditor General's damning report on the Central Health Region. We told you about portions of it last Thursday and Friday, and we continue tonight, as we unearth the full details of those two ipads purchased under dubious circumstances:... Jules Vasquez reporting The auditors found that Regional Manager Melinda Guerra authorized the preparation and approval of twelve (12) payments totaling $16,997.99, which misrepresented the service or item ordered, received and paid for by the CHR. The auditor laments, "We were particularly concerned about the apparent intentional disguising and misrepresentation of key information on official payment documents and records for it creates an environment that is susceptible to fraud, waste and abuse." And that's just what seemed to have happened in the case of three thousand dollars paid for two Ipad minis. These were recorded as "payments for 2 hard drives" - but when the auditors looked into the records, they found that, quote, "the 2 hard drives that were requested via requisition…ordered on purchase orders …was a fiction and were not received. The accounts section was provided with the tax invoice which was also a misrepresentation of what the transaction was about.

KHMH Looking Into Acquisition Of Pair Of Vans
In other news concerning irregularities in the public health sector, two vans acquired by the KHMH are under scrutiny tonight. 7News has obtained a leaked copy of the findings of an internal investigation done into the acquisition of the pair of 2012, twelve passenger vans. It notes that the Certificate of Registration for both vans state that they are 15 seating capacity. But an inspection of the vans shows them both as 12 seating capacity. The report notes that the report from the Hospital's Stores Department does not match with the Bill of Sales from a dealership named Matthew Currie where the vans were finally purchased from. It notes also that the mileage on the Carfax report does not match with the details on the Bill of Sales from the dealership. It notes as well that the wire transfer payment for the vehicle was made to a dealer named OFF LEASE, but it was eventually purchased from another dealer named MATTHEW CURRIE.

The Art of Walking Away From Cyclical Violence
Over our years in news, we can hardly count the number of times we've been called out to Sibun Street to cover crime news. It was the base of Back-A-Town gang, and embedded between two rival factions. So, violence, sustained violence was inevitable - and, to us, it seemed to have culminated in June of 2013, when someone walked into the house and just shot and killed one of the residents. It's the kind of thing that usually spawns a cycle of violence and endless retaliations. But, last week Monica Bodden found out how the gang broke the cycle by just moving away and turning the backs on violence:... Monica Bodden reporting Once known as Becka Town, the family property located on the canal side on Sibun Street was purchased in 1983 by Miss Becka Samuels - where it became the home for her next generation. That name would later change to Back-A-Town - an alleged gang territory for one of Belize's crip gangs. Sitting in an area surrounded by two of their rival gangs - Ghost Town and Raiders, Back-A-Town became a gang war zone. For many years, numerous ongoing shootouts targeted the poverty stricken neighborhood -some of which resulted in murders. Take for example 17 year old Shenelle Reyes - the 4thrd form student of Sadie Vernon High - who resided in one of the housing units. Her life was cut short months before her high school graduation when she was shot in the chest by a sawed off shotgun inside her living quarters that had no electricity at the time.

OW Police Looking For Hit And Run Driver
Orange Walk police are seeking the help of the public to investigate who knocked down and killed 68 year-old Santiago Cocom. ON SATURDAY NIGHT, The trial farm resident was on Queen Victoria Avenue, and was trying to cross the street when a vehicle ran him over and dragged him a few yards away from the point of impact. Instead of stopping and rending aid, the driver of the vehicle sped off, and Cocom was left to die. Police say that they have a description of a vehicle and a license plate that they are currently trying to track down.

G. Collective Headed Out On Major European Tour
The Garifuna Collective is going on a 6 week European Tour. They leave tomorrow for Germany, and then head to France, go back to Germany and then travel to Switzerland, Brussels, and the Netherlands. It's one of their most ambitious tours yet where they'll be playing at festivals on back to back days. Today, they told us they are excited and even a little nervous:.. On the days when they aren't performing, the collective will be collaborating with other artists - and working on a new album.

BES Bests Volleyball
Belize Elementary School boys and girls are the Belize district volleyball champions. The District Finals were held today the Bird's Isle where in the female category championship game, Belize Elementary School defeated Holy Redeemer School. 25-12, 25-10, while in the male section, Belize Elementary School defeated Crooked Tree Gov't School. 25-14, 25-20. For the girls, this is their fourth year winning the district in a row. They will represent the Belize District at the National Primary School Volleyball Championship on Friday 6th June.

Channel 5

56 year old taxi operator executed on Bank Street
Two men lost their lives violently in separate incidents in Belize City over the weekend while a third was viciously chopped to death up north. The bloodshed started in the [...]

Dangriga resident murdered in Belize City; alleged killer detained
Norman Thompson’s execution was followed by the stabbing murder of twenty-five year old Ezekiel Medina in the city. His body was found early on Monday morning and it took hours [...]

Caledonia man is chopped to death
Up north in the village of Caledonia, an ex-boyfriend was viciously chopped to death on the abdomen while at a Chinese store in the village. Three brothers have been charged [...]

Former P.U.P. Minister Marcial Mes killed in traffic accident
In the early hours of Monday morning, former P.U.P. Minister and Toledo West Area Representative sixty-five year old Marcial Mes died in a road traffic accident. Mes was driving his [...]

Francis Fonseca remembers the political life of Marcial Mes
Leader of the People’s United Party Fonseca told us he got the news early Monday morning. Marcial Mes served as the P.U.P. Area Representative for Toledo West from 1998 to [...]

Do you support the termination of Professor Brendan Bain from the CHART?
And tonight’s question is: Do you support the termination of Professor Brendan Bain from the CHART program at UWI? Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to 8686 [...]

Trevor Vernon and his pillowcases filled with shillings
On May nineteenth, a case brought against Minister of State Edmond Castro was thrown out by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. The case had been filed by Belize Rural North resident, [...]

PM Barrow cashes out in coins
On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Prime Minister Dean Barrow in a defamation suit brought against opinionated attorney Arthur Saldivar for disparaging remarks he reportedly made in [...]

Arthur Saldivar explains why he was a no-show in court
The lump sum was to have been settled on Monday; however, Saldivar has indicated that he will appeal the judgment.  When asked why he did not appear in court to [...]

