Recent Belize News, 12/1/2014 to 12/10/2014, BelizeNews.com

More exiting Basketball competition continues this weekend at the Andres Campos Civic Center.

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

Ministers of Agriculture of Central America and Dominican Republic meet to discuss regional agriculture issues
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture (MNRA) in its capacity as President Pro-Temp of the Central American Agriculture Council (CAC) hosted the OIRSA-CIRSA Meeting on the 4th December and the final meeting of the Agriculture Council of Ministers on the 5th of December, 2014 in Placencia, Belize. Panama currently holds the Presidency of CIRSA but agreed to the Belize initiative to combine meetings in an effort to save cost, improve coordination and increase effective participation. On the 4th December 2014, the Hon. Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Agriculture welcomed the delegates and officially opened the LVII Extraordinary Meeting of the International Regional Organization for Health in Agriculture (CIRSA). During this meeting, main points discussed included the approval of the OIRSA strategic plan for the period 2015 to 2025, and the modification of the work plan for 2014 and 2015 to cater to the changes required by the member countries. One major achievement of this meeting was the presentation and approval of regulations to govern the management of the organization in an effort to make it more efficient and transparent.

Opening of the Xunantunich Education Centre
The Making Tourism Benefit Communities Adjacent to Archaeological Sites (MTBCAAS) project has achieved yet another important milestone, with the completion of The Xunantunich Education Centre, as well as infrastructure improvements and installation of signs at this site. The completion of works at this site marks the first of a total of nine sites which are being enhanced under the MTBCAAS Project. The project is funded under the Belize Rural Development Programme II (BRDPII), supported by the European Union and the Government of Belize. For the first time, the spectacular archaeological site of Xunantunich has a dedicated space to provide training to students and archaeologists alike. The 950 square feet facility will allow the Institute of Archaeology to provide on-site training in a proper facility boasting an audiovisual room and a dedicated classroom that can accommodate up to 40 persons in two different spaces at any one time. Visitors to Xunantunich can also now enjoy additional improvements at the site, as other infrastructure improvements were carried out under the MTBCAAS Project. The improvements feature new walkways made from gravel and concrete surfaces, the installation of directional, interpretative, warning and notice signs, and benches in designated rest areas.

The Belize Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage holds 2 day Art Exhibit from Primary School Competition
The Belize Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage today, Wednesday, December 3, 2014 launched a two day Art Exhibit featuring 43 pieces of art work from primary school students under the theme: “Belize with a Properly Planned Oil Industry vs. an Improperly Planned Oil Industry” at the Belisle Art Gallery at the Bliss Institute of Performing Arts. The Art Exhibit represents the entries into an art competition for primary school students and this morning the first place winner was named as Amber McKoy of Grace Primary School. Amber’s art work depicts economic, environmental and cultural benefits and gains of a properly planned oil industry contrasted against loss caused by an improperly planned oil industry. For her first place win, Amber was given a trip for her class to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, gift certificate worth Bz$125 for art supply and promotional items from the Coalition.

Special Olympic Belize Torch comes to San Pedro for the first time
Camp Starfish was the proud host of the Special Olympics Belize torch as it landed on San Pedro on Wednesday, December 3rd as part of the third annual Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR). This is the first year that the torch has come to San Pedro, and it arrived on the island shortly after 7PM and it remained here until 10AM on Thursday, December 4th when it departed en route to Hattieville Village, Belize. LETR is part of a series of events held by Special Olympics International (SOI) across the world to promote awareness for persons living with disabilities. The torch run will conclude in Belmopan City, where the Special Olympics Belize National Games will be held. To celebrate the presence of the torch, Camp Starfish set up a booth in front of the town clock to share information on persons living with disabilities. Visitors to the booth took the opportunity to take a picture with the torch for a small donation. This helped raise much needed funds for Special Olympics Belize, while raising awareness of the cause.

Ambergris Today

It's CRAZY DAY at Isla Bonita Elementary School
The students were free to express their Creative and Crazy side.

Belize to Train First Responders in Oil Spill Incident
The overall goal of this training is to ensure that Belize has trained and experience personnel that are able to effectively respond in a coordinated, timely and organized manner in the event of a significant oil spill within the coastal and marine environment of Belize. The specific objectives of this three (3) day oil spill training are to 1) provide basic response techniques for recovering spilled oil and cleaning polluted shorelines to First Responders; and 2) training in basic response strategies and tactics as well as the organizational planning skills required of operational supervisory staff such as On-scene Commanders to deal with major oil spill incidents on-site.

Misc Belizean Sources

Belizean forced to check with Guatemala military to visit Belize side of river
Natural light photographer Tony Rath was on an excursion on the Sarstoon, an area frequented by Guatemalans and has no presence by Belize. Rath said "While working along the Sarstoon River, we were "forced" to check into the Guatemalan military base seen here at the mouth of the river; first time I've been required to register with the Guatemala military to visit Belize . And the river bank on the Belize side has been trashed...no wildlife, frequent cut trails, seine nets (lots), what appears to be homesteading and of course logging. Sad."

COLA TO RELEASE SECRET FILES ON POLICE OFFICERS’ MISTREATMENT
After careful and thorough review of each document in the files provided to us by anonymous sources, COLA has decided to release for public consumption through the press files of correspondence between the Belize Police Association and Belize Police Department, specifically Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie and other senior officials, as well as officials of the Ministries of National Security and the Public Service among others. These documents, dating back to 2011, detail an increasing frustration with the Police High Command’s inability and unwillingness to meet with the Police Association over its grievances concerning the constables, corporals and sergeants it represents. It is clear that the Department has not only not made itself available to discuss and remedy these concerns; it prefers to cover up its inefficiency by not allowing the Association to seek help from other quarters on the basis of going against regulations.

More Youth involvement needed to curb poverty UNFPA report says
A recent fact sheet released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) states that there are more than 2.9 billion youths living in the world; nearly half of the entire human population is under the age of 25. Of that number, 1.8 billion live in developing countries, such as Belize. It was with this number in mind, that technocrats came to the conclusion that more youth inclusion in the decision making process could stem the tide of poverty and transform the future. According to the UNFPA's latest report, titled: "The Power of 1.8 Billion Adolescents, Youths and Transformation of Future, launched in mid November 2014, 54% of youths who receive a tertiary level education make it out of abject poverty. Yet, in 2011 some 57 million children were not enrolled in a school setting. The report shows that Belize is among the countries that display a slow rate of transition in adequately addressing the factors to improve the standard of living for youths.

A manatee for the morning
Khaleesi is in the large pool, with the wood-fired stove burning day and night to keep the water temperature up (the large pool is too large to heat using the butane heaters). She is doing well, as you can see from this photo, taken this week by Eran (thank you Eran!). Khaleesi was the manatee calf rescued in front of Corozal about 18 months ago - she's doing very well, and should be released back into Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in 2017

Summit a testimony to solidarity, fraternal relationship – CARICOM Secretary-General
The Fifth CARICOM-Cuba Summit was testimony to the solidarity and fraternal relationship that existed among Caribbean people, CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque said on Monday. Addressing the Summit in Havana, Cuba, the Secretary-General retraced the history of the relationship between CARICOM Member States and Cuba, and outlined the myriad ways in which they had cooperated. “Cuba has demonstrated its commitment to the sustainable development of our Region, by providing generous assistance in areas such as health, education, agriculture and sports. This has been a significant boost to the Caribbean Community, in particular to our efforts at strengthening our human resource capacity.

Private Island Luxury Tourism Development
The Government of Belize, through BELTRAIDE, is pleased to announce the completion of the sale of the island of Caye Chapel, on Monday 8 December, 2014. Caye Chapel, an island in the Belize District, consisting of 265 acres, was purchased by a leading Mexican luxury hotel development group. The group, who are owners and operators of luxury tourism developments in Mexico City, Cancun, and Acapulco, are currently working on a detailed development plan for the island for presentation to Government. It is expected that this plan will include the announcement of a partnership with a renown global luxury hotel brand, to be announced in the near future, as well as the development of high-end residencies and other amenities.

National Forum: “Belize’s Commitment to Eradicate Violence against Women, Femicide and Human Trafficking
to be held tomorrow, December 10th at the Best Western, Biltmore Hotel in Belize City, Belize

Corozal Art in the Park
The Corozal Organization Leading Cultural Heritage and Art (COLCHA) is inviting all to our Christmas Edition of Art in the Park this Saturday December 13th. The event begins at 5:00 p.m. and at 7:00 p.m. we will be presenting a musical group from Chetumal; Cuerteto Juul K'iin; they along with their dancers will present traditional romantic spanish music. Come out and enjoy!

BEL Submits Request to PUC for Amendment to Electricity Rates
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) made a submission to the Public Utilities Commission on Monday, December 8, 2014 in which the Company requested an amendment to electricity rates to reflect the savings it has realized in the cost of power it purchases from Independent Power Producers (IPP). This proposed amendment is aimed at passing on these savings to customers. If approved by the PUC, the amendment is expected to result in a 3.4% reduction in the Mean Electricity Rate (MER) from 43.47 cents per KWh to 42 cents per kWh for the period January 2015 to June 2015.

Belize and the Immigration Hustle
In either late 2007 or early, just before the election, I wrote an article for the Amandala titled: "What Kind of State". The article explored what kind of country Belize had become and addressed issues such as corruption and immigration. This is a section of the article that dealt with immigration, and I am now wondering how much things have changed since then. We must look at the role of migration in helping to shape the kind of state Belize has become. This is in consideration of the fact that the country has experienced significant emigration and immigration, which have help to define Belize in the last five decades. Greater consideration is given to immigration as Belize continue to attract people to its shores. This immigration has brought up questions of national identity and regional integration. Besides the “immigration hustling” that took place, significant immigration has also highlighted the government 's lack of a coherent immigration policy, although minister Fonseca acknowledge the immigration situation in Belize. There is a political aspect of this immigration, in relation to issues of sovereignty, citizenship, and voting.

SOUND OF THE GHETTO: BELIZE CITY'S BLACK YOUTH SPEAKS!
Belizean Legends is honored to feature these collection of poems from the voices of Belize City's black youth, that reaffirms the fact that not much has changed in the lives today of Belize's black youth population who continue to be marginalized, disenfranchised and killed at incredible proportions today. This small token of appreciation for this work in poetry form, echoing the cries of Belize City's Southside black youth, and the young brave high school poets who wrote them, is a reminder for all Belizeans at home and abroad; that Belize's black people are a people in crisis. The work was produced by the Belize Islamic Educator, of the Muslim Community of Belize, Sister Zakina Muhammad, for the Communication Skills Programme of Belize's Ministry of Education, Youth & Sports in April of 2002.

Register to Vote for Municipal Elections
Municipal Elections will be held on Wednesday, 4 Mar 2015. Voters must register on or before 10 Jan 2015 to vote in these Municipal Elections. Persons who qualify to register should visit their municipality's Elections and Boundaries office. The Elections and Boundaries Office (Corozal North, Corozal Bay, Corozal Southeast, and Corozal Southwest) is on First St N (across from the Police Station, upstairs) Registration is open to persons at least 18 years old, and a citizen of Belize or any Commonwealth Country who has resided in Belize for at least 12 months, or any Commonwealth Country who is domiciled in Belize Resident in the Electoral Division at least 2 months. For information call 422-2156.

Channel 7

Alleged Queenpin Cleared? Immigration Case Collapses
The Accused Immigration Queenpin, Marleny Castellanos, and her husband Alfredo Orlando Gonzalez Marcos, have been cleared of all criminal charges. They were accused of being the chief arranger of illegal Belizean nationality documents for immigrants. It made big news when an investigation conducted by joint law enforcement agencies alleged that she and her husband stole the identity of dead Belizeans and reportedly got through the backdoors of the system to get all their documents to live in the country. Another narrative developed that a number of illegal immigrants accused the couple of a lucrative hustle in which they arranged for illegal passports and nationality certificates to be created so that these people could live in Belize unlawfully. These persons alleged that they misrepresented themselves as legitimate immigration agents to get this done, and that the victims were all ignorant to the laws they were breaking.

Caye Chapel Finally Sold to Mexican Luxury Hotel Group
Caye Chapel, it's been on the selling block for years…first we heard the Four Seasons Group of luxury hotels would buy it, and then it was the Sheridan group with a Canadian connect, then the Yumi group out of the British Virgin Islands, and then the Qatari's, and in between a few other rich names popped up. But none of those sales materialized, until now. BELTRAIDE sent out a release this evening saying that the sale of the 265 acre island has been completed, and the new owner is an un-named Mexican luxury hotel development group. According to BELTRAIDE, the group owns and operates luxury developments in Mexico City, Cancun and Acapulco and they expect to partner with a, quote, "renowned global luxury hotel brand." These preliminary renderings were released today - and the release says work on the new tourism project should commence in early 2015.

Best Hope: Cane Season In Time For Christmas
The meeting between Prime Minister Dean Barrow and executives from ASR/BSI is set for Thursday - which is when the ASR executives will arrive in country. This is considered a last ditch effort to get the sugar crop season started hopefully in time for Christmas. Experts tell us that is the best that can be hoped for right now because even if an agreement is reached on Thursday, it would still need revision to make it legally sound, and then both sides would sign off. The farmers claim they could start deliver three days after that, but sugar roads still have to be repaired after the recent rains over the last 3 weeks.

Opposition Leader Says ASR Has To Back Down From Big Stick Approach
The meeting between Prime Minister Dean Barrow and executives from ASR/BSI is set for Thursday - which is when the ASR executives will arrive in country. This is considered a last ditch effort to get the sugar crop season started hopefully in time for Christmas. Experts tell us that is the best that can be hoped for right now because even if an agreement is reached on Thursday, it would still need revision to make it legally sound, and then both sides would sign off. The farmers claim they could start deliver three days after that, but sugar roads still have to be repaired after the recent rains over the last 3 weeks.

BEL's New Year's Resolution: Lower Your Light Bill
And something positive is just what BEL has in mind as a sort of Christmas gift for consumers. The company announced today that it wants to cut electricity rates by 3.4%, taking the average rate down from 43.47 cents per kilowatt hour to a flat 42 cents. The power company made the request to the Public Utilities Commission yesterday based on savings it has realized in the cost of power, principally from Mexico's CFE. Indications are that CFE's cost of power to BEL may continue to go down which would again redound to the benefit of Belizean consumers. Last year BEL sourced 42% of its power from Mexico. This is the fourth consecutive application by BEL to the PUC to lower electricity rates since 2013.