Internal Audit conducted at K.H.M.H. on purchase of 2 vans
News Five has reported extensively on two comprehensive audits which point to large-scale financial irregularities and misuse of public funds – one for the Southern Regional Hospital and the other [...]

P.U.P. Leader does not support reappointment of Justice Samuel Awich
The proposed reappointment of Court of Appeal Justice Samuel Awich by the Prime Minister is facing opposition. The Justice’s contract ended on May fifteenth, and Prime Minister Dean Barrow has [...]

Elvin Penner goes back to court this week, but where is the evidence
Disgraced former Minister of State Elvin Penner will be back in court on Thursday, the defendant in a private prosecution brought by COLA. But Penner’s appearance before Lady Justice may [...]

P.U.P. Leader demanding apology from PM Barrow
Last Thursday, Minister of State Mark King told the media that his government looks after U.D.P. first, Belizeans second and P.U.P. last. While those words are likely true, in this [...]

UWI Vice Chancellor says it’s not about Freedom of Speech
In the aftermath of the termination of Dr. Brendan Bain’s contract, as head of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Program at the University of the West Indies, there has been [...]

P.U.P. Leader takes position on ‘homosexuality’ issue
The Bain discussion continues to rage, with almost frenzied submissions from both sides of the argument. Today, P.U.P. Leader Francis Fonseca told News Five that the ‘homosexuality’ issue, for lack [...]

Audrey Matura-Shepherd fiery comments on Bain’s dismissal
While Fonseca advises respect and rational discussion, activist Audrey Matura-Shepherd is more direct. The outspoken attorney was a guest on OYE this morning and condemned the move to oust Professor [...]

The weekend sporting highlights
Good evening folks, I am Duane Moody and welcome to this episode of Sports Tuesday. James Adderley is taking some time off, so I am sitting in for him.   [...]

LOVE FM

Chief Magistrate Remands Duo After Aggravated Assault
Twenty-one year old Kenroy Willoughby, the brother of Julian Willoughby who was shot and killed about three weeks ago, was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm when he appeared today before the Chief magistrate, Anne Marie Smith. Willoughby’s uncle, 26 year old Nuri Polanco, was charged jointly with him. They pled not guilty to the charge and they were remanded into custody until July 14. The complainant, 23 year old Jason Lamb, a resident of Pelican Street Extension, reported to the police that he was attending a family dinner on Antelope Street Extension when he and Willoughby got into an argument. Lamb said Willoughby, who was with Polanco, took out a pistol from the waist of his pants and pointed it at him. Lamb said he feared for his life so he got into his car and drove off.

Laborer Faces Murder Charge
Twenty-four year old Albert Reid, a.k.a. “Cat”, a laborer of Pine Street in Belize city, was charged with the murder of 57 year old Maurice Young when he appeared today before the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith. Reid was remanded into custody until July 15. Around 6:10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, Ladyville Police, acting on information received, went to Santana Village and visited Young’s residence where they found his body in an advanced state of decomposition in a bushy area about 100 feet from his house. According to reports, there was a chop wound to the back of his neck. The following day, Wednesday, May 21, police detained Reid and charged him.

PlusTV

Dangriga Man Found Stabbed to Death in Belize City
A Dangriga man spent about 24 hours as a “John Doe,” but he has now been identified as 25 year old Ezekiel Hernandez of the Rivas Estate area. Police visited the corner of Partridge and Lavender Streets next to the Haulover Creek around 5:23 Monday morning and observed Hernandez’s body...

Taxi Man Ambushed and Killed
The other murder in Belize City over the weekend took place early on Sunday morning. 56 year old Norman Thompson, a taxi operator of West Street, was driving his car in an alley joining Banak Street to Logwood Street next to La Popular Bakery. He was headed toward Banak...

Hit and Run Accident in North Claims one Life
A hit and run incident claimed the life of one man on Saturday night at Orange Walk Town. The victim has since been identified as Santiago Cocom. Initial reports say that the vehicle that hit Cocom dragged him about 100 yards from the point of impact and did not...

Machete Fight in Corozal Leaves One Dead
A machete fight in Caledonia Village, Corozal District has left a young man dead and his father hospitalized while three men are in police custody. According to reports, 26 year old Eder Alcoser, labourer of Caledonia village, visited a local Chinese store at around 9:00 pm on Sunday, May...

Jamaicans Protest Over Professor Bain’s Dismissal
This past Friday, Plus News reported on the protest held at Battlefield Park in Belize City where some 100 Belizeans gathered to condemn the firing of Professor Brendan Bain. The protest saw individuals from a cross-section of the Belizean society standing in solidarity with the Professor who was dismissed as...

Jamaican Bar Association Speaks out Over Bain’s Firing
In related news, The Jamaican Bar Association (Jambar) late Friday called on Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies Professor Nigel Harris to give due process to Professor Brendan Bain. In a lengthy press release the group, which is the latest and largest to give its support to Dr...

Man Shot in Belmopan
There was a shooting incident that occurred in Belmopan during the weekend. According to police reports, on Sunday May 25th, at around 8:15 pm Belmopan Police responded to a shooting incident in the area of Las Flores, Belmopan. There in front of the community centre they found 24 year...

Murder Suspect Charged
24 year old Albert “Cat” Reid is remanded after being formally arraigned for the murder of Santana Village resident Maurice Young. Young suffered a chop wound to the back of the neck and his decomposing body was found 100 yards from his house by police from Ladyville around 6:10 in the...

Decomposed Body Found in Indianville, PG
Punta Gorda police have retrieved the decomposed body of a man from the Indianville area of the town. The body was discovered on Monday and according to police reports, they are still trying to identify him. In the meantime, police are awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine...

Three Persons Apprehended Over Spree of Robberies
Corozal Police Formation have apprehended three individuals in connection with a spree of robberies that occurred over the past few weeks. According to Officer Commanding Corozal Police Station ASP Daniel Arzu, the trio was apprehended due to the relentless efforts on the part of Corozal Police. ASP Daniel Arzu- ...

Former Minister Marcial Mess Dies in Traffic Accident
Former PUP Area Representative for Toledo West and Minister Marcial Mes, was killed in an early morning traffic accident in the Toledo District on Sunday. Mes was headed from Punta Gorda Town to his home in San Marcos Village when he crashed into a culvert and died. The accident...

Two Charged for Aggravated Assault with Firearm
A family gathering in Belize City over the holiday weekend threatened to become violent when relatives introduced a firearm into the discussion. 21 year old Kenroy Willoughby and 26 year old Nuri Polanco now have to spend their time behind bars after being charged for aggravated assault with a...

Trevor Vernon Pays Court Cost to Edmund Castro in Shillings
Ever seen $2,500 – in “shillings?” We did today, as former litigant Trevor Vernon went to pay his court costs to his opponent Edmond Castro’s attorney, Senior Counsel Denys Barrow. Vernon and assistant Peter Carter logged in two large knapsacks containing 5,000 25-cent pieces amounting to $1,250 each for a...

Injunction Sought in Belmopan Wooden Building Case
Abner Valladares and his wife have still not been able to place their wooden building fitted for a boutique on their Belmopan property. We had reported to you that Valladarez went through all the necessary procedures to get approval for the building, or at least he thought so, but...

Patrick Jones

Murder suspect charged
24 year old Albert “Cat” Reid is remanded after being formally arraigned for the murder of Santana Village resident Maurice Young. Young suffered a chop wound to the back of the neck and his decomposing body was found 100 yards from his house by police from Ladyville around 6:10 in the evening of May 20. Police arrested Reid the following day and today he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann-Marie Smith who remanded him to prison until his next court appearance on July 29.

Two charged for aggravated assault with firearm
A family gathering in Belize City over the holiday weekend threatened to become violent when relatives introduced a firearm into the discussion. Now carpenter 21 year old Kenroy Willoughby of Antelope Street and 26 year old Nuri Polanco of Antelope Street Extension are behind bars after being charged for aggravated assault with a firearm following an incident on Sunday evening. Around 5:45 p.m., 23 year old Jason Lamb of Pelican Street Extension was attending a family dinner on Antelope Street Extension when he got into an argument with Willoughby, who took out a black pistol he was carrying and pointed it at Lamb. A frightened Lamb retreated to his vehicle but was pursued by Willoughby and Polanco.

Dangriga man found dead in Belize City
A Dangriga man who spent about 24 hours as a “John Doe,” has now been identified as 25 year old Ezekiel Hernandez of the Rivas Estate area. Police visited the corner of Partridge and Lavender Streets next to the Haulover Creek around 5:23 am on Monday and observed Hernandez’s body with three stab wounds to the upper right side of the back. A post mortem examination is scheduled as police investigation continues.

City taxi man ambushed, says family
Early on Sunday morning, 56 year old Norman Thompson, a taxi operator of West Street, was driving his car in an alley joining Banak Street to Logwood Street next to La Popular Bakery. He was headed toward Banak Street when unknown gunmen fired twice at him, hitting him to the right upper shoulder and right upper back. As a result his green 4-door Geo Prism, license plates D-7487, crashed into the back fence of Habet and Habet Limited which is on Banak Street. Family say that only a cellular phone was taken from him; his wallet was ignored, which leave them to believe that robbery was not the intended motive. They also believe that he was known to his killer or killers.

Apparent suicide in Belize City
A Belize City man apparently killed himself by hanging over the weekend. Police have released no details but 57 year old Maurice Tingling, aka “Pappy Bal”, was known to residents of the Majestic/Pinks Alley area and alarm rose when he was not seen around after Friday night. One person who spoke on condition of anonymity says they made a shocking discovery on Sunday night after noticing a strange smell in the neighborhood. Police were called in and they found Tingling’s lifeless and decomposing body hanging from a rafter in the run-down concrete house where he resided. The body showed no other signs of violence. Tingling lived alone although he has family members in the U.S., residents were still trying to understand what caused him to take his own life. The body was removed this morning after a weekend-long delay.

Trevor Vernon presses on with court case
Have you ever seen $2,500 – in “shillings?” We did today, as former litigant Trevor Vernon went to pay his court costs to his opponent Edmond Castro’s attorney, Senior Counsel Denys Barrow. Vernon and assistant Peter Carter logged in two large knapsacks containing 5,000 25-cent pieces amounting to $1,250 each for a total of $2,500, half the court costs owed, which is $5,000. Last week we reported on the striking out of an application by Vernon against his area representative whom he wants to answer for the thousands collected on behalf of him and others from the Belize Airports Authority and tried to bring a suit through the Supreme Court alleging violations of the Code of Conduct in the Constitution.

Brothers charged in chopping murder in Corozal
Three men, all brothers, have been charged following a brutal murder in Caledonia village in the Corozal district on Sunday night. 26 year old Eder Alcoser was viciously chopped to death around 9 o’clock on Sunday night as he bought dog food at the Mei Mei store. According to reports, when Alcoser arrived at the store he came face to face with his ex-wife and her companion Elias Rosales who both began attacking him verbally. That verbal attack escalated and when it was all over, Alcoser had been hacked to death. It is a brutal murder that has left Alcoser’s family in shock and demanding justice for their loved one.

Orange Walk man takes his own life
An Orange Walk family is mourning the death of a loved one who is believed to have taken his own life. The body of 32 year old Filberto Lopez was found on Sunday evening in San Estevan village. Lopez was pronounced dead on arrival at the Orange Walk hospital. It is not clear why Lopez may have taken his life and it is believed that he may have ingested a herbicide.

Police officer detained for allegedly pulling gun on civilians
The Belize Police Department has another alleged case of an officer behaving unruly to deal with. Information is still sketchy at this time, but reports are that on Sunday, a police officer attached to the Intermediate Southern Command in Independence village was detained for allegedly pulling a gun on some civilians without justification. The alleged incident is reported to have happened at a football competition sponsored by the Stann Creek West area representative Rodwell Ferguson that was being held on Sunday in the village of Red Bank. The officer, whose name cannot be revealed at this time, is reported to be in detention pending a directive from the office of the Commissioner of Police.