Police Reverse Position On Gun Found At Valley Of Peace Murder Scene
Last night we told you about 54 year-old Donatilo Canales, the Valley of Peace Villager who was found in his yard on Saturday with multiple gunshot wounds. Well, Belmopan police investigators believe he was murdered. That conclusion is based on a completed post-mortem, and the evidence found on the scene. The problem is that there was no witness to the moment when he was killed and so they don't know who the assailant is. He got up just after midnight on Friday when he heard his dogs barking. When he exited the back door and entered the yard, a few minutes passed, and then, someone shot him 4 times in the leg, chest, neck and head.

Execution For Man OF Salvadorian Descent
While continue to look into that homicide, they are also trying to figure out what is the motive and who is behind the very violent murder of 43 year old Jose Miguel Abrego. The caretaker of a Citrus farm was shot multiple times and then chopped to death in what police say is a ruthless execution. The attack happened at around 11 on Sunday Night in his yard. He was sitting down with a male companion, when the gunman arrived and opened fire on them. His companion ran inside the house seeking cover, but the gunman was determined that there would be no witnesses. He fired on the house about 4 more times, and then left. When Abrego's wife and companion came out, they realized that he had been shot in the neck and chopped another 5 times, as though the assailant was ensuring that he was killed.

VIP Calls Christmas Cheer State Sponsored Patronage
Since 2003, the member countries of the United Nations have celebrated International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9 - the anniversary on the day that the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention Against Corruption. But, Belize has yet to sign on and comply with the anti-corruption convention, and since last year the Independent Political Party, Vision Inspired by the People, has been pressuring the ruling United Democratic Party, and the Opposition to take action on it. Today, the VIP staged a seven-man protest in front of the National Assembly Building. The picket was staged to coincide with Cabinet TUESDay. And though only 7 were there, they were complaining about millions in public funds wasted on what they call political patronage programs, namely government's Residential Mortgage Payment Program and the Christmas Cheer program.

It All Comes Down To This Trinidad, CCJ, GOB vs AA
For years we've been reporting on the multitude of lawsuits that the Ashcroft Alliance has brought against the Government of Belize for its 2009 acquisition of BTL. There have been wins and losses on both sides, but government has managed to retain possession of the utility. But tomorrow in the Caribbean Court of Justice, all the lawsuits are dramatically converging in a raft of lawsuits which will have the highest court of appeal tied up for three days of dense legal arguments - arguments which will determine authoritatively if government was right to have acquired BTL. A virtual battalion of attorneys, Senior Counsels and Queen's Counsels from Belize and the UK are in Trinidad tonight awaiting the commencement of legal hostilities which begins tomorrow at 10am Trinidad. An advance release today from the Caribbean Court of Justice calls it a quote, "ground-breaking case for the Caribbean,"

Newlywed Finds Husband's Other Birth Certificate
Police have charged a man from Roaring Creek for the crime of Bigamy because he is legally married to two women. 27 year-old Merkita Castillo Chimilio reported to police that she has been married to her husband, John Chimillio, since August of this year. While she was looking for her marriage certificate, she came across another marriage certificate which showed that her husband was married to another woman. Police have since verified at the Vital Statistics Unit that indeed, 36 year-old John Chimilio, a construction worker from Roaring Creek, is legally married to two women. He has since been charged, and he will be arraigned at the earliest convenience.

KHMH Audit: X-Ray Acquisition Was Less Than Transparent
All of last week, we told you about the special audit of the KHMH looking, principally, into the acquisition of a pair of X-Ray units. There were a number of procedural irregularities in the acquisition - including purchasing it from an offshore shell company in Hong Kong. But, as the audit illustrates, the irregularities extended beyond procedure to the units themselves. Here's more:.. Jules Vasquez reporting The X-Ray machine arrived at the KHMH without basic information such as a bill of lading or the customs entry. The auditors had to source this from the Customs Department. The auditor concludes that they were unable to determine conclusively that the hospital had received what it ordered. There was no warranty for the machines.

Belize Takes A Cruise Bruise With Yahoo List
Yahoo Travel today published a list of "The Worst Caribbean Ports of Call for Cruises" and Belize City was right there, third on the list behind the Nassau Bahamas and Montego Bay and Ocho Rios Jamaica. It is described as dreary and having no beach. Proponents of the Stake Bank project point to this as one more reason to put governmental impetus behind that project. Of course, it's not that simple. The situation is fraught with legal implications, suits, counter suits and cross suits. And right in the middle of it is a pair of agreements signed by the Musa Administration making certain assurances to the Fort Street Tourism Village - assurances where government would compensate them for passenger shortfalls. The Barrow administration doesn't want to be left holding that bag - and thus the reason things are at standstill. On Sunday, we asked the Leader of the Opposition for his position on it:.. Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition "So, it's a complex issue, but it's certainly an issue that needs to be address very urgently in the interest of the tourism sector."

Training For A Spill
A National Oil Spill Training workshop started today and facilitators say that there is hope beyond the 'spill'. The training focuses on strategies to prevent oil spills, to recover oil in the event of a spill and to ensure the safety of people and the environment. Belize has not had a catastrophic oil spill but there have been several incidents that posed serious threats to the environment. One of those incidents happened in January of 2007. An oil tanker was punctured in Orange Walk draining hundreds of gallons of oil unto the street. Elliott Taylor, representative for the International Maritime Organization on the Oil Spill response training, told us how this training can minimize these incidents.

Water And Oil Don't Mix
On the topic of oil spills, The Tropic Air Cessna Caravan that plunged into the sea on Thursday also fits into this discussion. About 90 gallons of aviation fuel drained into the sea as a result of the accident. We asked Environmental Officer Maxine Monsanto what was done to contain that spill. Maxine Monsanto, Acting Senior Environmental Officer "The incident for Tropic, I believe, I would have to further investigate, but yesterday the Department of the Environment did send someone out to investigate and take a look at the site and everything. I cannot tell you the status at this time, but I can tell you that they have done an investigation and they are in the process at looking at it as well as sitting down and discussing with Tropic how best to respond in the future, so that they can be better prepared as to what they need to do."

BTL Will Keep Speednet's Southern Link Going Till End February
Earlier we told you about the legal showdown in the Caribbean Court of Justice tomorrow. While that fight ensues, a legal dispute with BTL's competitor, SMART!, came to a temporary resolution yesterday. As we told you last month, SMART's parent company, Speednet, filed an injunction against BTL to stop them from terminating a contract in which SMART contracts BTL's infrastructure to provide voice and data to SMART's customer base of almost 7,000 customers in the Toledo District. So, if BTL discontinued, it would have cut off all of those SMART cell phone users from getting service. BTL's attorney gave an undertaking to the court that the company would not terminate the service pending the outcome of yesterday's hearing.

PM Says You Can Wait To Get Reimbursed For December Mortgage
Earlier we told you about the VIP Party's protest against what it calls state sponsored political patronage: namely the Christmas Cheer and the Residential Mortgage Payment programme. But the government calls Christmas Cheer pro-poor, and the mortgage payment program, it calls that middle class relief. The rules to qualify for that are that the original value of the residential mortgage must be no more than one hundred thousand dollars. Mortgages taken out solely for the purpose of refinancing prior mortgages for the ?construction of new residences will also qualify for the program. And the mortgages must be legally registered. Those who qualify just have to fill out a two page form and make their monthly payment then government will re-imburse them. Seems simple enough, but the PM says, he has still heard reports of complaints:..

First Caribbean Gives
4 city schools received stoves and cooking supplies for their feeding programs today. A short ceremony was held at CIBC First Caribbean Bank on Albert Street this afternoon to hand over the donations. According to the recipients it takes a lot of resources to ensure that all students are properly fed but these donations will make a considerable difference in the lives of the children. Shaeleen Castillo, Manager - Retail Banking and Operations "CIBC First Caribbean, we have a commitment to give back to the communities in which we operate and throughout the year we participate in various initiatives that we identify as well as which our staff identify and so one of the things that we know is very important is the development of our children and what we have done is to reach out to certain schools and to find out what happens with their feeding program and they presented to us what is basically their wish list and so based on the schools that responded to us, the management of their feeding programs and the ones that we consider to be most needy - we narrowed down to 4 schools and we were able to meet what had presented to us on their wish list."

Hype's Christmas Party
You may know the DJ, Alfrain "Mr. Hype" Supal as a radio personality and dancehall impresario, but on this coming Saturday, he is taking a bigger stage at the BTL Park. He's putting together his first Annual Christmas ParkFest, a fun-filled family event where giveaways, games and entertainment will converge. He has a star-studded line-up of local musicians, and he's inviting you to come out to the event. He told us more today: Alfrain "Mr. Hype" Supal "The event is called Belize Christmas Park Fest and it's going to be held at the BTL Park. A lot of giveaways for families; ham, turkey, Marley, and of course we are going to have toys for the kids. Santa will be there. You can't have any Christmas event without Santa and like I said it's a family oriented event and we will have entertainment as well. Trying to bring back a Belize style Christmas to Belizeans on a whole. As well just added is the brukdown segment. Mr. Peter's brukdown; a tribute to Mr. Peter's. Of course we will have the guys who sung on the newly release album Christmas Brukdown.

Five Buff Medals
Last night, we told you about the Belizean bodybuilders, Rigo Vellos, Clayton Greenidge and Oyinkro Akpobodor competed at the 2014 Central American Bodybuilding Championships. It's a significant achievement for these athletes to have brought home 5 medals and they told us us about the experience: Stanley Moody, President - BBBFF "This tournament was the Central American Championships. It entailed all the countries of Central America; Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador (who was the host country), Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica and unfortunately Panama was the only country that didn't show up this year. But it was a championship which entailed all the different categories of bodybuilding. This year unfortunately we didn't take any females to the championship. We felt that we were going there to try and win medals and we don't think that the females were prepared to go and compete on that level at this time. But next year they should be ready."

Swiping At Cricel
As you may have noticed, there were no female athletes in the Belize delegation, something which the President of the Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation explained by saying that there were no athletes who are at the level of competition required. So, what about Cricel Castillo, Belize's first professional in the World Beauty Fitness and Fashion Federation? She entered for the first competition in Miami 3 weeks ago, and won in the Fitness Diva Category. As far as we are aware, it is a significant achievement since she now has a pro card, qualified to compete against world-class athletes. But, if you ask the Belizean Federation's President, it's not that big a deal. Our Colleague Geovannie Brackett asked him about his opinion if Castillo would have measured up against the female competition at the Central American Championships. He dismissed her and appeared unimpressed:

Channel 5

Authorities Investigate Death of Infant
There is a disturbing report tonight on the death of a three month infant. Police have ruled out foul play and are calling it a case of sudden death; the [...]

Marleny Castellanos walks from immigration offences
The case of Marleny Castellanos, who was named as the mastermind in an immigrations scam, came up today in the magistrate court. But what seemed to be an iron-tight case [...]

PM to Meet With ASR/B.S.I. on Wednesday
Tonight, the only news in the ongoing sugar cane crisis is that there is no news. Late this evening News Five spoke to an official of the BSCFA who told [...]

P.U.P. Bashes Mortgage Cheer Program
The Christmas Cheer monies have been disbursed, we hear, thanks to Petrocaribe. News Five understands that U.D.P. Area Representatives have gotten one hundred and ten thousand dollars…P.U.P. Area representatives have [...]

P.U.P. Deputy Says Petrocaribe Priorities Are Skewed
P.U.P. Deputy Leader Julius Espat also weighed in on the mortgage giveaway which he says is pure nonsense. Apart from the shameless politicking, Espat claims that there is much better [...]

CCJ Prepares to hear Groundbreaking Nationalization Case
At the Caribbean Court of Justice headquarters in Trinidad and Tobago, arguments begin on Wednesday in what is described as a ground breaking case for the Caribbean in which the [...]

Is A Policeman Involved in Valley of Peace Murder?
In the very early hours of Saturday morning, Valley of Peace resident Donatilo Canales was shot dead in his yard in the village. His wife heard multiple gunshots minutes after [...]

Caye Chapel Sold to Mexican Company
There is major news tonight on the economic front. Government issued a release late this evening to announce the sale of the exclusive island of Caye Chapel. The high end [...]

Belize Named One of Five Worst Ports of Call
Firebrand activist organization COLA has managed to find its way into many different causes which affect the quality of life of roots Belizeans all over the country. And they’re back [...]

B.T.B. Says Belize City Has Gotten Major Upgrade
You’ll note that Brackett disagrees with the article’s critical tone where Belize City is concerned. And there, indeed, he is joined by the B.T.B.’s Director of the Cruise and Regional [...]

2 Belize City men busted with 70 pounds of weed
Two Belize City men from the PIV controlled area of the Southside of Belize City are facing charges for the Possession of a Control Drug with Intent to Supply to [...]

Honduran national still in country despite removal order
A Honduran national, Marvin Leonel Lara Melara, was before the Supreme Court for illegal entry today. His case is significant because the ruling is the first ever interpretation of the [...]

Roaring Creek man charged for Bigamy
A Roaring Creek man is tonight in big trouble with the law and his two wives. Thirty-six year old John Chimilio has said “I Do” twice in four years. This [...]

International Anti-Corruption Day is celebrated
On October thirty-first, 2003, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the UN Convention against Corruption. The Assembly also designated December ninth as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption [...]

VIP lashes out a G.O.B. over use of Petrocaribe funds
Since announcing its Christmas loan program a few weeks ago, hundreds of Belizeans from across the country have stood in snaking queues at the National Bank waiting to apply for [...]

Feeding program gets boost from FirstCaribbean
The Petrocaribe money is rolling happily all over the country, and politicians are busy exchanging witty, sarcastic repartee over Christmas Cheer and the merry mortgage payment scheme. But while that [...]

Channel 5 celebrates its 23rd anniversary
Great Belize Productions/Channel Five has reached another milestone. Today we celebrate twenty-three years of broadcasting. The company was established in 1982 as a production unit, and in 1991 it obtained [...]

CTV3

Start Of 2014/2015 Crop Season Still In Limbo
There is still no clear path forward in the negotiations between BSI/ASR and the BSCFA and the new crop is still on hold. Stakeholders had identified today, December 8th as the ideal time to start but following long hours of discussions, there is still no clear indication when the crop will start. Furthermore, even though the BSCFA has proven to be flexible on their demands, the BSI keeps firm. Today, when the Prime Minister Dean Barrow should have been in Havana Cuba for the CARICOM Summit, he was in Belize City meeting with the BSCFA representatives trying to find a way forward as time is now of utmost importance as delays in starting the new crop spells economic loss for all. After less than two hours of meeting, it seems there is still not much achieved as the BSCFA still has to wait for the PM to go to the BSI/ASR group for a response to their latest terms. Dalila Ical- Reporting Ezekiel Cansino, Chairman, Committee of Management, B.S.C.F.A. “We believe that it’s more flexible and that’s why we as cane-farmers believe that we are going too far being flexible. We are trying our best to get to an agreement. We hope that at this time we get through the impasse and if not, we will be seeking other options.”