Belize Land Holding and Development
The Belize Police Department has another alleged case of an officer behaving unruly to deal with. Information is still sketchy at this time, but reports are that on Sunday, a police officer attached to the Intermediate Southern Command in Independence village was detained for allegedly pulling a gun on some civilians without justification. The alleged incident is reported to have happened at a football competition sponsored by the Stann Creek West area representative Rodwell Ferguson that was being held on Sunday in the village of Red Bank. The officer, whose name cannot be revealed at this time, is reported to be in detention pending a directive from the office of the Commissioner of Police. Of 841,234 hectares that is privately held…it is estimated that less than 1% of the population (approx. 3,500 persons) own over 80%, in terms of acreage. In many cases, these same persons exercise significant influence over large tracts of the 1,434,119 hectares owned by government, by virtue of their influence over strategic “non-governmental” interests such as Belize Audubon Society- BAS (whose website claims they manage 192,000 acres), Friends for Conservation and Development – FCD (264,000 acres), Programme for Belize – PfB (259,210 acres) among a slew of others like Toledo Institute for Development and Environment – TIDE (145,650 acres), Southern Environmental Association – SEA (74,690 acres), Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (180,510 acres)…..among many others. They convinced our various governments to assign to their various “non-governmental” enterprises control over these large tracts of land under what are called “co-management agreements”….which they get at practically no cost to them.

Blogs

Belize Chocolate Festival 2014: The Street Festival’s Food, Culture, Music & More
We headed into town for the start of the street festival and kicked the day off with some chocolate seaweed from a guy on a bicycle cart. A spiced (almost like eggnog with cinnamon and nutmug) drink thickened and healthified with local seaweed. This one was flavored with cocoa powder for the occasion. You want to drink these iced cold and quickly. Delicious. Booths representing many local cultures from East Indian (I had a good amount of curry) to Mestizo, Garifuna to Maya. It’s one of the most amazing things about this part of the country. Beautiful Punta Gorda. I just loved this street fair…simple and beautiful. Not just chocolate but culture and music. All about the diversity of the local people. And the view along the Front Street of Punta Gorda is so stunning. Many parts seem unchanged for decades. Scenes that could be from 100 years ago…

The Magic of Xunantunich Maya City in western Belize
What is it about Xunantunich? Well, lots, actually, but we were still surprised to see our favourite ancient Maya site splashed across North American media from Canada down to sunny California this week in late May. Yes, we stumbled across this wonderful ancient Maya site in the Hamilton Spectator (Ontario, Canada) online edition, and then two days later; there it was again in the Sioux City Journal (Iowa), and again in the Desert Sun (Palm Springs, California). We shouldn’t be surprised, as Xunantunich is such an amazing find anywhere, and even stands out in the Maya heartland of Belize, but three times over the course of a few days? Anyway, seeing it brought back so many memories of great times there that we felt the need to mention it again. Mayan for “Stone maiden” Xunantunich is definitely one of Belize’s prettiest Maya archaeological sites, renowned for exquisite architecture, beautiful frescos and stelae, as well as its park-like atmosphere and stunning views from the top of El Castillo, the iconic pyramid temple.

“White Wedding” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
Sitting out in the veranda -the western (lagoon facing) one) last Saturday morning with the obligatory ((obviously it’s not obligatory but if if I didn’t have it I dread (Rose probably more than me) what I would be like for the rest of the day)) mug of black coffee and my iPad searching for a thought that would provide the impetus to write an edition. I sat there marvelling at how powerful a ‘tool’ the brain is ((before anyone feels compelled (and you know who you are) to fire off an email pointing out that I don’t have one) I have to stress that I’m using the word in a generic sense and not about the one that I was ‘given’)). It gives you the ability to go where you want, be who you want to be virtually instantaneously. The only shackle being how vivid your imagination is. Oh, and how much time you have to daydream. Well since retiring and moving to Ambergris Caye I’ve got lots of time. In fact if it were a currency I’d be in the millionaire class. Might even be a billionaire. True, I’ve got stuff I either need or want to do but, within reason, it’s entirely up to me when I do it. And Rose is very good in this respect. She knows that I had a working lifetime of ‘things to be done by a certain time’. So now I ‘go with the flow’. Where (and when) the mood takes me.

12 Reasons Why Belize Is A Great Honeymoon Destination
You might think that Belize is a country made for people who are into diving, caving, hiking, and the like. But aside from the adventurous, Belize is also a great place for honeymooners. You might not know it but it is teeming with romantic places and activities, perfect for couples. Here are 12 reasons why this country is a great place to spend quality time with your partner. 1. Belize travel is easy – Travelling to Belize is a smooth joy. The country has invested thought and effort into its tourist industry. It has clean signs and plenty of travel guidance online. 2. Belizean people are great – Everyone you will interact with is kind, knowledgeable and eager to help. The people in Belize are also fun and friendly; they even greet each other on the street. 3. Belize is quite safe – Among the countries in Latin America, Belize is one of the safest. In Belize, you can really relax, and there are hardly any street vendors or tourist hustlers.

Overlan' Travel – Aucshun Mennonite style n' Belize
Mennonite aucshun ahed! We had heerd tell about un aucshun goin un thishere pas Saturdee un t'Hummingbird highway, mile mark'r 31. We lef Bocawina zipline roun 7 am, nuff o'time ta make t'8:30 am aucshun. As we pullt up, my heert droppet (er my stumick as it may)! T' aucshun wuz n' t'field diereckly beside one o'my favert stops, T' Kuntry Barn ice creem. Wuz thay sellin out an' closin up t'doers too? Nooo! Thar wuz sevrul large tants set up. T' largest coverd minny a items, like han' tools, pow'r tools, an' household goods alike. Thar wuz beds, dressers, tables, chunsaw, refrigeraters, an' eve a pertabull A/C unit. Outside wuz t'larg'r ekwipment, tracters, vehicles, an' a motorsickle. A lil bit o'everthang seemt promisyun' fer a good aucshun find. Anoth'r tent wuz whar t'food wuz bein servet. Cinnamon rolls, whoopee cakes, an' oatmeel creem pies, all made frum skratch, wuz bein offerd wit coffee er orange juice. I settlet un t'juicy cinnamon rolls an' coffee. A'lookin roun, I wuz remindet o't' Amish auctyuns I have attendet n' Michigun. T' menfolk wore thar tradityunal clothyun' wit straw hats, an' t'wimmen long flowyun' dresses. T' youngns run roun playyun' tag, er hangin un thar parnts laigs as thay lookt ov'r t'sale items. I am a self-proclaimet aucshun ‘junkie”, so it wuz quite a treet ta find thishere sale goin un n' Belize.