Man Charged For Possession Of Article With A Blade
A teen from August Pine Ridge has been arrested and charged for having in his possession a machete. According to authorities in Orange Walk, whilst on mobile patrol on Friday night in the village of August Pine Ridge, police saw a man with a machete on his bicycle and when asked why he had the machete in his possession, he could not give a reason. Police then placed him under arrest and escorted him to the Orange Walk Police Station where the machete was measured to be 27inches in length. Police then arrested and charged 19-year-old Oviser Contreras of August Pine Ridge Village for the offence of Possession of Article with blade.

MAMAS Sees Another Successful Year
For almost 10 years, MAMAS Group in Orange Walk has been a haven for single mothers, young ladies and children to learn a skill. Over the years, Mujeres Ayudando A Mujeres a Superarse, MAMAS, has without a doubt left a mark here in the community. This past Saturday a group of women who took part in several courses offered graduated with honors. Founder Ofelia Novelo spoke on yet another accomplishment. Ofelia Novelo- Founder, M.A.M.A.S Group “We are here today after one year of training and hard work but first I would like to thank the almighty father for giving us life and for providing us with the strength and drive so succeed and I would like to thank my guest speaker Mrs. Mirna Manzanares for taking time out for being with us here today, for my teachers for the dedication on the students graduating here today and to all the sixteen women graduating here thank you, you found the needed equipment for yourself and the skill and knowledge to be your own boss. The courses that they took are cosmetology, pastries and barbering and that is the ones that are graduating here today.”

La Inmaculada R.C School Named National Champs In Reading Competition
A few weeks ago we told you about the Belize National Library Service’s countrywide reading competition that saw primary school students take on the best readers in the country. On November 28th the National Championship competition took centre stage in Belize City and emerging as the top winner was Deianeira Roshelle Flores from La Inmaculada RC Primary School. Today, we found out that the school took first and third places in the competition. It’s a huge accomplishment for the school and for the participants. We spoke with the National Champions and their coach today after a short recognition ceremony at the La Inmaculada Church.

Traffic Mishap Leaves One Person Injured
Following a traffic mishap over the weekend, a man is lucky to be alive but remains hospitalized tonight. On Saturday December 6th, Corozal police responded to a road accident between miles 73 and 74 on the Philip Goldson Highway in the vicinity of Louisville Village in the Corozal District. At the scene, police observed a black Montero SUV vehicle bearing license plate CZL C 02826, driven at the time by Norberto Ical, approximately 150 feet off the highway. Initial investigations reveal that Ical was traveling towards Corozal Town when he lost control of the vehicle causing him to run off the road into the cane field.

P.M Discusses Residential Mortgage Program
Recently we told you about Central Government’s newest program to reimburse Belizeans for their December 2014 interest and principal payments on all residential mortgages with an original value of up to BZE$ 100,000. Through the Residential Mortgage Payment Program, borrowers from the National Bank, Commercial Banks, Credit Unions, the Development Finance Corporation and the Belize Social Security Board can apply for assistance. So how is that playing out? Prime Minister Dean Barrow says despite some complaints about the process, once you apply there is a good chance to benefit from the program and while the deadline to hand in applications had been indicated as this year December, it seems government is extending that. Honorable Dean Barrow- Prime Minister “I will make the point though that this is not because they compared it with the CXC’s there you had to submitted the application and be approved by a certain time because fees had to be paid but with the mortgage program no man if they want to; remember we said to them you pay the institution we simply give you back the money so if they don’t get in the application in December and they want to get in January or February we will simply once it is authenticated that is so much you paid for your monthly repayment in December we will give you back the money.”

Prime Minister Dean Barrow Cuts International Trip Short
The Prime Minister Dean Barrow was scheduled to attend the CARICOM-Cuba Summit in Havana, Cuba. According to the international press, Caribbean Community leaders would discuss ways of strengthening relations. Given the circumstances in the sugar industry however the Prime Minster found himself back in the country in an effort to settle the longstanding impasse in the Sugar Industry. How will this impact his previous commitments? The press asked him and this was what he responded.

Burglars Hit Another Chinese Store In Corozal
Three individuals are tonight under police custody pending the investigation of a reported Robbery. 40 year old Juan Qing Wu Chinese naturalized Belizean from the village of Calcutta reported to officials that around 7:25 pm on Friday December 5th, three male persons of brown complexion wearing black clothing with bandanas, entered the store namely Community Supermarket. One of the male persons, who was armed with what appeared to be a Chrome color pistol demanded money and proceeded to search the cash drawer. According to Wu the male person who had the pistol, pistol whipped her to the back of her head causing pain. In the process the men made off with $1,000.00 Belize dollars in different denominations and a Samsung Galaxy Cellular Phone, its value unknown.

Evangelical Church Targeted By Burglars
It’s not the first time we’ve reported on incidents involving thefts at a place of worship. Over the weekend, heartless thieves struck early morning on Saturday at the “Iglesia de Dios Evangelio” on Plum Street in Trial Farm. And while authorities have responded to the call, tonight the items stolen remain on the streets. Tito Garcia who owns and looks after the church’s sound system stopped by our studios pleading to the public to not purchase any stolen items and gave us an account of the incident. Tito Garcia– Complainant ”They open a three louvers from the left side of the church from the alter and he or whosoever came in just went away with part of our sound system from the church.” Maria Novelo – Reporter “Specifically what did they take?” Tito Garcia– Complainant “They went with our amplifier and with our cross over, the amplifier is a 4000 watts brand new with an estimated price of $2000.00 and a cross over $400.00 brand new so that is a $2400.00 value that they went with.”

BSCFA Meets With DPM
What was supposed to be the start of the new Sugar Cane Crop season is being prolonged since there is still a stalemate in the negotiations between both major key players. And with things coming ‘down to the wire’ the Prime Minister who was scheduled to be in Cuba for a CARICOM summit had to cut his visit short and flew back to address the pressing issue in the Sugar Industry. We’ll get into that shortly, but first after getting a “not so favourable” response from BSI/ASR on Friday, an emergency with Acting Prime Minister Gaspar Vega was held with the branch managers of the BSCFA. The two hour long discussion centered mostly on getting the crop season to start says Acting PM Gaspar Vega. “We are insisting that everybody comes back to the table.” Maria Novelo– Reporter “Well, they did already again on Tuesday.” Honorable Gaspar Vega– Acting Prime Minister “Well they come back again and that is what they discussing that were the main focus of the discussion, details I cannot because it is negotiation, details that I don’t think it should be made public until the two parties, both BSI and BSCFA have an opportunity to meet again.”

LOVE FM

BEL Requests Ammendment To Electricity Rates
Belize Electricity Limited has made a submission to the Public Utilities Commission requesting an amendment to electricity rates to reflect the savings it has realized in the cost of power it purchases from Independent Power Producers. If approved by the PUC, the amendment is expected to result in a three point four percent reduction in the Mean Electricity Rate from 43.47 cents per Kilo watt hour to 42 cents per kilowatt hour for the period January 2015 to June 2015. This submission is the fourth consecutive application by BEL to the PUC to lower electricity rates since 2013. According to the company the savings are primarily due to lower than expected cost of power from Mexico’s Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE). BEL says in addition to passing on cost of power savings to customers and in line with its Business Plan, the company will continue to invest in the expansion of its power distribution network to allow more communities across the country to connect to the national electricity grid.

Man Found Dead In Bungalow House
San Ignacio police are currently investigating the death of a man believe to be from El Salvador. Police only known him as Alexander, believe to be in his early 20’s and believed to have died from injuries sustained between Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Now, how he received those injuries is the focus of the investigation. Alexander was found inside a small wooden bungalow house on Coyoc Street in San Ignacio Town by his housemate, 22 year old Dennis Guzman. Alexander had a large wound to the head and bruises on the abdominal area. Police found out that Alexander was drinking with some friends in town before his death. Inspector Reymundo Reyes filled us in on the details.

Womenâ€™s Department 16 Days of Activism; Free Legal Advice And Consultations
Free legal advice and consultations will be made available on Thursday through the Women’s Department as part of their 16 days of activism to end gender based violence against women. The Legal Clinic, as it is being called, is not the first event of its kind as similar activity was held previously in the Toledo and Cayo districts with the most recent one being this past Saturday in the Mahogany Heights area. Love News spoke to Tricia Collins of the Women’s Department who explains how the event will be carried out. TRICIA COLLINS “The free legal clinic is a part of our 16 days of activism to end gender based violence against women and so we have decided one of our activities is to do a legal clinic whereby the general public can access attorneys. The legal clinic is going to be held tomorrow at ITVET from 9am until 4pm. We will be having several different attorneys that will be giving their time. We will be looking at issues like those pertaining to gender based violence and family issues.

Belize Municipal Development Road Project; Phase 2 Undergoing Construction
Plans are in the making for the implementation of additional needed infrastructure projects in Punta Gorda. Correspondent Paul Mahung has the details. PAUL MAHUNG “Punta Gorda Mayor Anthony Fuentes commented on phase 1 of the Municipal Development Project in town and spoke of plans for the implementation of phase 2.” MAYOR ANTHONY FUENTES “Punta Gorda Town is part of the Belize Municipal Development Road Project and of phase 1 of the project, we renovated the Administrative building and of course pavement of Papana Street. Now under phase 2, the project that will be completed includes the pavement of Lucille Melendrez Boulevard, Robert K. Pennel Boulevard, Hopeville, the Wild Cane Street, Morning Glory street and Mangrove Street in Hopeville. Now the Punta Gorda Town Council has paid 3 percent of tax payers’ money towards the pavement of these streets and boulevard. Our three percent amounted to 52.000. The additional seven thousand dollars, because drain works were not done on the Papanou , the Town Council had a credit of seven thousand dollars which was added to that phase two project. So that made it a three percent contribution made by the tax payers of this municipality of fifty nine thousand dollars towards the street. The total cost of monies that were allocated to the Punta Gorda Town Council under the Belize Municipal Development Project is 1.6 million dollars.”

VIP Rebuttal To UDP And PUP; Belize Not Participating In Anti-Corruption Convention
Today the international community is recognizing International Anti-Corruption Day 2014. Belize is not officially participating because Government has not signed onto the anti corruption convention. However the Vision Inspired by the People, VIP, supported by other third parties has come out swinging against the UDP and PUP for not signing the convention. Today, the VIP picketed in the capital city of Belmopan and Public Relations Officer, Robert Bobby Lopez told us more. ROBERT BOBBY LOPEZ “We have to stop corruption. It is one of the worst scourges affecting the development. The theme says Zero Corruption, 100 percent Development. All that money that is stolen, that is wastefully spent needs to be put in proper place and this is our money. It has to be paid back whether it’s Petro Caribe or our tax dollar. And another thing I want to tell you for twenty years, the Prevention of Corruption in Public Life Act was enacted in 1994. For twenty years, every elected person, senator, speaker of the house is to declare. We are tired of telling them to declare and they don’t want to declare so we are telling them now, don’t bother to declare; pay the fine.

Honduran National Charged For Illegal Entry; Deported To Honduras
Honduran national, Melvin Melara, who paid a fine of $1000 for illegal entry on November 17 but was not allowed to leave Belize, will now be able to do so because of a court order that was made today by Justice Shona Griffith. Based on an application made by attorney Kevin Arthurs, Justice Griffith ordered that Melara can leave Belize as soon as he is able to provide the cost of his transportation to Honduras. Melara indicated that he intends to leave on a flight to Honduras and Justice Griffith ordered that he be escorted to the airport. According to the immigration law, no illegal immigrant who has been convicted of an immigration offense should be held in Belize after 7 days as long as they can pay for their transportation back to their country of origin. The Attorney General’s Ministry was represented by Crown counsel Leonora Duncan.

Auto Mechanic Charged With Robbery
Twenty-five year old Jose Ayala, an auto mechanic of Freedom Street, one of two persons who allegedly stole one gold and one silver chain, was charged with robbery when he appeared today before Magistrate Dale Cayetano. Ayala plead not guilty to the charge. He was offered a bail of $3,000 and his case was adjourned until January 8, 2015. The incident occurred around 11 a.m. on December 8. Fifty-eight year old Sandy Hinks, a security guard at Triple A security, reported to the police that he was riding his bicycle on Iguana Street and when he reached the intersection with Curassow Street a man of dark complexion rode up beside him. He said a second man, one of Hispanic descent then rode up behind him. He told police that the man beside him pushed him off his bicycle then grabbed at his chains while he was on the ground.

Guatemalan Nationals Freed of Immigration Charges
Guatemalan nationals forty-six year old Marleny Castellanos and her common-law husband, 42-year-old Alfredo Marcos, who were freed of some of their immigration charges on October 28, were all smiles today when they walked out of the court of Magistrate Dale Cayetano with not having to answer to any of the remaining charges. Today Magistrate Cayetano dismissed 17 charges against the couple after the Immigration Department indicated that it wanted the charges withdrawn. When they were first arraigned in May, Castellanos was charged with four offenses while Marcos was charged with six offenses. The allegation was that they had used the documents of dead Belizeans to provide immigrants with Belizean birth certificates and social security cards. The immigration Department was unable to provide the evidence to prove the allegations. The couple was represented by attorney Kevin Arthurs.

Vacant Lot; Police Discover Sacks of Cannabis
On Monday night San Ignacio Police conducted a search in a bushy lot in the Shaw Ville area of San Ignacio. The search led to the discovery of four sacks containing a total of eight four thousand grams of suspected cannabis. No one was in the area at the time and the drugs were deposited as found property.

Man Detained For Cannabis
Orange Walk Police have detained a 35-year-old man pending charges. Police say they were on operation on the Philip Goldson Highway in San Jose Village when they intercepted a passenger bus traveling from Corozal to Orange Walk. Police conducted a search in a knapsack belonging to the man which led to the discovery of a black plastic bag containing a parcel wrapped in transparent plastic containing a total of six hundred and eighty point four grams of suspected cannabis. As a result he was detained.