The Beginning of a Journey
Back in February one of my best friends who lives thousands of miles away in my second favorite state, Montana (Maine is obviously my favorite, duh), posted on Facebook that she just purchased a plane ticket to Belize. I’m not one to believe in fate, but I do believe in serendipity, or perhaps I just like it because it’s my favorite word. Over the next couple of weeks I will be writing about my trip to Belize and Guatemala. So be on the lookout for vacation recaps, travel tips, and a boat load of photos! I was bitten by the travel bug back in my early college days. Unfortunately, like most Americans I thought travel was expensive and non-conducive to my intended life decisions, i.e. medical school. I wasn’t able to study abroad in school because it would have messed up class schedule as a biochemistry major. In retrospect I absolutely could have studied abroad and it is something I regret not experiencing in college. However, I did attend a two-week English course in Italy over winter break one year. Yes, English in Italy is kind of ironic I know.

International Sources

Dr. Oz On What To Keep In Your Fridge -- And What To Toss
Jicama: While this sweet root vegetable isn't a household name yet, it should be. High in potassium, jicama is also a rich source of inulin, which acts as a prebiotic, promoting the growth of good gut bacteria that may help lower your risk of developing colon cancer. With an applelike texture, it adds a nice crunch to any salad, or you can slice it into sticks to use as dippers for hummus.

Adventures on land and sea in Belize
We took a trip to Belize for our honeymoon and it had all of the elements we enjoy, both relaxation, and a good dose of adventure and history. All of this without having to worry about understanding or speaking a foreign language because it's an English speaking country nestled among many other Spanish speaking ones. In addition, it's a small country size wise, so quite easy to visit most of its attractions in a week or two. Belize is located in Central America, just at the southern tip of Mexico. It is part of the ancient Mayan Empire, so it has several Mayan pyramids that are quite impressive. You can walk to the tops of these and enjoy the views above the jungle. We enjoyed the nice cool hike through the jungle to get to it, although where it was cleared - where the buildings stood - it tended to be quite hot.

Agri-tourism eco-lodge in Belize feels like Jurassic Park
Oversized hummingbirds and a pair of toucans flit about a tangle of jungle that is 50 shades of moist green. A hefty iguana flicks his tongue at me as troops of treetop howler monkeys unleash a choir of otherworldly rasps and gasps that sound more like aggravated dinosaurs - I feel like I'm on the set of Jurassic Park and I haven't even got out of the shower yet. Belcampo Belize is an agri-tourism eco-lodge that is all about saturating its guests in locally farmed organic food, Mayan culture and tropical nature and that includes a giant, fullfrontal picture window facing the virgin jungle in every suite's spa-like bathroom. An English-speaking country wedged between Mexico and Guatemala, Belize's sparsely populated southernmost province of Toledo is a remote frontier lucky to have retained about 75 per cent of its rainforest. I fly into Toledo's Caribbean-paced main town of Punta Gorda (pop: 6,000) with its funky mix of dreadlocks, expats and rickety seaside watering holes and am picked up for the 20-minute shuttle to the hilltop perch of Toledo's only luxury lodge overlooking 23,000 acres of largely untrammelled jungle.

The best of Nature's disssssguises you'll ever see: The caterpillar that looks and even acts like a snake to scare off predators
Some predatory spiders pose as ladybirds and even tree stumps to look as unthreatening as possible. But this caterpillar takes the opposite approach by masquerading as a snake in an attempt to scare away predators. The vivid green 'snake caterpillar' creates the illusion of looking like a dangerous reptile by retracting its legs and expanding the end of its body, which have markings that look like eyes. The snake-like caterpillar grows into the moth Hemeroplanes triptolemus. Its chest and wings are covered in scales and the moth feeds on nectar. The sizeable creatures only live for between 10 and 30 days and can be found in Costa Rica, Belize Mexico and Guatemala. In larval form, the species looks like a snake and even mimics its behaviour as it can harmlessly strike at potential predators.

Clarke Wants Regional Consensus On Sugar
Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke says the impending changes in the European Union (EU) sugar regime, which are poised to unfold in 2017, are set to create significant challenges for small sugar-producing states. He is of the view that a regional consensus is crucial for countries like Jamaica. "The changes in the EU sugar regime in two years' time are going to pose tremendous challenges for sugar-producing nations like Jamaica," Clarke told The Gleaner yesterday on Day One of the three-day 45th Council Session of the International Sugar Organization, which is taking place at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort in Montego Bay, St James. "As a region, we have agreed that a CARICOM consensus is crucial to confront this new era, and secondly, how we trade among ourselves because we do import a substantial amount of sugar," Clarke added.

HIV in the Caribbean: science, rights and justice
Recently, the discussion on HIV has been a mix of the selective review of scientific evidence, comments on an administrative procedure at the regional university, and perceptions on the existence of agendas that seek either to change or hold back Caribbean societies. Lost in this debate is a Caribbean reality. At the end of 2012, UNAIDS estimated that there were 260,000 people living with HIV in the region. In many countries, approximately one in three new cases is among men who have sex with men. How do we deal with this as we work to end the epidemic in the Caribbean? First we must recognise that HIV is a virus, not a crime. Laws that criminalise being HIV positive, sexual behaviours such as anal sex or sexual orientation, make it difficult to mount an effective HIV response. Persons who know their sexual behaviour or orientations are illegal are less likely either to go to health services or to speak openly about their sexual behaviour while there, thus limiting their treatment options and prevention efforts. A soon-to-be released UNAIDS Internet survey of more than 3,500 men who have sex with men across the Caribbean, the CARIMIS study, shows that about two in three men who got a negative HIV test result from the private or public health sector, did not talk to their doctors about their sex with men. Our laws should help create an environment in which there is no impediment to delivering targeted prevention and treatment services to a population particularly affected by HIV.