Construction Worker Charged With Bigamy
A construction worker from Roaring Creek Village has been charged with bigamy. According to Police a woman reported that she got married to John Chimilio in August. She said last week she was looking for her marriage certificate when she came across another marriage certificate in the name of her husband and another woman dated March 20, 2010. Checks made at vital statistics confirmed that John Chimilio is married twice. The 36-year-old was arrested and charged for bigamy.

2-Month-Old-Baby-Death; Family Distressed
A family in the Belize District is preparing to put to rest their almost 2-month old baby who passed away last Friday, December 5 whilst in the care of a children’s home. The baby was born to a 16-year-old girl, who is currently residing at the child care facility. It is a situation that has created much grief for the family as in the last months there were limitations when it came to visitations to the home. Love News spoke to the mother of the minor, who relayed to us what her daughter said, happened the last night she saw the baby alive. MOTHER OF MINOR “My daughter told me yesterday that before the baby died, Human Services carried her to court on Thursday and she said when she came home she was tired so I asked her why she was tired and she said they took her by the court where she would sign a document for them to keep the baby. I asked her if she signed the paper, she said No she never answered them about it.

PlusTV

COLA releases files on Police
Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) today released a series of files detailing correspondence between the Police Association and the Police Department high command dating back to 2011. The files, it says, “detail an increasing frustration with the Police High Command’s inability and unwillingness to meet with the Police Association over its grievances concerning the constables, corporals and sergeants it represents. It is clear that the Department has not only not made itself available to discuss and remedy these concerns; it prefers to cover up its inefficiency by not allowing the Association to seek help from other quarters on the basis of going against regulations.” The Association complains of treatment of officers working on the vehicular checkpoint patrols on the George Price and Philip Goldson Highway, saying they have been left on their own without food, water, bathroom facilities and vehicles, and are stiffed on pay and working hours, as they are forced to work 12 hours at a time.

Last charges for immigration couple dropped
The Immigration Department has withdrawn prosecution of Guatemalan nationals, forty-six year old Marleny Castellanos and her common-law husband 42 year old Alfredo Marcos, allowing them to walk free from allegations that they had used the documents of dead Belizeans to provide immigrants with Belizean birth certificates and social security cards. As many as 20 persons on the island of Caye Caulker benefited from the alleged scheme, but the Department indicated that it was unable to provide the evidence to prove the allegations. Magistrate Dale Cayetano officially dismissed the 17 remaining charges against the couple, and they left the court with attorney Kevin Arthurs all smiles.

Court allows illegal entrant to leave Belize
Justice Shona Griffith ordered Honduran national Melvin Melara, who was held since November 17 by authorities despite paying his fine of $1,000 for illegal entry, to leave Belize as soon as he is able to provide the cost of his transportation to Honduras. Melvin Melara’s attorney, Kevin Arthurs, applied under writ of habeas corpus, charging that immigration authorities flouted the law, which states that no illegal immigrant who has been convicted of an immigration offence should be held in Belize after 7 days, as long as they can pay for their transportation back to their country of origin. Melvin Melara satisfied the court that he can pay his own way via flight, and authorities were made to escort him straight to the Philip Goldson international airport.

Accused gang members released
What seemed to be a slam-dunk conviction for the Police Department went by the wayside on Monday morning. Police have recently begun targeting alleged members of criminal gangs in Belize City, under the Crime Control and Criminal Justice Act, on charges such as professing to belong to a criminal gang. Five such persons were charged in October: Edwin “Drive” Flowers, 34 year old Michael Coleman, 23 year old Emmerson Skyers, 24 year old Albert Clother and a 17 year old boy. The group is alleged to have told police officers under caution that they were members of the gang known as Peace in the Valley or PIV.

Roaring Creek Man arrested for Bigamy
27-year-old Merkitia Castillo Chimilio of Belmopan City visited the Belmopan Police Station on December 8, and reported that she has been married to her husband John Chimilio since August 15 of this year; just under four months ago. According to the young bride, earlier this week, she was looking for her marriage certificate when she came across another marriage certificate in the name of her husband and another woman, dated 20 March of 2010. Checks were made at the Vital Statistic Unit and it wass confirmed that John Chimilio is married twice. 36-year-old John Chimilio, a construction worker of Roaring Creek Villag,e was arrested and charged for the crime of Bigamy.

BEL Submits Request to PUC to Lower Electricity Rates
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) made a submission to the Public Utilities Commission on Monday, December 8, to lower its rates and pass on a 3.4% savings to its customers. According to a press release “..the Company requested an amendment to electricity rates to reflect the savings it has realized in the cost of power it purchases from Independent Power Producers (IPP). ….If approved by the PUC, the amendment is expected to result in a 3.4% reduction in the Mean Electricity Rate (MER) from 43.47 cents per KWh to 42 cents per kWh for the period January 2015 to June 2015.” The savings are primarily due to lower than expected cost of power from Mexico’s Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) during the current tariff period.

Mechanic charged with jewelry robbery
Jewelry valued at $450 was allegedly stolen from 58 year old Sandy Hinks, a security guard at AAA Security. On Tuesday, one of the alleged robbers, 25 year old Jose Ayala, an auto mechanic, pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbery before Magistrate Dale Cayetano. Around 11:00 a.m. on December 8, Sandy Hinks was riding his bicycle on Iguana Street, Belize City, and at the intersection with Curassow Street a dark-skinned man rode up beside him, and then a second man of Hispanic descent appeared behind him. The man beside him pushed him off his bicycle, he told police, and then grabbed at his chains while he was on the ground. While he kicked at this first man to prevent him from taking the jewelry, the other man rode his bicycle on top of and over him, pinning him to the ground. Defenseless, the first man took a silver chain valued at $150 and a gold chain valued at $300 from his neck and both men escaped.

Murder in Valley of Peace
Two murders happened over the weekend in the vicinity of Belmopan. We start first with the shooting in the community of Valley of Peace, where a man was shot and killed on the night of Friday December 5th. According to reports, 54 year old Donatilo Canales and his wife were inside their house awake, when at around 11:00 pm they heard their dog barking. Donatilo Canales then got up, grabbed his lamp, and went outside to check his yard. We located Margarita Canales, wife of Donatilo, in Belmopan where she is staying with her family. Still rearing from the ordeal, she shared with us what happened.

Agreement keeps SMART service in South online
In November, Belize’s leading telecom providers Speednet Communications, parent company of SMART, and Belize Telemedia Limited went to court after BTL attempted to terminate its service to SMART in the South of Belize, following an agreement in July. BTL claims that SMART was to use the service for its private needs; instead, it illegally offered it to its customers. SMART meanwhile says that to cut the service would leave over 7,000 customers in the lurch, and that BTL was not keeping to the terms of the July agreement. On Monday the two parties came to an agreement, preventing an interim injunction, which was signed off on by Supreme Court Madam Justice Shona Griffith. The agreement states that the services will be continued, but not indefinitely.

Why PUP accepts Christmas Cheer
Late last week the United Democratic Party took the opportunity to crow about their rivals across the political aisle, who, they contend, have had to swallow their words and accept the “Christmas Cheer” program, despite their aired concerns over issues of accountability and transparency. On Sunday, while speaking with reporters, Opposition Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca stated that this program is better administered in terms of handling and so that is why the PUP is supporting it. “We run the risks of looking hypocritical, but we believe that of all the programs funed under the PetroCaribe program, this one in every respect perhaps the most transparent, the most accountable. We receive no monies. We submit an invoice and all the monies are then given directly through the Ministry of Human Development to the supplier of those goods. Those are the things we were concerned about. We were concerned about waste. we were concerned about corruption. We were concerned about the lack of accountability. And those we feel are minimized as it relates to the Christmas Cheer Program.”

Christmas cheer di come!
The Petrocaribe Loan Program has become a major part of the national consciousness in recent weeks, with the Government seeking to justify its spending and the Opposition slamming what it calls fiscal irresponsibility. But the Opposition representatives have had to dial back some of that rhetoric with the announcement that the PUP will accept the significantly smaller sums – through line Ministries – offered to them. The Prime Minister took the opportunity to do a little gloating. Reporter “Does this, in your opinion, weaken their case strategically or in any substantial way legally?” Prime Minister Dean Barrow “Well I think so. I am not quite sure what the applications are for before the court, but this thing in law that if you come to equity, you must come with clean hands. Mr. Espat, who seems to be the chief applicant, I don’t know how he will say to the court that he is coming with clean hands, if he ends up taking the money from PetroCaribe, so I suspect they will have their difficulties.

Amandala

PetroCaribe pain visits Belize
Two weeks ago, there were chants of praise and celebration on Independence Hill over the $228 million in cut-rate financing which Belize has received from Venezuela since 2012 under the PetroCaribe accord, but today, prospects for the continuity of that program seem to be fading amid fears that economic turmoil in Venezuela could force that country to abort the concessionary deal, which is supposed to finance new helicopters for the Belize Defence Force as well as external exam fees for high school graduates and the payment of mortgages this month for thousands of homeowners in Belize. Under the terms of the PetroCaribe accord, Venezuela only needs to give Belize 30 days’ notice of its intent to change the program or cancel it altogether. Today, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dean Barrow confirmed to journalists in Belize that Venezuela will soon cut its exports of premium fuel to Belize, and as a result, Government vehicles will use regular gasoline instead. That realization has changed the mantra of “PetroCaribe, roll it!” to “we will roll with the punches…”

Waste Control “crowfoots” City Hall pickups
A Belize City Council official today confirmed that following the granting of a writ of execution which was recently filed by attorneys of the Belize Waste Control (BWC), the sanitation company that had sued the Belize City Council (CitCo) for outstanding arrears earlier this year, a Court Marshall visited City Hall today to crowfoot two pickup trucks belonging to the Council and used for its staff, in an attempt to recover the balance of the court judgment, which was handed down about six weeks ago. On October 17, the Supreme Court entered a default judgment against CitCo that is a product of an age-old dispute that City Hall has had with BWC over the arrears into which CitCo has periodically fallen in its payment for garbage collection services rendered by BWC. Since Mayor Darrell Bradley and his council didn’t offer any defense at the hearing, the court ordered them to pay the company $525,000 in default.

Wife hangs self; husband tries, but fails
The village of Bella Vista in the Stann Creek District was the scene of great tragedy after the wife of Jenaro Caal, Maria Rosaria Caal, 19, hanged herself in their home following an argument with her husband, and Jenaro, after he saw that she had died, tried to hang himself. Jenaro, 22, is now recovering at the Southern Regional Hospital in Dangriga, while Maria Rosaria’s body lies at the morgue, awaiting a post-mortem to certify the cause of her death. The tragedy occurred at about 9:00 Friday night at the Caal family’s home in Bella Vista. Reports to Amandala are that the couple was at home Friday night when Caal received a text on his cellphone, reportedly from a woman, which his wife read. She became angry, and there was an altercation between them, because she felt that he did not love her anymore.

Murder in Valley of Peace
Donatilo Canales, 56, a farmer of the Valley of Peace Village, died after he was shot multiple times in his head and body by an unknown gunman in his yard at about 1:00 Saturday morning. Reports to Amandala are that Canales was sleeping in his house along with his wife and family when the dogs began barking. He got out of his bed and went outside to see what was happening, and shortly after, his wife heard about four gunshots, after which there was silence. Police responded to the shooting and rushed him to the Western Regional Hospital in Belmopan, where he was declared dead on arrival.

BTL and Smart agree on service in the south
In mid-November, Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) and Speednet Communications, the parent company of Smart, went to court after Smart filed for an interim injunction at the Supreme Court in an effort to prevent BTL from discontinuing its data service to approximately 7,000 Smart customers in the Toledo District. The case was adjourned to today, Monday, December 8, but when the attorneys for the parties met in the Supreme Court of Justice Shona Griffith, it was to formally ask the court to put aside the application for the interim injunction because the two telecommunication companies had reached an agreement on the matter of BTL continuing to provide the service to Smart’s southernmost customers. This latest round of legal wrangling between Belize’s two telecommunications providers stems from Smart’s reliance on BTL’s infrastructure to provide voice and data services to its Toledo customers.

60,000 pounds of onions, mostly from Holland, imported weekly
Due to climatic conditions and the lack of proper storage facilities, Belizean producers supply the local market with onions for only part of the year, usually from January to about August. Currently, Belize imports 60,000 pounds of onions a week, mostly from Holland, said Silvero Marin, interim administrator of the Belize Marketing and Development Corporation (BMDC). BMDC imports onions for retail sale. Producers who need onions for processing, such as making sauces, import separately. Most shoppers like the yellow-skinned onions, and they are purchased at an average size of 50 millimeters by 70 millimeters (roughly 2 to 3 inches) from Holland, where Marin said yellow onions of better quality are available at a good price.

Former gang member tells court he is a born-again Christian
A Belize City former gang member, who was arrested for displaying gang insignia tattoos in public, told Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer this morning that he has given up the gang-life for more than ten years and that he reads his Bible and prays every day. Ian Westby, 33, attempted to “plead guilty with an explanation” after the Senior Magistrate read to him the single charge of “displaying gang insignia” on Thursday, December 4, on Casuarina Street. Westby, who is unemployed and is a resident of Casuarina Street, told the court that he has given up being in gangs since 2003, when he became a church member. “From the time they killed my home boy, I gave up the gang life.” Westby told the court.

Shock and awe at Norman Broaster
What a difference a weekend makes! With 6 teams fighting for 4 playoff spots, Saturday night saw Police United FC become the first team to definitely secure a playoff spot with their 3-0 default win over no-show FC Belize at the People’s Stadium in Orange Walk. Meanwhile, defending champions Belmopan Bandits had strengthened their position with an 8-1 thrashing of short-staffed Paradise/Freedom Fighters at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium. Shaking the net for the Bandits were Elroy “Bibs” Kuylen (12’ & 20’), Jordy Polanco (34’), Jerome “Jarro” James (45+’), Highking Roberts (52’ & 54’) and John King (83’). The Bandits also benefited from an early own goal by Freedom Fighters defender Adrian Gonzalez (4’ O.G.). The only goal for the visitors was by veteran Wilmer Garcia (47’), whose direct kick from 25 yards out curved over the wall and found the right pigeon hole past a diving Woodrow West in goal for the Bandits. Wilmer’s laser left foot almost found the mark again from another free kick, but this one passed a couple inches over the crossbar in the left corner.