Belize ranked 21st in cell phone use in the Caribbean
St. Kitts and Nevis is ranked second in cell phone use among 22 Caribbean nations. According to Caribbean Journal, St. Kitts and Nevis had 157 subscriptions for every 100 people in the federation. Number 1 is the Cayman Islands with 172 mobile subscriptions for every 100 persons. Third was Dominica, 152; fourth, Venezuela, 148; fifth, Antigua and Barbuda, 143; sixth, Trinidad and Tobago, 141; seventh, Aruba, 132; eighth, St. Lucia, 126; 9th, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 124; 10th, Barbados, 123; 11th, Grenada, 121; 12th, Costa Rica, 112; 13th Suriname, 106; 14th Colombia, 103; 15th Jamaica, 96; 16th Dominican Republic, 87; 17th, Puerto Rico; 18th, Bahamas, 81; 19th, Guyana, 69; 20th, Haiti, 60; 21st, Belize, 53 and Cuba in at 22nd with 15. The data did not include Anguilla, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Curacao, St. Maarten, the United States Virgin Islands and the French departments. The information comes from the most recent edition of the World Bank’s World Development Indicators report, which has data on a number of specific business and economic indicators in the region, including the number of mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people.

Videos

Video: Main Street with Phil Blazer: Consul General of Belize in California, 17min.
This is a link to an interview with the Consul General of Belize, Hon. Roland Yorke. Please enjoy and pass on to your families and friends.

Video: Boost To Belize Shrimp Farms, 4min.
Through its Enterprise Innovation Challenge Fund (EICF), Compete Caribbean recently granted a Belize based cluster, the Belize Shrimp Growers' Association, USD500,000 dollars to prepare for the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) international certification and to improve its global competitive edge.

Video: Belize it or not - 2014 Vacation Part 4, 6min.
The fam goes to an island off the coast of Belize! Vacation

Video: Chaya Garden Ashram - Nirvikalpa Waterfall Meditation - Yoga in Belize, 5min.
Look into the place of voidness. Locate it and lose yourself in it. Releasing all thoughts, emotions, and feelings, go beyond all that arises within you to locate the powerful darkness, the space in between, the interval. Allow yourself to yield to this precious space.

Video: Jessie Ziplines and screams in Belize, 4min.
Ziplining in Belize at Calico Jack's

Video: Landing in Placencia Village, Belize., 2min.

Video: Fly Fishing in Belize & a Drone, 4min.
Fun in Belize with a drone, a tarpon on a fly and some dolphins. We are slowly learning Final Cut pro. I highly recommend El Pescador on San Pedro Island.

Video: Cutting a New Road in Steep Ground on the Homestead | Belize Family Living, 7min.
We really needed a new road to connect two parts of our property so we could access it with a truck so we rented a Komatsu bulldozer and cut the road in. It was a bit steep, but not nearly so bad as some jobs I have done while building logging roads and helicopter landings in the woods. I had considered whether to use the excavator for the road which was my first choice, but considering the other work that I had to do, I opted for the Komatsu.

Video: 6 Year Old Boy Drives Bulldozer - Komatsu Tractor | Belize Family Living, 4min.
The boy loves to run equipment and drive the tractor. That is - tractors of any kind. He loves to run the excavator when we have one around. In this case he was just driving the Komatsu down the driveway to the main road so the rental company could pick it up. We had rented the dozer to cut in a new road and build the berm of our pond up a bit. The boy is not allowed to run any equipment without papa right there.

Video: Kids Cooking Lunch on Rocket Stove in the Afternoon | Belize Family Living, 8min.
The Belize Family Living kids were cooking lunch on rocket stove in the afternoon today in our outdoor kitchen. It may not have been restaurant quality nor would it win any awards on the food network, but the girls did a great job. As small children, the girls often played cooking games, but now that they are older, they are cooking for real. It is interesting here in Belize: there is a whole different take on fast food. Mostly the fast food here is cooked quickly when you order it - not before. Often it maybe Chinese food which is popular here in Belize also. Well, the stove isn't really a rocket stove - more like an improvised stove. Here in Central America, the quality of almost everything is poor - including cinder block. There is no guarantee of reliable electricity, water nor butane (the common gas available in Belize and most of Central America which most people use to cook with) so whether we want to or not (which we do), it is good practice to cook on improvised stoves of one kind or another. A large number of people here in Belize cook solely on wood fires or a fireplace. Often just an open fire in their kitchen which results in increased soot and carbon in the air they breathe. It is good to try to use some form of high efficiency stove for cooking. There are far more efficient stoves stoves than what we threw together here. One day, we build one. Overall, living here in Belize, Central America is very enjoyable and the people are amazingly friendly in general. Belize has a good coffee growing region also.

May 27, 2014

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

RediVolt, Protecting Your Home and Business While Supporting the Community
1456053_1465330953694758_1530877737_nThere is a new business in San Pedro Town that is providing protection to our homes and businesses from one of the most damaging agents, power surges, and that product is called RediVolt. RediVolt is a state-of-the-art power management system that can easily be installed in any business or home. Harmonic electrical imbalances, as well as internal and external power surges can cause thousands of dollars in damage and loss to valuable computers, production machinery and even home appliances. With RediVolt, protection from such power surges using harmonic filtering for electrical equipment is a guarantee for life. Each RediVolt unit comes with a lifetime warranty and a $100,000 connected equipment warranty from the manufacturer. Since 1987, RediVolt has been providing quality surge protection for thousands of customers worldwide. RediVolt has already become a part of the community here in San Pedro, donating to The San Pedro Foundation, which provides scholarships to students in their quest for attaining higher educations, The Sunshine Foundation, and now Bridging Communications.

Billy Leslie is the newly appointed Co-chair for ACCSD
The Ambergris Caye Citizens for Sustainable Development hereby notifies the public that we have a newly appointed Co-chair for our organization. As of May 13, 2014 Mr. Billy Leslie has accepted the post and will be working along with us in his new position. He has been serving as Director for the past 4 years and has been very fundamental in the establishing of the organization. We are pleased that Mr. Leslie has accepted this appointment and know he will represent the organization well and will contribute much to the community.

Tobacco Awareness Campaign visits Primary Schools
National Drug Abuse Control Council (NDACC) representative Kristina Romero, along with the San Pedro Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute (SPADAI) are hosting a two week Tobacco Awareness Campaign leading up to World No Tobacco Day on Saturday, May 31st. The purpose of the campaign is to raise youth awareness regarding the dangers of tobacco. Throughout the campaign, Romero will be visiting the various primary and high schools of both San Pedro Town and Caye Caulker Village to educate the students on the consequences of first, second and third hand smoking. Romero explained to the children the different chemicals found in cigarettes, chemicals that are also found in household poisons and cleaning products. Those chemicals include: carbon monoxide, nicotine, tar, arsenic (found in rat poison), ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, acetone (found in nail polish remover), butane, formaldehyde (used to preserve dead bodies), sulfuric acid, cadmium, Freon, geranic acid, methoprene and maltitol. The students were surprised at the list of these chemicals. “These chemicals are all dangerous and break down cells and body tissues. Each cigarette a person smokes takes away 14 seconds of their life,” said Romero.