National Men’s Volleyball Team at Central American Championship in Honduras
Belize’s Men’s Volleyball National Team is in Tegucigalpa, Honduras to compete at the 18th Central American Championship. All seven Central American countries are attending, with the host, Honduras, being the favourite. The technical level has risen in the region, and Belize will show it is also improving and there to win against the best teams. The team members are: Elton Anderson (captain), Shane Gentle, Francis Usher, Keith Castillo, Radin Santos, Raheem Flowers, Edgar Martinez, Karym Coleman, Ean Galvez, Alex Evans, Daril Avila, Bryton Codd, Wallace Tillett (Asst. Coach), Albert Humbes (Coach), Khalid Encalada (Int’l. Referee).

SCA girls, SJC boys are Central Zone champions
On Friday evening last, the girls of St. Catherine Academy (SCA) and the boys of St. John’s College (SJC) won the respective championships of the Central Zone high school basketball tournament, and with it the right to represent the Central Secondary Schools Sports Association (CSSSA) in the upcoming National Secondary Schools Sports Association (NSSSA) basketball championships this coming weekend in Belize City. SCA girls had defeated Gwen Liz girls, 34-22, on Wednesday, December 3, in game 1 of their Central Zone championship series. Tricia Jefferies led SCA with 11 pts, while Kayla Bowden had 15 pts in a losing effort for Gwen Liz. However, contrary to the report released by the CSSSA, the boys finals game 1 was not completed on that Wednesday night, as the game had to be stopped due to rain. Therefore, game 1 of the boys’ zone championship series between SJC and Sadie Vernon Tech was replayed in its entirety on Thursday evening, December 4, at Bird’s Isle, with SJC blowing out Sadie Vernon, 80-55. Sadie Vernon’s Glency Lopez led all scorers with 33 pts in the loss; while SJC’s Dudley Erskine had 22 pts.

Chiquibul and Tower Hill
At this newspaper, we are watching two different scenarios – one in the West and one in the North. We are watching how calm Chiquibul, Caracol, and Pilar appear to have become in the last few weeks after the violent turbulence of late September and October. That’s out West, in the Cayo. And, we are watching the epic struggle between American Sugar Refining (ASR) and the cane farmers of Belize’s Orange Walk and Corozal Districts. That is, of course, in the North. Let’s start with the North, where the critical 2014/2015 sugar cane crop was supposed to start on Monday, December 8, with the farmers commencing delivery of their cane to the Tower Hill factory for grinding and processing into sugar and molasses. Reports on Sunday, December 7, were that the crop would be delayed because ASR and the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) have not settled their differences. The most important of those differences involves the matter of bagasse, a by-product when the cane is ground which has become substantially more valuable in the last few years. Bagasse is now used to generate electricity, and ASR is saying that it is the company which made the investment in the equipment which generates electricity from bagasse. The cane farmers are saying that it is their sugar cane from which the bagasse is derived, and they are entitled, on principle, to a reasonable share of the bagasse money.

From the Publisher
Every now and then, I have a hard time producing a column. One of the reasons for this is that I am not a machine. A second reason is that there are times I have to swallow things I’d really want to say. I saw a story some days ago where a nursing mother with a two-month-old baby got remanded to prison because the police found a bullet in her home. The whole family was taken away to jail. I really thought we had found a way to take the fangs out of our stupid gun laws, but the vicious predator, made in the U.S.A., is still with us. In these modern, urbanized societies, we live in large groups of human beings. We have laws and regulations which guide and govern our individual conduct, and these laws and regulations exist so as to reduce the amount of friction among us; laws and regulations are supposed to facilitate us in our daily interactions with each other.

“Déjà vu” in sugar industry
Instead of overseeing the delivery of freshly harvested stalks of sugar cane to the Tower Hill milling factory in Orange Walk Town today, which was designated as the optimal date for the start of the 2014/2015 sugar crop season, the executives of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) headed to Belize City for another round of talks with Prime Minister Dean Barrow and other government officials in hopes of bringing an end to a continual gridlock which has effectively stifled the sugar industry for the second consecutive year. After months of negotiations, which resulted in several proposals, counterproposals and exchanging of letters affirming such, the local cane farmers’ association and the sugar processors are back at square one and thus, the BSCFA, in its efforts to get the season started and avoid the degree of losses that were experienced last season, sat down once again today with PM Barrow, Deputy PM and Minister of Agriculture, Gaspar Vega, and representatives of the relevant government entities, including the Sugar Industry Control Board (SICB), at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel to finalize a solution to the crisis.

Cuba, CARICOM aim to widen trade amid calls on US to end Cuba embargo
At the 5th CARICOM-Cuba Summit which opened in Havana, Cuba, this morning, leaders of the region reaffirmed their commitment to trade collaboration with their sister Caribbean country, Cuba, amid renewed calls for the United States to end its 50-year-old trade embargo against Cuba. Cuban president, Army General Raul Castro Ruz, while acknowledging his country’s economic difficulties, asserted, “we will honor our pledge to cooperate and share our modest achievements with our sister nations in the Caribbean.” Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Hon. Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said that a practical machinery had to be established to expand trade and investment between CARICOM and Cuba. Central to such machinery is effective and affordable transportation for the movement of goods and people between our countries, he added.

Patrick Jones

Multiple fatalities in Corozal
There are reports of a violent attack tonight in Corozal town which has left three people dead. Reports are that a man viciously chopped another during an attack which happened on College Road. According to reports received, a second man who came to the aid of the […]

Conch Shell Bay residents complain of abusive GSU raids
Residents of the Conch Shell Bay area of Belize City have raised loud complaints over alleged abuse at the hands of the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU), which has recently been conducting raids in the area. The raids occurred on Saturday and today, Tuesday, and they have one thing […]

COLA releases police files
Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) today released a series of files detailing correspondence between the Police Association and the Police Department high command dating back to 2011. The files, it says, “detail an increasing frustration with the Police High Command’s inability and unwillingness to meet with […]

Radio station launches fundraising effort in Toledo
The Toledo Christian Radio has embarked on its yearly fundraising effort to support its ongoing programs. According to President of Board of Directors Maria Tut, the radio station stays on the air through funds or offering collected from listeners around the Toledo district. Every year the station organizes […]

Man accused of sexually assaulting eight year old girl
Twenty year old Lionel Quiroz, a resident of Lord’s Bank who is the father of 2 children, was charged with sexual assault on a 9 year old girl when he appeared on Monday before Magistrate Herbert Panton. Quiroz pled not guilty to the charge. The prosecutor objected to […]

Student allegedly swipes money from cable company
Twenty-one year old Carlos Echeverria, a student of the University of Belize, was charged with theft when he appeared today before magistrate Dale Cayetano. Echeverria pleaded not guilty to the charge. He was released on a bail of $1,000 and his case was adjourned until February 6, 2015. […]

Standard 6 student from Orange Walk wins national reading competition
Meet Roshelle Flores. She is a Standard 6 student at the La Inmaculada Roman Catholic Primary School in Orange Walk town. She was recently crowned as the best reader in all of Belize when she captured the national reading competition at the end of last month, which […]

Ladies graduate from MAMAS program
The latest group of women to benefit from home economics and craft training under the Mujeres Asuperando a Mujeres a Superarse (MAMAS) graduated over the weekend in Orange Walk town. Sixteen young ladies received certification after completing the training program in pastry making, cosmetology and barbering. The […]

Man charged for bigamy
A man from Roaring Creek village, Cayo has been arrested and charged for the crime of bigamy. 36 year old John Chimilio is accused of being married to two women at the same time. According to police a 27 year old woman reported on Monday that she found another marriage certificate indicating that the man she is currently married to, is still married to another woman, dating back to March, 2010. Police say that checks made at the Vital Statistics department confirmed that John Chimilio is married twice.

Blogs

Monkeys or manatees? Sometimes a hard choice!...Louise makes her decision!
My name is Louise, I’m a 21 year old marine biology graduate from the UK. My love of manatees began when I first saw them on a family holiday to Florida. It was this love that drew me to Wildtracks. Despite being fond of all animals, I had no particular interest in monkeys, hence I was surprised when a few days after my arrival Paul asked how I felt about looking after three baby howler monkeys. Despite being very flattered at being considered for this huge responsibility, I doubted my suitability considering my lack of experience and knowledge of monkeys. My emotions were bitter sweet at this point when I considered how this position would limit my time with the manatees, and (I assumed) prevent my dream of bottle feeding a calf coming true. I was thus ecstatic when it was announced I was to take care of the baby monkeys alongside the two manatee calves Mitch and Lucky. Although my schedule was rather full on, all babies requiring five feeds a day, and the monkeys needing almost constant attention, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Laidback Belize: Live Well in the Caribbean for Less Than $2,000 a Month
I’ve never seen such blue water as the Caribbean in Belize. I couldn’t keep my eyes off it, whether I was cruising around by boat, watching tiny islets fade into the distance… swinging in a hammock strung between two palms on the beach…or beating that tropical heat with a cold Belikin beer in the shade of a palm frond-roofed beach bar. Belize has a lot to offer those seeking a new life abroad. The low cost of living means a couple can live well on $2,000 to $3,000 or less a month. Established expat communities make for a ready supply of new friends, and it’s English-speaking, even if it’s the second or even third language for many locals. (I spoke only English during my time there and had no issues.) Plus, it’s easy to get to from North America, thanks to daily flights. And it’s no problem to get around the roughly Massachusetts-sized country itself: The main highways are in good shape, regional airlines provide service all over, and frequent and on-time water taxis serve the island communities.

My Year in San Pedro, All of Belize and Reasons to Visit in 2015, Part 2
Just a few weeks ago- over Thanksgiving weekend – I was reminiscing about all the amazing things I’ve been able to do over the past year. From attending a Harley-Davidson Rally in Belize City to floating on a glowing lagoon in Hopkins. I stopped in June and since I am in NJ now…for another 6 days…weathering “Winter Storm Damon” (I’m sure this has been asked 1 billion times, but when did winter storms get names? And what about a bunch of rain makes this a named storm that must be talked about CONTINUOUSLY on TV? Sigh…#NJProblems)…I thought I’d continue. Here are the things, people, food, tours, animals…the stuff I am SO thankful for doing this year.

International Sources

Major Hotel Project Coming to Belize
A major new resort project is coming to Belize’s island of Caye Chapel. The country’s government announced Tuesday evening that a leading Mexican luxury hotel development group had purchased the 265-acre island. While the government did not reveal the name of the group, it said it consisted of the owners and operators of luxury tourism developments in Mexico City, Cancun and Acapulco. The group is now “working on a detailed development plan for the island for presentation to Government,” Belize’s BELTRAIDE agency said in a statement. The plan is expected to include a partnership with a “renowned global luxury hotel brand,” which will be announced in the near future. The government said it anticipates the project to begin development in early 2015. “The government of Belize is pleased to welcome this significant investment into Belize’s growing tourism sector,” it said.

All-Star Filmmaking Team to Steer ‘The 3D Distribution Project’
An Important Regional project that NICH has partnered on and is represented within the steering committee in the person of our Belize International Film Festival Director, Suzette Zayden. CaribbeanTales Worldwide Distribution, (CTWD) this week announced the impressive international team of top film and cultural industry talent that will implement the “3D Distribution Project” an innovative project financed by the ACP Cultures+ Programme of the European Union. The aim of the 3D Project – which stands for Digital, Domestic, and Diaspora Distribution -- is to expand markets for indigenous film, and contribute to the Caribbean film industry’s global competitiveness. The team consists of long-time CTWD associates as well as outstanding professionals new to the CaribbeanTales family. Together they bring a wide range of skills, and combined years of experience to ensure the successful implementation of the project’s objectives.

Caribbean Court of Justice to hear Belize nationalization case
The Caribbean Court of Justice will take up on Wednesday the nationalization case pitting the government of Belize against British Caribbean Bank and businessman Dean Boyce. The court will spend three days listening to arguments in six consolidated appeals lodged against Belize by Dean Boyce & Trustees of the BTL Employees Trust, British Caribbean Bank Ltd and Fortis Energy International (Belize) Inc. In 2009, the government of Belize enacted a number of statutes citing a public purpose for the compulsory acquisition of utility companies BTL and BEL properties, belonging to Boyce and British Caribbean Bank Ltd. Boyce and BCB successfully challenged the constitutionality of the government's actions in the Court of Appeal.

The Worst Caribbean Ports of Call for Cruises
It’s dreary outside and you find yourself dreaming of an escape to the Caribbean. You long for turquoise water and sugar-sand beaches, with plenty of activities to take your mind off work. Cruises offer the perfect smorgasbord of beaches, shopping, scenery, and fun things that you can’t do at home, all served up with a fruity, umbrella-topped beverage. But not every port lives up to the image in your dreams. To help you choose your next cruise itinerary — or rather, figure out which places to avoid — Yahoo Travel did some digging around and found the Caribbean ports with the worst reputations. Another industrial city, with very little to do in the port itself, Belize City does have adventure waiting beyond the city itself. Ships do not actually dock here; they anchor off and use tenders to carry passengers to town, or sometimes directly to activities on nearby tiny islands. There are things to do in Belize City, but you have to plan ahead. One Cruise Critic reviewer said, “Don’t even think about walking around the town and looking for trinkets. We sought out a beach but couldn’t find one. We asked a cabby where one was and he replied that Belize City HAS NO BEACH!”

Daughter’s legacy continues with Abby’s House
A Columbus woman’s legacy continues to touch medical students from around the world nearly a decade after her death. Fourth-year medical students who spend a month at Hillside Health Care International in southern Belize stay in Abby’s House, a dorm that houses up to 16 students and is located next to the free clinic. The 6,000-square-foot dorm is named after Abigail Brinkman, a Columbus native who died in a 2005 diving accident while serving at the clinic.

Cuba and CARICOM Close Summit with Promise to Strengthen Integration
Cuba and the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) have concluded their fifth summit in Havana with a commitment to strengthen economic and commercial relations as well as cooperation in areas of health, education, climate change and intensifying their integration. “This day has been intense and fruitful because it has served to further strengthen our unity and reinforce our commitment to continue working together tirelessly, for the development and prosperity of the Caribbean and Latin America,” said Cuban President Raul Castro at the close of the summit Monday. Caribbean and Cuban leaders, in their final declaration, pledged to work towards developing their countries, especially in the economic and environmental fields, as well as improving productivity, infrastructure and air and sea transport connections.

Sweet Deal: How One Company Found a New Way to Support Cacao Farmers
Improving the productivity and livelihoods of the more than 2.5 billion farmers around the world should be one of the biggest impact investment opportunities around. Yet, small-scale agriculture businesses, with their seasonal revenues and volatile prices, have generally been seen as too risky and troublesome for equity impact investors. Maya Mountain Cacao launched in Belize in 2010 with an investment from Alex Whitmore, owner of Taza Chocolate in Boston, who was looking to source high-quality cacao from Belize’s Toledo district. At the time, most of the area’s top cacao farmers sold their harvests to a single dominant buyer: the Toledo Cacao Growers’ Association, which supplied exclusively to Cadbury. Whitmore saw the potential for competition. Whitmore teamed up with Emily Stone, an energetic social and environmental activist. Stone saw the impact potential of creating another cacao buyer in a region with 70 percent poverty.

Condor und Tropic Air kooperieren
Der Ferienflieger Condor zählt ab sofort die belizische Fluggesellschaft Tropic Air zu seinen Partnern. Die Flüge von Tropic Air können als Erweiterung des Condor Flugnetzes über das bereits bestehende Ziel Cancún (CUN) gebucht werden, teilte Condor nun mit. Condor fliegt im aktuellen Winterflugplan 2014/15 immer dienstags, mittwochs, donnerstags, samstags und sonntags ab Frankfurt (FRA) und immer montags und freitags ab München (MUC) nach Cancún (CUN), Mexiko. Weiterflüge nach Belize (BZE) mit Tropic Air werden einmal wöchentlich, immer samstags, angeboten. Ein Rückflug von Belize kann flexibel gewählt werden, die Anbindung besteht täglich über Cancún nach Frankfurt oder München und weiter nach ganz Europa. Durch die Kooperation mit Tropic Air ist Belize künftig für Reisende ab Europa schneller und bequemer zu erreichen. Durch die neue Verbindung via Cancún kann der Komfort für Condor Gäste erheblich verbessert werden. So verkürzt sich beispielsweise die Reisezeit von Frankfurt nach Belize auf rund 16 Stunden.

Videos

Video: Belize City dump transformed, 1.5min. It's #transformationtuesday and just take a look at how the Belize City dump has been transformed into an eco-friendly transfer station in just a few years. The late Keith Swift produced an award-winning news item on the squalor and filth that some residents had to endure which is no longer the case.

Video: Project PAC Belize 2014: Day 1, 3.5min. Members of the Wagner College Physician Assistant Class of 2016 went on a medical trip to Belize to aid locals with medical problems facing them. Along the way we also visited Mayan Ruins, the jungle, and a private island. A video has been created for each day and over the next 5 days you will be able to see the trip unfold. Enjoy and please share with family and friends!

Video: Project PAC Belize 2014: Day 2, 3.5min. Our first touring day was filled with the Mayan Ruins of Lamanai!

Video: Leaf Cutter Ants in Belize, 1min.

Video: BELIZE // 2014, 6.5min.

Video: Belize snorkeling, 6min. Ambergris Caye Hol Chan Marine Reserve Shark Ray Alley.

Video: Alexi's Restaurant in Dangriga, Belize, 3min. Cyril Uruwei, Publisher at Belize In America, interviews Chester and Noelia Ritchie at Alexi's Restaurant in Dangriga, Belize.

Video: MISS AMERICA BELIZE IN DANGRIGA 10 / 12/ 2014, 9min.

Video: Silk Caye Belize Tangs, 1min. Shot at Silk/Queen Caye, Belize in August 2014

Video: Selfie videos from day 3 of diving Belize., 9min.

December 9, 2014

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

Where do you Read? Bob reads in Cuenca Ecuador
On his most recent trip to Cuenca, Ecuador, Bob was sure to keep The San Pedro Sun Newspaper in mind! While attending the Confederación Americana de Triatlón (CAMTRI) Triathlon training camp, Gabourel snapped pics of The Sun in destinations all around Cuenca. Such places included the Velladome Stadium where he took pictures with fellow cyclists, Basilica de la Santisima Trinidad, Cuenca Community Park, and the Nueva Catedral. We are excited to hear all about Bob’s experiences and training.

Captain Morgan’s: You don’t have to stay there…to PLAY there!
For those who want the full beach-side resort experience, without having to stay there, Captain Morgan’s is happy to allow you pool and beach access while enjoying their water toys (kayaks, paddle boards etc.) as long as you are a bar and/or restaurant patron. That sounds easy enough! Let’s play! Located just 3.5 miles north of San Pedro Town, Captain Morgan’s is an easy golf cart drive (especially now that the road north of the Boca del Rio Bridge is being paved) or a short water taxi ride. If you have a party of six or more you can even arrange for a Captain Morgan’s boat to come and pick you up! How’s that for accommodating?

Miss San Pedro Michelle Nuñez establishes SHINE Girls Club
Since winning the Miss San Pedro Pageant on August 30, 2014, Michelle Nuñez has taken the role of representing the island with pride, and aiding in the growth and development of her home town. With aims of making La Isla Bonita a better place, Nuñez has created SHINE Girls Club, a youth enrichment program for young girls. SHINE stands for Shaping Healthy Identities through Nurturing and Empowerment and will officially launch the club on January 24, 2015. According to Michelle, her sister Savanna inspired her to create a group that assists young girls on the island. “It all started with a conversation with my sister, Savanna. She motivates me in every single way. I knew as her sibling, I wanted her to become a better person; to give her that extra push and let her know that she too is a princess and beautiful. One day, she saw me getting ready for the Miss San Pedro event, and she also wanted to shine! She would watch me put on my makeup and I just thought about this crazy idea to help motivate a group of girls who really need guidance, self-esteem and those that need help making healthy decisions. My sister said ‘do it’, and she got me all excited! I told her this will be a great opportunity to make friends and also help me make a difference by setting an example.” said Nuñez.

Belizean Marine Scientist Dr. Isani Chan joins Oceana
Dr Isani Chan, Belizean Marine Scientist has relocated from Taiwan to join the staff of Oceana in Belize. The well established and qualified scientist will complement the efforts of the organization in ocean conservation in Belize. Originally from Punta Gorda in southern Belize, Dr Chan is no stranger to Ambergris Caye, as he served as Bacalar Chico Marine Biologist before leaving to pursue higher education. According to Oceana in Belize, Dr. Chan’s experience will bolster the organization in an effort to protect the country’s precious marine resources, which have been facing many challenges. “It is my honor to return to Belize after eight years of being overseas to continue my personal commitment to protecting the world’s oceans,” says Dr. Chan. He added that, “Being a part of a dynamic team that is dedicated to both protecting and restoring the world’s oceans has always been one of my utmost goals. Our marine environment continues to be negatively impacted by an increase in anthropogenic activities including overfishing and carbon dioxide emission. In my new role as Oceana in Belize’s marine scientist, I will work to enhance the policies governing Belize’s unique and economically important marine ecosystems.”

Environment around Ambergris Caye is contaminated
“We are hitting the tipping point and if we don’t all take action soon in the community, Isla Bonita is not going to last much longer.” Those were the words of Dr. Marisa Tellez, a Scientific Researcher conducting research on various parts of Belize, including Ambergris Caye. Her strong statements come while sharing initial findings on her research of parasite samples collected on the island back in September. Tellez has been contracted by United States Government through the National Science Foundation, to collect data and study American Salt Water Crocodilians in an effort to look at ways humans and environmental impact are affecting disease and the health of the animals in crocodilian habitat. The samples were collected by flushing crocodiles’ stomachs, as well as dissecting small crabs and fish, known to be the crocs’ basic diet. Tellez and her team collected parasites, which are a good indicator of the health of an animal and the environment. They also studied the spleen of the dissected animals to look at the animal’s health. According to Tellez, fish and crabs from around the populated parts of San Pedro Town actually showed signs of illness. “With the fish, their spleens were white and covered with cysts … their spleens need to be very pink or red and very plump. A spleen can tell you right away the health of an animal. Upon our initial observation, we could have said right away there is something going on in the environment.”

Ambergris Today

Foreva Fancy Christmas Fashion Show
Saturday December 6, 2014 was a night of fashion as many gathered at the Angel Nuñez Auditorium for Foreva Fancy’s “once upon a time forever frozen” fashion show. Models strut down the runway showcasing the latest trends for this holiday season. Highlight of the night was the Victoria Secret Angels inspired intro to the show which spread the Christmas joy.

Technology in Every Corner of the World
As her young sister helps her mother fold clothing to sell at their stall on the beach, this girl hides underneath the table and keeps busy with her electronic device. Technology has a way of making it to every corner of the world, rich or poor, young and old and sometimes to even the most indigenous of cultures. It's definitely a sign of the times.

San Pedro Holiday Lighted Boat Parade Shines Bright
Santa Claus riding a GIANT Shark floating across the moonlit sea caught the eyes of everyone who went out to watch the eight annual San Pedro Holiday Lighted Boat Parade that took place on Saturday, December 6, 2014. That, plus a handful of boat entries, lit up the dark horizon and delighted spectators of all ages on a magical evening. After a hiatus last year, the Lighted Boat Parade was organized once again this year, and solidified its ranking as a top tourist (and local) event in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize. The event attracted hundreds to gather at various viewing hot spots, with local restaurants and bars offering special menus and cocktails to their customers.

Belize Tourism Industry Association Elects New President & Sets Goals for 2015
The Belize Tourism Industry Association held its 29th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on December 5, 2014, at the Radisson Fort George Hotel & Marina. The event was well attended by BTIA members, dignitaries, industry partners and invited guests. The AGM provided the audience with the Association's annual report on activities, issues undertaken in 2014 and the elections of new board members. Mr. Herbert Haylock completed a successful two year term, which culminated at the AGM and now assumes the post of the Immediate Past President of the Association.

Misc Belizean Sources

COURTS EXTENDED HOURS

SUICIDE
Official Police Reports affirm on December 5 at about 9:00 p.m, Maria Rosaria Caal of Bella Vista Village, Stann Creek reportedly hung herself after a misunderstanding with her husband 22-year-old Jenaro Caal also of Bella Vista. Police were also alerted this morning that Jenaro attempted to take his own life. He was transported to the Southern Regional where he is listed in a stable condition. At about 9:25 p.m. also this morning, Lydia Pop a 13-year-old student of Red Bank hung herself after a misunderstanding with her mother.

POLICE REPORTS FROM THE CAYO DISTRICT
On Saturday at about 11:30p.m., police visited the San Ignacio Hospital where they saw a Hispanic male person suffering from a stab wound to the left side of his chest. He was identified as 50-year-old Joseph August Sr of Esperanza Village, who was in a semi-conscious state. Investigations revealed that Joseph August and his family, including his 20-year-old son Joshua August of Esperanza Village, Cayo were socializing and consuming alcohol when they both got into an argument. The son reportedly left but returned a short while later with a knife and reportedly inflicted a stab wound to his father's chest. Joseph was transported to the San Ignacio Hospital, where he was later transported to the Western Regional Hospital in a stable condition. His son Joshua was detained pending investigations.

Are you interested in studying in the US, but not sure how to pay for it?
On December 9 at 8:00 am join Dorothy Mora from the Education and Cultural Affairs Bureau at State Department and Evelyn Levinson, International Admissions Director at American University as they discuss how students can finance their studies. What kind of costs should you expect? What are the different kinds of loans, scholarships, and fellowships available for international students? What are some creative ways students can fund their studies and save money? The US Embassy will cover these topics and more, while answering your live questions! So come prepared with questions and learn how to finance your studies in the United States!

JOB VACANCY for Field Foreman – SIRDI
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the European Union (EU) has entered into an agreement to implement a three year project for the provision of Institutional Support to Strengthen the Sugar Industry Research and Development Institute (SIRDI). The project seeks to promote and support sustainable livelihoods, particularly in the rural communities of the "sugar belt", thus contributing to the reduction of poverty in Belize. IICA will require the services of an individual with a background in field supervision of sugarcane management practices to serve as a Field Foreman at SIRDI. The Field Foreman will be based at the SIRDI facility in Buena Vista, Corozal and will report to the Coordinator of Research.

MISSING 13 YEAR OLD
29-year-old Martha Lopez of Duck Run 3 Village, visited the station on the 07.12.14 and reported that on the 06.12.14 at about 6:00p.m. her daughter 13-year-old Hilda Lopez, Belizean student of Billy White Village, left her house without her permission and up the time of making this report she has not yet been seen nor heard from. She was last seen wearing a blue skirt and a black blouse. She is 5 feet in height, weighs 100 pounds, has black long hair with curls, of Hispanic descent, fair complexion, oval face, has a scar below her left knee, she was wearing a blue slippers and is believed to be in the company of a male person. If seen kindly inform the nearest police station.

Basketball News - Results for the 2014 Corozal Basketball League
Kings 58 - H & A 63 Jah Soliders 74 - Libertad 56 Belize Bulldogs 72 - Predators 69 Here are some pictures of your home team Predators who battled Belize Bulldogs with 7 players unfortunately lost by 3 points.

Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow Returned to the Country Today
The Office of the Prime Minister informs the general public that the Prime Minister, Hon. Dean Barrow returned to the country today December 7th, 2014 to address pressing ongoing issues in the sugar cane industry.

Condor & Tropic Air Announce New Partnership
The leisure airline Condor now includes the Belize airline Tropic Air as one of its partners with immediate effect. Flights from Tropic Air can be booked via the existing destination Cancun (CUN) as an enhancement to the network of flights offered by Condor. As set out in its current 2014/15 winter flights schedule, Condor regularly flies to Cancun (CUN), Mexico from Frankfurt (FRA) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and from Munich (MUC) on Mondays and Fridays. Onward flights to Belize (BZE) with Tropic Air are available on a weekly basis on Saturdays. A return flight from Belize can be selected on a flexible basis as the connection via Cancun to Frankfurt or Munich and on to destinations throughout Europe is available daily.

Encouraging Creativity: Colour Me Belize- Book Launch
BELTRAIDE, in partnership with the Centre for the Promotion of Micro and Small Enterprises (CENPROYMPE) and the Embassy of Taiwan (China), has completed the project, “Integral Development of Entrepreneurship for Central America and Dominican Republic” in Belize. Round II of EMPRENDE Belize was held from April – August, 2014 and saw the training of over thirty entrepreneurs. Culture Connection was a successful recipient of seed capital under this project. Culture Connection prides itself in being the first authentic Belizean, educational coloring book created to impart knowledge of our rich ancestral heritage to the new generation. After much research, hard work, and finally receiving the endorsement from key stakeholders Colour Me Belize was created and printed. Colour Me Belize has received endorsement from Ministry of Education, Belize Tourism Board and the National Institute of Culture and History. Additionally, the foreword has been written by Mrs.Kim Simplis Barrow, Special Envoy for Women and Children, Spouse of the Prime Minister of Belize.

Municipal Elections 2015
The General Public is informed that Municipal Elections will be held on Wednesday, 4th March 2015.