Misc Belizean Sources

Chaplain builds relationships, supports New Horizons team
Emotionally stirred by the events of 9/11, a man in seminary graduate school found himself wondering where his calling in life would lead. "I remember where I was," said U.S. Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) Matt Clouse of his whereabouts on Sept. 11, 2001. He was visiting his mother and heard the news announcement on TV. "Like Pearl Harbor, as a nation people wanted to respond," he said. "There was a response of, 'What can we do' and 'How can we get involved?' For many, the answer was to join the service." For Clouse, it took six months to decide that joining the service was the right path for him. "When I was praying about that, I wrestled with the idea of my calling. I felt called to be a minister; I just didn't know in what way," said Clouse, a native of Muskogee, Okla. "Then six months later, I enrolled in the chaplain candidacy program.

Deployed SNCO watches daughter hear for first time
I'm very thankful for technology," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Emily Smith, New Horizons legal operations superintendent. "Still, my motherly instincts took over, and it brought tears to my eyes not being able to reach out to her." Smith watched via video chat as her 3-year-old daughter, Renee, received her first hearing aids May 9. Smith, the legal operations NCO in charge at the 55th Wing, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is deployed in support of New Horizons Belize 2014. This is Smith's fifth deployment in 17 years, but it's her first deployment since her children were born. "This deployment has been particularly challenging," said Smith, a mother of two. Smith and her husband, Todge, also have a 20-month-old son, Alan. Renee was born unable to hear at certain pitches, to include high-pitched and conversational-level sounds. "We didn't know before she was born that she was going to have Down syndrome, but we adapted quickly. From the beginning we only wanted the best life we could provide for her," said Smith. "Because we wanted the best life for her, we started baby sign language. It's hard to know what she's hearing and what she's not hearing.

Belmopan Bandits at CONCACAF
Congratulations to the Belmopan Bandits, who are travelling to Miami today to represent Belize at the CONCACAF Champions League. Go, Bandits! In related news, FFB had their Football Association School of Talent in Belmopan today. "A high level delegation from the 2014 back to back Premier League of Belize Champions the Belmopan Bandits FC will leave Belize on Tuesday 27/5/2014 to attend the 2014-2015 Concacaf Champions League draw in Miami. The Belmopan Bandits FC earned the right to represent Belize after being victorious in the opening and closing tournament of the PLB Belikin Cup."

Journey Art Exhibit Launch
The SISE House of Culture is launching Stacy Ann Rogriguez' art exhibit, entitled 'Journey,' this Saturday, May 31st. "'JOURNEY' is a collection of art created during Lent/Easter season this year. It is greatly inspired by The Final Quest by Rick Joyner. The overall concept is Spiritual Blindness (black) and Spiritual Awakening (white)."

The Reporter

Former minister of state dies in traffic accident
Marcial Mes, former minister of state in the Ministry of National Development, died in a traffic accident early Monday morning on the Southern Highway. Reports are that sometime around 1:50 a.m. Mes was driving from Punta Gorda towards San Marcus Village when as he reached Emery Grove area, ten miles out of Punta Gorda, he lost control of the Toyota Rav 4 SUV, ran off the road and careened into a culvert. Mes, died shortly after the incident, but a passenger who was with him is in the Southern Regional Hospital receiving treatment. Mes was accused in 2007 of knocking down two children who were on their way to church in Forest Home Village.

Belize Port planning for bulk-cargo shipping
The Belize Port Authority may soon see increased export activity through a proposed development by a private company to facilitate bulk-cargo transportation using the facility. Arturo Vasquez, receiver, Port of Belize explained that they have been in negotiations with a company called Belize Logistics Terminal discussing the development. According to Vasquez, the development of a bulk-cargo terminal would facilitate agro-productive exportation. Vasquez said that the current terminal is mainly a container-cargo terminal and not suitable for bulk-cargo handling. He added that in some cases, receiving countries cannot accept agro-products in containers, placing limits on the port because it eliminates sales to certain external markets.

Colombian ex-finance minister wins first round of presidential election
Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, Colombian ex-finance minister has won the first round of that country’s presidential election, over incumbent President Juan Manuel Santos. Both men fell far short of the 50 percent plus one needed to avoid a second round and will now face each other again on June 15. The election could decide whether peace talks with Farc rebels will continue. Mr Santos supports them as the best way to end Colombia’s 50-year-long armed conflict, but Mr Zuluaga prefers a tougher approach. With almost all of the votes counted, Mr Zuluaga was ahead with 29.25 percent, followed by Mr Santos with 25.69 percent. The other three candidates trailed at least 10 percentage points behind.

Patrick Jones

Police needs help in identifying “John Doe”
Police in Belize City are asking for the assistance of the general public in finding out the identity of a Belize City man in his late teens or early twenties whose body was discovered near the canal at the corner of Partridge and Lavender Streets in the Lake Independence area early Monday morning. Residents in the area notified authorities around 5:30 a.m. and the body, seen to have multiple stab wounds, was taken to the City Hospital Morgue. The individual is said to be Creole descent, five feet eight inches tall, light brown complexion, sporting two tattoos, one of a name ‘Ezekiel’ on his upper left arm and initials ‘E.H.’ above the right knee. He was dressed in a yellow polo shirt and black pants. If anyone has information that can lead to an identification, they are asked to call Superintendent Alford Grinage, O.C. of Precinct 2 at 610-3459 or Precinct 2 Headquarters at Racoon Street at 207-2222.