Cayo North By-election
A By-election for the Cayo North Electoral Division will take place on Monday, 5th January 2015. Polls will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m. Nominations for persons wishing to contest the election will be received on Monday, 15th December, 2014 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the Administration Building in San Ignacio Town.

National Oil Spill Training
Belize's marine environment and the Belize Barrier Reef is one of the country's most precious natural heritage, which many families rely on as a source of income. The Department of the Environment (DOE) believes that with the risk of oil spills imposed from the importation and exportation of petroleum products, it is of utmost importance for Belize to have First Responders and On-Scene Commanders who are properly trained to respond to national oil spill incidents. As a result, a National IMO Level II Oil Spill Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation (OPRC) Training is being held from 9th December 2014 to 11th December 2014 at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza in Belize City, and is geared towards building capacity of First Responders and OnScene Commanders in the event of an oil spill.

Channel 7

Deadlines For Start Of Season Passes: No Crop Still
December eighth - that's the date that had been set for the starts of the 2014 - 2015 sugar crop season. But that day came and went and nothing happened: the industry remains at a standstill and with 1.4 million tonnes of sugarcane in the field - the losses now begin to mount. It's a dire situation, and the Prime Minister cancelled a trip to a Caricom-Cuba summit to return home yesterday for crisis meetings today. The first was held with the executive and branch chairmen of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association. That took place at 10:00 am at the Biltmore - and by 11:30 - it was over. We spoke to both sides:.. Ezequiel Cansino - Chair, Com of Mgmt, BSCFA "The issue was on the bagasse that they didn't agree on the proposal. So we present to the Prime Minister the proposal that we had presented to them."

Petrocaribe Pulls Back
As Minister of Finance, The PM is also closely monitoring the Petrocaribe situation. International financial news reports say that Venezuela is being forced to securitize the 3.5 billion dollar a year Petrocaribe debt. This basically means that they would sell the debt to Wall Street investment banks - and those countries that owe Venezuela would then have their debt transferred to various international investment banks like Goldman Sachs. It is a dramatic realignment of the pro-poor programme, but Venezuela is being forced into it because plummeting world oil prices have cut sharply into Venezuela's domestic earnings. So, it basically has to sell the debt - at deep discounts - to raise money. Initial reports are that the debts to be securitized are the ones owing by Jamaica and the Dominican Republic - which are in the billions of dollars, compared to Belize's far smaller debt which so far is at a few hundred million dollars.

PM Still Pulling For Mayor Bradley
And while Petrocaribe is cutting back on fuel, is the mayor cutting back on his time at City Hall - and cutting off his commitment to run a second term for the UDP? Last week he told us that he was not resigning - but didn't quite say that he would run for mayor. Reliable reports tell us that indeed he has cleared out and locked up his office at city hall, packed it all into a box and said a sort of sayonara. If true, it's outrageous behavior for an elected and salaried official - but today the Prime Minister said that he didn't know about it - and expects that nothing has changed on planet Darrell:.. Jules Vasquez "Sir, are you able to say anything about the vicissitudes your mayor Mr. Bradley? We don't know if he is coming or going. He told us he is staying around, but then I heard he has since left the building with boxes and that he may not run for mayor." Prime Minister Dean Barrow "I haven't heard that and I would think that he is going to run." Jules Vasquez "He will run for the UDP as the mayoral candidate?" Prime Minister Dean Barrow "I am pretty sure, yes."

Strange And Sudden Death In The Valley Of Peace: Is It Murder?
Tonight, the village of Valley of Peace in the Cayo District continues to monitor closely how the police are handling the case of 54 year-old Donatilo Canales who was shot to death early Saturday morning. Canales, who was shot by police last year, was found dead in his back yard with multiple gunshot injuries. The Police Press Office is calling it a shooting incident, but his family believes that he was murdered. It's a complex situation because a gun and 4 expended shells were found on the scene, so police aren't labelling it directly as a homicide. That leaves it open to the interpretation that the injuries could have been self-inflicted. On the other hand, the family suspects a police officer of being involved in Canales' death.

Tourists Injured In Accident On Northern
There was a non-fatal traffic accident over the weekend between mile 6 and 7 on the Northern Highway. On Saturday evening at around 5:30 a Jeep Cherokee was traveling from Ladyville to Belize City when it collided with a Ford Escalade. Apparently, as a result of the rain, the driver of the Jeep transporting two tourists lost control of the vehicle and hit the Ford Escalade. There were no fatalities just minor injuries. One of the tourists complained of pain to the neck while the other complained of pain to the chest.

Man Killed When Van Flips
There was another road traffic accident but this one was fatal. It claimed the life of 25 year old Belizean Bus Driver Jexcel Redondo. On Sunday evening at about 3:00, Redondo was driving a van from Bella Vista to Punta Gorda when it overturned near miles 48 and 49 on the Southern Highway. As a result Redondo died while his passenger 20-year-old Lester Enriquez Urthia suffered head and body injuries and was transported to the Southern Regional hospital.

PUP Accepting Christmas Cheer - Political Hypocrisy?
Christmas cheer - it's straight up political handouts - just in time for Christmas - a policy manifestation at the state level of the political patronage system invented by George Price - and still alive and well in Dean Barrow. Here's how it works, courtesy of Petrocaribe funds, each UDP Representative gets one hundred and ten thousand dollars, and each PUP gets thirty five thousand dollars, courtesy of Petrocaribe to spend on their constituents. UDP standard bearers also get an allotment. Now, no one gets cash money; they get an allotment from the government treasury, which they then distribute amongst their constituents as they see fit. It's ticklish for the PUP this year because they're in court challenging the spending of Petrocaribe money; in fact they asked the court to stop the government for spending the petr-bucks. And now, they're feeding from that same public trough.

No Cash For Christmas Cheer
And while the Leader of the Opposition did his best to gloss over a programme that, bottom line, uses taxpayer dollars to sponsor political patronage - the Prime Minister couldn't contain himself when we asked him about the PUP's political acrobatics:.. Jules Vasquez "Sir and then the PUP has accepted Christmas Cheer. The Leader of the Opposition accepted that in deed it may indicate hypocrisy on their part, but he was willing to take that because he says he is convinced that the program has a sufficient level of transparency." Prime Minister Dean Barrow "Well, Amen." Jules Vasquez "But at the same time does this in your opinion weaken your case strategically or in any substantial way legally?"

PUP's Political Newcomer In Albert Is Familiar Face
In the Albert division that means Area Rep Herman Longsworth will be distributing it. He took over in 2012 when Mark Espat decided not to run for the PUP again. It was the first time in 14 years that the UDP had control of a seat that it had dominated for the better part of three decades under Phillip Goldson in the 70's, 80's and 90's. And now the PUP are hoping that they can re-take the seat - with a new candidate who the party endorsed yesterday. As we found out this newcomer is not so new to the division - and the PUP is banking on this familiarity - even if it means invoking the name of a former friend turned enemy:.. Jules Vasquez reporting An all-star cast of city based and national PUP personalities were on the stage for the Thompson convention. And while the political brass was there, at about 200, the crowd wasn't what you'd call buff. And while the up and coming PUP's took the front seats, Albert voters shadowed the edges.

No Clues On ID of Maskall Bones
A month ago we reported on the human remains that were found outside of Maskall Village. A post mortem was done on the site but it was inconclusive. Today the police are no closer to finding whose remains they are. Inspector Frederick Gordon, Rural Executive Officer, Police Department "We have no further update at this time. At this time we know that the bones are at the lab and the doctor is doing his checkup. As soon as he is finish I guess he will pass on the report to us, then we fo further from there."

Getting Serious About Agriculture In Jalacte
Jalacte is at the southwestern tip of Belize bordering Guatemala - and it is a robust trading post for informal, unregulated trade with their neighboring village Santa Cruz, Guatemala. But as we reported in 2011 the condition of the Southern Highway from the Dump at the PG junction to Jalacte presented a challenge for traders. Now, with the 47 million dollar road project almost completed, residents and traders will be able to access the road freely. Apart from the road project, efforts are also being made to enhance the agricultural sector in southern communities like Jalacte and San Vicente. The initial stages of an agricultural outreach program started in these areas with the erection of outposts where- when the road project is completed- will implement regular agricultural health and safety checks. Agriculture Minister Gaspar Vega told us more about the impact this initiative will have on these communities.

Mystery Man Murdered in San Ignacio Savagery
A man was found desperately holding on to life in his home in San Ignacio over the weekend. Initial investigations revealed that on Saturday night between 9:30. and 11:30, a Salvadoran man identified only as Alexander was socializing with friends on Awe Street. After the gathering, he left and was not seen until 4 on Sunday morning at his home. 22-year-old Dennis Guzman who lives with Alexander on Coyoc Street found him lying face up and bleeding profusely from a large cut wound to the right side of his head. He also had abrasions to the left foot and a bruised right eye. Alexander was taken to the San Ignacio Community Hospital for treatment but died at about 8:00 Sunday morning while being transported to the K.H.M.H.

"Drive" Walks
25 year-old Edwin "Drive" Flowers, 34 year-old Michael Coleman, 23 year-old Emmerson Skyers, 24 year-old Albert Clother, and a 17 year-old minor, all believed to members of the PIV Gang, were among the first men to be arrested and remanded for the gang crackdown after those multiple gang-related shootings which left 4 men dead and 4 injured in September. Well, tonight all 5 men are at home after being freed of the charge today. All 4 were picked up by police 2 months ago at Clother's home on Jasmine Street in Belize City. The officers searched for illegal substances, but found nothing. The officers claim that while under caution, all 5 men confessed to being members of the PIV gang.

A Woman For Home Invasion
Often in our newscast, we tell you about men who have either been accused or convicted of home invasions. But tonight, we report the rare occurrence of a woman, 21 year-old Kenisha Humes, who is being accused of the crime. According to police, at around 8 on last week Wednesday, she broke into Corrine Copius's house on Partridge Street while armed with a Machete. Police believe that she was there to try to hurt Coleen Lewis, but she retreated when Lewis reportedly threw acid at her. Humes was unharmed, but police quickly arrested and charged her with aggravated burglary. She was arraigned today before the Senior Magistrate, Sharon Frazer, and on the strength of the objections from the police prosecutor, she was remanded until February 12.

Son Stabs Father, Dad Says No To Charges
An argument between father and son turned into a stabbing in Esperanza. 20 year old Joshua August stabbed his father to the chest on Saturday night. He, his father 50 year old Joseph August Sr. and other family members were hanging out when Joseph and Joshua got into an argument. The son reportedly left but returned a short while later with a knife and stabbed his father in the chest. Joseph August Sr. was transported to the San Ignacio Hospital, where he was later transported to the Western Regional Hospital in a stable condition. His son Joshua was detained pending investigations. Joseph August has given a statement to police saying that he doesn't court action against his son, Joshua, and so police will not continue with the case.

The Importance OF Being Diligent
A young man who calls himself the voice of the youth is here in Belize again. This morning 12 year old motivational speaker Anthony Gill spoke to students from the Hummingbird Elementary School. His message centered on the importance of education and believing in oneself to achieve greatness. And yes, he is only 12 years old but he has traveled all over America to inspire others his age. Courtney Weatherburne has the story. Courtney Weatherburne reporting At first glance, this student gathering might seem like a talent competition or even a class presentation. But it was more than a presentation. 12 year old motivational speaker Anthony Gill was delivering his empowering message. Anthony Gill, Motivational Speaker "I wanted to leave with them that first of all education is the most important thing when it comes to them and they have to hold on to their morals and values of what is right and what is wrong. I was trying to get out to the adults also to start believing is us as children so that we can one day be the positive force in charge."

Colouring With A Cause
'Color me Belize' is the name of the coloring book that was launched today under Beltraide's EMPRENDE seed capital program. According to entrepreneur Sapna Budhrani, her coloring book is unique in that it is educational and entertaining for children but also therapeutic for adults. Color me Belize is available at Angelus Press.

Caught On Camera
21 year-old Carlos Echeverria, a university student from Pickstock Street, is out on bail for theft because he was allegedly caught on camera while stealing from a business place. It happened on last week Wednesday, when he showed up at the Central Cable Vision office. A sales rep reported that he and another young man asked to an internet account. She told him it would cost $192 dollars. He paid with two hundred dollar notes, and she elft her work station to get him change. At the end of the day, she was balancing her books, and realized that she was $192 dollars short. Surveillance footage was reviewed, and according to police the camera caught the moment when Echeverria shoved his hand into the cash pan and stole the money.

PUP Hoping Mayor Bradley "Bavs"
As you saw earlier in the newscast - UDP Party Leader Dean Barrow is still saying publicly that he expects Mayor Darrell Bradley to seek re-election as the head of a UDP City Council slate. The mayor has avoided pronouncing on it but sources within the council tell us that he won't do it. It's a subject of intense interest for the opposition. With Bradley's unmatched track record, the party would have to be considered a decided underdog in the upcoming Belize City Council elections. Their mayoral candidate Yolanda Schakron continues to avoid us - and their councilor candidates have still not been introduced to the media. Politically, it's a series of weak moves, but right now the PUP's attention is focused on Darrell Bradley - the opposition leader told us why:..

Muscle On The Move
3 Belizean bodybuilders went to San Salvador, El Salvador this weekend to compete in the 2014 Central American bodybuilding Championships. Its a competition where all the top body builders from Central America take each other on, and at this event Belize returned with 5 medals. Newcomer, Oyinkro Akpobodor, who prefers to be referred to as "The African" won first place in the U-23 category. He also competed in the highest weight category of the competition, known as the 80-85 KG Class, and he also placed second.This is only his second entrance into the competition as a bodybuilder, and his achievements have the veterans referring to him as the future of bodybuilding in Belize. The better known Mr. Belize, Rigo Vellos, competed in the second highest weight-class of the competition, known as the 80-85 KG category, and he placed 2nd.

Channel 5

Fate of Sugar Crop Season Hangs In the Balance
On Friday, A.S.R./B.S.I. rejected the B.S.C.F.A.’s proposals on the three points which sit on the negotiating table like ten thousand pound gorillas. One is the timeframe of the agreement which [...]

No More Premium Fuel from Venezuela
The Petrocaribe program was started in 2005 under President Hugo Chavez, and since then has provided countries in the region with invaluable social assistance. But that donor nation is now [...]

P.M. on Christmas Cheer
So when that good thing comes to an end, G.O.B. will deal with it. But for now, the coffers are chock full of the green stuff…overflowing even. And some of [...]