OP-ED: The Sky is Falling: A creation of Facts for Bain
The recent protest in Belize about Professor Brendan Bain, was really an opportunity for story- telling and propagandising. As the foremost Caribbean homophobe, Ian Boyne states”.. Professor Bain is a retired professor. He has not been penalised as a professor with Evangelical views… for many years.. pushing traditional Christian family values. He was never victimised by the UWI for that.” Boyne goes on to explain, ”UWI’s values are in the direction of the decriminalisation of homosexuality – on the wrong side of which Professor Bain found himself in that Belize case…the Professor exercised terribly poor strategic judgement … which got him fired. In essence, the professor fell on his own sword. This was not an issue of bigotry. To be clear, Professor Bain spoke no inconvenient truth in his testimony. The fact that men who have sex with men have significantly higher rates of HIV is widely known and acknowledged. Where Professor Bain erred was in linking without evidence those high HIV rates to the removal of laws that criminalise homosexuality in France, the Netherlands and the United States, while ignoring that neither laws nor Jamaica’s notorious hostility to homosexuality have protected us from having one of the highest rates of HIV infection among men who have sex with men in the world.

Former government minister killed in traffic accident
Former two time People’s United Party (PUP) area representative for Toledo West Marcial Mes, 65, died early this morning in a road traffic accident in rural Toledo district. Mes, who served both as a Junior Minister and later as a Minister in the Musa administration, was driving his green Rav4 SUV towards his home in San Marcos village around 1:15 this morning when he crashed into a culvert and died. The accident happened in Yemeri Grove village, which is about 7 miles outside of Punta Gorda town. Residents of the small rural Toledo village of San Marcos were shocked this morning at the news of the death of Mr. Mes. Preliminary information suggests that Mes lost control of his SUV, ran off the road and crashed into a cement culvert.

Blogs

Basic White Sandwich Loaf
This an easy, tasty loaf that can be used to make sandwiches.

Diving With Sharks and Hungry Eels – The Belize Barrier Reef (With Video)
The rolling wake rippled the otherwise glass-calm waters as our boat cruised between two paradises. Making our way from Caye Caulker to Ambergris Caye was a breeze, and we pulled ashore just as Dariece’s stomach began to churn. We stepped off of the boat with the same, slow saunter that we had acquired from our previous island oasis: Caye Caulker. Our sea-weary feet planted onto the sun-heated dock which seemed to soften our synthetic flip-flops like we were standing on a stove. The sun’s intensity had been increasing ever since we left Mexico, but we weren’t complaining, this is the kind of weather we love. There were two things that I was excited for when we arrived on Ambergris Caye in Belize: to stay at the stunning Victoria House Resort and to dive the Belize Barrier Reef which lies just a few hundred meters offshore!

International Sources

Using intellectual property to enhance business
The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) has launched its latest initiative on the subject of intellectual property (IP): a series of private sector IP clinics that will take place across the region. The first of the sessions took place in Belize from April 29-30 and three more sessions are scheduled to follow over the next two months in the region. The clinics are the second phase of a developmental project which was initiated through an intensive workshop entitled “The Use of Intellectual Property as a Tool for Business/Export Enhancement”, which the Agency hosted in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in 2013 and where participants recommended that engagement take place at the national level to help tease out issues businesses are facing with regards to protecting their intellectual property assets (i.e. trademarks, brands, trade secrets, etc.). These clinics directly correlate to a critical component of the EU 10th European Development Fund (EDF). The intervention also responds to a specific need in the entertainment industry: the need for knowledge and correct observance of intellectual property rights and procedures.

Loyola Baseball players bring back more than memories from Belize
Over Christmas vacation, five baseball players joined Coach Faust and recent Wolf Pack alumni in traveling on a ten day service trip to the Mayan village of San Jose for the second annual Belize Baseball Camp. The group, led by Fr. Ted Dziak S.J., Loyola’s Vice President for Mission & Ministry and baseball team chaplain, traveled to Belize from December 13th to 23rd to teach baseball as well as academic subjects such as math, English, and arts and crafts to the children. The group included sophomores Joel Buhler and Daniel Pappas, junior Brian Reaney II, and seniors Brandon Snow and Michael Pfister. Head Baseball Coach Doug Faust as well as former baseball players Jeffrey Castille, Dylan Roudolfich, and David McChesney also made the trip. This is the second consecutive year members of the baseball team have taken this trek. Five people in the traveling party returned for a return trip. First baseman Brian Reaney was one of those who returned, “I couldn’t wait to get back and see the same kids I taught last year. Some of them remembered the techniques we coached them on last year. It was extremely rewarding to see that.” Pfister echoed that sentiment by commenting, “It was probably the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. We lived in the villages. We travelled to waterfalls, quarries, jungle, islands, and Mayan ruins. After returning from the trip last year, I had this feeling of doing something amazing. After two months, the feeling wore off. When Fr. Ted asked if I wanted to go again this year as a leader, I was all in!”

Hopkins Village- A Hidden Paradise in Belize
Hopkins Village is a cute and colorful beach front village in southern Belize known for its Garifuna population. A lot of people say that this is the Garifuna cultural center of the country. It is a small, vibrant community of just over one thousand people that dedicates their lives mostly to fishing. It was only until a few years ago that they started developing activities to cater the visitors. The village stretches through five miles of white sanded beach. For those of you who still aren't familiar with the term, the Garifuna are the descendants of Native Caribbean tribes, that mingled with African slaves hundreds of years ago. As the time passed and both cultures mixed, the Garifuna or Black Carib, as they were known before, were born.

Videos

Video: Tropical Moisture Likely to Invade W. Caribbean and Eastern Gulf During First Week of June, 6min.
Tropical Tidbit for Monday, May 26th, 2014

Video: Tikal, 2min.
Steadicam Smoothee Test Shots: These shots are some examples of the Steadicam Smoothee in action. It was my first field experience with it and I was instantly able to see improved results in my video steadiness.

Video: Deadly Waters, 1min.
Sharks in Shark Ray Alley at Hol Chan preserve in Belize.

Video: Alex & Lindsey Lazowick's Belize Honeymoon, 21min.
Married 05/03/2014. Honeymoon Video from Belize. Enjoy

Video: Snorkelling in Belize, 4min.

Video: International Day: Belize, 5min.
International Day Music

Video: Jump into a waterfall pond @ Rio Blanco National Park Belize, 1min.
Jump at Rio Blanco National Park in the Toledo district of Belize, Central America

Video: Belize Semana Santa, 5min.

Video: Belize Diving April 2014, 7min.
Diving in Belize with Island Divers, Rudy, Loidy and our boat captain Martin. These guys are the best.

Video: Belize Esmeralda, 9min.
Diving in Belize. June 2013

Video: Belize Dolphins lead boat; part 1, 1min.
1: cool video I t