P.U.P. Says It Will Participate in Christmas Cheer Program
The People’s United Party will participate in Government’s Christmas Cheer program, funded with Petrocaribe monies. That announcement by the Party’s Secretariat has been met with raised eyebrows in some quarters, [...]

Midnight Murder in Valley of Peace: Donatilo Canales Fatally Shot
A well known resident was murdered in the Valley of Peace area, Cayo, just after midnight on Saturday. The wife of Donatilo Canales and a neighbor found him dead in [...]

Caretaker Shot and Killed on Farm Near St. Margaret’s Village
Forty-three-year-old Jose Miguel Abrego, a caretaker on a citrus farm near St. Margaret’s Village was shot and killed sometime after eleven o’clock on Sunday night. According to his wife, Abrego [...]

Rodwell Williams Says Smart is On It’s Own after December Twenty-Eight
The case of Speednet Communications Limited and Belize Telemedia Limited returned to the courtroom of Justice Shona Griffith this morning. Speednet, parent company of SMART, had sought an interim injunction [...]

Passengers Escape Near Fatal Collision on Phillip Goldson Highway
Four persons, including two tourists are lucky to be alive following an accident on Saturday evening between miles six and seven on the Phillip Goldson Highway. A Jeep Cherokee taxi [...]

Richard Harrison Launches Campaign for Cayo North Bye-election
Less than a month from today, two untried and untested politicians will go up against each other in Cayo North. The seat up for grabs is Cayo North, which was [...]

P.M. Barrow Says G.O.B. is Clear on Employment of B.M.L. Workers
What’s going on with Mayor Darrell Bradley? There’ve been reports that he’s been threatening resignation and all sorts of calamitous political stuff. Then there’ve been reports of him packing up [...]

Tyrell Hyde Agrees to Settle Out of Court with Cops Who Robbed Him
Last September, twenty-two year old Tyrell Hyde was robbed by cops; it was all caught on tape by surveillance camera at a bank’s ATM machine. Hyde took his case to [...]

Lionel Quiroz Charged After Minor Alleges Sexual Assault
A nine year old child has made a report of sexual assault allegedly committed by a man she knows well. The incident occurred in the Lord’s Bank area, Ladyville, when [...]

Belize Bank Hosts Sixth Annual Xmas Party for Stella Maris School
Over at the Radisson today, a group of special kids were treated to Christmas goodies courtesy of the Belize Bank. It’s the sixth party the bank has been hosting for [...]

Belize Wins Big in Regional Bodybuilding Competition
Belizean bodybuilders made their mark in the Central American Championships held in El Salvador over the weekend. Mister Belize, Rigo Vellos, Veteran Bodybuilder, Clayton Greenidge and promising Novice Bodybuilder, Oyinkro [...]

Gimme Five’s 2014 Grand Prize Winner
Throughout last week, Channel Five celebrated its twenty-second anniversary with the annual Gimme Five Giveaway Show. Thousands of Belizeans from across the country participated and many walked away with fabulous [...]

Highlight of Weekend Sporting Activities with James Adderley
Good evening, I’m James Adderly and this is Sports Monday The struggle for the lead in the PBL football season intensified in week 8 as 5 ball clubs went [...]

LOVE FM

New Call Center Built In Belize City
A newly built call center was officially declared open today in Belize City. Renee Trujillo has the story. RENEE TRUJILLO “We have Sai Info Tech set just now. Sai Info tech is mainly a training and consulting business in which we do the corporate trainings and we do consultancies and as we see the call centers are emerging now a days in Belize and the government of Belize is promoting the call centers and it can create more employment in the country and with our technical background they decided that we should go ahead with this business as it is prospering now in Belize and also with the proximity of having this country is close to the US so the minimum time difference and that is the advantage Belize has over the other countries and it’s an English speaking country. Looking at all the different advantages and of course to generate more employment in the country and so that is what we decided to go ahead with having a call center which is Sai Info.

Man Brutalized By Police Officers; Gordon Addresses Issue
In November, we told you about Lional Bregal, the man accused of stealing more than three hundred thousand dollars worth of jewelry from a family home in Ladyville. He was detained and taken to Ladyville Police Station; however, Brigal claimed that two officers attached to the Ladyville Police Formation brutalized him on Wednesday November 26. We asked the Officer Commanding Ladyville, Inspector Fredrick Gordon about it. FREDRICK GORDON “What happens is that I have assigned an investigator to deal with that matter . The matter is under investigation.” HIPOLITO NOVELO “An investigator from where?” FREDRICK GORDON “Right from this precinct we have somebody investigating the matter . I have assigned a senior NCO to deal with the investigation.”

Indian Merchants Donations To Love Fm Christmas Treats
The group of Indian merchants in northern Belize presented a check to the Love Foundation today towards Christmas treats for the children. Here is Renee Trujillo with the story. KENNY VANJANI “Belize Indian Merchant Association.” RENEE TRUJILLO “and they are donating how much?” KENNY VANJANI “$700 to the Love Foundation. We are all merchants and all business people.” RENEE TRUJILLO “So they contribute to this fund?” KENNY VANJANI “That is what we are going to contribute to the Love Foundation for whatever they do and whatever program with that amount of money.”

CISCO Commence Dismantling Of Toledo Sports Complex
Work began this morning on the dismantling of the old Toledo Sports Complex. We get the details from correspondent Paul Mahung. PAUL MAHUNG “The commencement of the dismantling of the old Toledo sports complex was confirmed by CISCO construction company CFO and contract manager Arsenio Burgos.” ARSENIO BURGOS “We are dismantling and we are then going to be able to reuse what is available. The government has planned as to what it will do with the good components. This is one of the Prime Minister’s initiatives, as you’ve seen they have done one or two streets in Punta Gorda and they will continue to do so in small segments. This is a continuation of that program where preparing the grounds my understanding for a new sports complex/ civic center that will be done in Punta Gorda. I am not clear on the details on that, contract we have now is to dismantle so we use.”

UB Student Charged With Theft
Twenty-one year old Carlos Echeverria, a student of the University of Belize who resides at 34 Pickstock Street, was charged with theft when he appeared today before magistrate Dale Cayetano. Echeverria plead not guilty to the charge. He was released on a bail of $1,000 and his case was adjourned until February 6, 2015. The incident occurred on December 3. Thirty year old Claudia Gallego, a sales representative for Central Cable Vision, reported to the police that while she was at her office two Hispanic males went there and one of them requested to open an internet account.

Father Of Two Charged With Sexual Assault
Twenty year old Lionel Quiroz, a resident of Lord’s bank who is the father of 2 children, was charged with sexual assault on a 9 year old girl when he appeared today before Magistrate Herbert Panton. Quiroz plead not guilty to the charge. The prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds that the offense has become prevalent and the complainant is a minor. In response, Quiroz said that he is the father and mother of his children whose ages are 4 and 6 years old. Magistrate Panton told him that he is offering bail because of his children. Panton offered Quiroz a bail of$1,500 on the condition that he don’t go within 100 yards of the complainant. Quiroz next court date is February 5, 2015.

Fisherman Charged With Drug Trafficking
Twenty-seven year old Kareem Gillett, a fisherman of 111 Vernon Street, was charged with drug trafficking when he appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. Gillett pled not guilty to the charge. He was offered a bail of $5,000 and his case was adjourned until February 18. The incident occurred around7 p.m. on December 6. The police reported that they were on mobile patrol on Vernon street when they saw Gillett walking and when they approached him he threw a black plastic bag in the drain. The police said that when they retrieved the bag and searched it they found that it contained 100.7 grams of cannabis.

Cisco Construction Employee Charged With Aggravated Burglary
Twenty-one year old Kenisha Humes, an employee of Cisco Construction who resides at 4542 Vernon Street, was charged with aggravated burglary when she appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. Humes plead not guilty to the charge. The prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds that the offense is of a serious nature. But Humes’ attorney, Anthony Sylvestre, submitted that she is the mother of a young baby who has to be breast fed and Senior Mag8istrate Fraser offered her bail in the sum of $6,000 plus to sureties and adjourned her case until February 12. The police reported that at around 8 p.m. on December 3, Humes entered as a trespasser the residence of Corrine Copius, located at 1011 partridge Street, whilst armed with a machete with intention to cause grievous harm to Coleen Lewis. According to reports, Humes retreated when Lewis threw acid at her. Humes was unharmed.

PIV Members Charged For Want Of Prosecution
A charge of professed to be a member of a criminal gang against 5 persons was stuck out today by senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser for want of prosecution. The case was set for trial and the case file was not available and the arresting officer was not present. The five are Edwin “Drive” Flowers, 34 year old Michael Coleman, 23 year old Emmerson Skyers, 24 year old Albert Clother and a 17 year old boy. They were charged with the offense on October 8. According to the allegation, they were members of PIV, Peace in the Village. The police had reported that when they went to Clother’s residence on Jasmine Street, they met the five and whilst under caution the five professed to be members of PIV.

Deptartment of Civil Aviation Celebrates World Intentional Civil Aviation Day
On December 7, the world will celebrate Intentional Civil Aviation Day but because it falls on Sunday, the Department of Civil Aviation here in Belize, decided to celebrate the day today at its head quarters. It was established in 1994 by the International Civil Aviation Organization. We spoke to Lindsay Garbutt, Director of the Department about why is it important to take a day every ear to celebrate the Department’s accomplishments. LINDSAY GARBUTT “We did an audit in February and the previous audit we got a score of 64, in this last audit we got a score of 83 which makes us the number one in CARICOM second only to Nicaragua in Central America and among the top 5 in Latin America. So I think that speaks to the level that we are maintaining as a country.”

Police And BDF Joint Operations; Guatemalan Nationals Arrested
Joint operations between the Belize Police Department and the Belize Defense Force resulted in Guatemalan nationals being arrested. Paul Mahung has the story. PAUL MAHUNG “Two Guatemalans were charged and imprisoned due to weapon offenses in the Toledo district. A joint police and Belize Defense Force operation in Toledo resulted in the weapon and ammunition charges as explained by deputy commander of the Toledo Police Formation, Inspector Ernel Dominguez.” ERNEL DOMINGUEZ “BDF personnel along with police personnel from the special patrol unit were conducting routine patrols in the Michiquel Ha area where they came across two male persons who were later identified to be Guatemalan namely Orasmo Vasquez Ramirez, 34 years and Emilio Chub, 35 years both Guatemalan farmers from Clarisal Village Guatemala.

Body Builders Departs For Central America Body Building Championship
The Belize Body Building Federation is the largest body building and fitness organization in Belize whose champions are constantly featured in regional competitions in neighboring countries in Central America.Today three Belizean body builders boarded the 5pm Avianca flight at the Philip Goldson International Airport en-route to El Salvador where they will be taking part in the upcoming Central America Body Building Championship 2014. The four men traveling include the President of the Belize Body Building and Fitness Federation, Stanley Moody, who spoke with Love News some minutes prior to their departure. STANLEY MOODY “We are going to compete in a Central American championship in El Salvador which will be commencing tomorrow night, the championship starts at 6PM but tonight we have to be there for the weigh in.

BTB Elects New Marketing Director
Love News confirmed today that Clive Myers, the Planning Destination and Coordinator for the Belize Tourism Board, will be taking up Alyssa Carnegie’s post. As we reported, in November the BTB sent out a release, stating that Carnegie has decided to resign as the Director of Marketing. Her last day is on Friday, December 5 and we understand that is when BTB will official announce the reporting of Myers. Myers has been working at the BTB since April 2011 and in February 2012 he promoted as the Planning and Development Coordinator.

Carter Speaks On Plane Incident
FRANK VERNON “I was there when the plane came down from the airstrip and I noticed it hit in the middle then it came down the machine was not working because the propeller had stopped and when he go there he started to make a turn in order to brake and therefore the plan hit. As you notice one of the wheels were bent. No passengers were injured so..” Frank Vernon was at the Belize Municipal Airport when he saw Tropic Air flight #281 plunged into the sea, a few feet away from the runway. The plane was attempting to land, coming in from San Pedro to Belize. It happened about 2:20 in the afternoon and inside the plane were 4 passengers and the pilot. No one was seriously injured. It was minutes before six o’clock that the Cessna plane, with the help of a crane and the maneuvering of staff, was pulled out of the waters unto a trailer. The plane’s right wing and wheel were extensively damage. Manuel Heredia Jr., the Minister of Civil Aviation, arrived on the scene. He declined comment because he did not know much about the incident. An investigation has been launched and today we spoke to the Chief Operations officer in the department, Nigel Carter, more about it.

BTIA Annual General Meeting; New President Elected
Love News confirmed today that Clive Myers, the Planning Destination and Coordinator for the Belize Tourism Board, will be taking up Alyssa Carnegie’s post. As we reported, in November the BTB sent out a release, stating that Carnegie has decided to resign as the Director of Marketing. Her last day is on Friday, December 5 and we understand that is when BTB will official announce the reporting of Myers. Myers has been working at the BTB since April 2011 and in February 2012 he promoted as the Planning and Development Coordinator.

HelpAge Annual General Meeting
HelpAge Belize is a Facility that facilitates the elderly in Belize by which ever means possible through providing a home/shelter for them or by providing a meal for the day. They held their 30th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 29 November, 2014 in the Village of Hopkins in the Stann Creek District. The theme for this year’s AGM is “Leaving No One Behind: Promoting a Society for all.” Love News spoke to the Executive Director, Ivorine Bulwer, who told us that this theme was fitted for the 2013-2014 time period because it marked the transformation and renewed commitment from the HelpAge Board Members and Staff to promote National awareness of the needs of the elderly persons in Belize. Here’s what she has to say: IVORINE BULWER “The annual general meeting session was a very encouraging one because members were able to report on the activities that occurred in their branches and the outcome from the session, you recognize that these volunteers from our eleven branches, nine of those branches are managed by volunteers with a very small stipend that we receive from the Government of Belize but these volunteers displayed their level of dedication and commitment to serve those older persons in their respective communities for that year and they renewed that level of dedication.

PlusTV

PetroCaribe roll back on oil?
Last week we reported on the decision of OPEC to keep production levels of petroleum constant despite falling market prices, which reportedly hurts the generous program of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela with Caribbean and Central American countries, including Belize. On the heels of reports of securitization of ALBA/Petrocaribe debts, there is news hitting closer to home. According to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, Venezuela has said it will no longer sell premium oil to Belize as of the end of the month. He discussed the news with reporters today. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “What I am concerned about is that, I don’t know if you’d been told, but Poderosa has indicated that they will not any longer be able to supply us with premium, I think starting either now [or] certainly at the end of the year. So in effect that is a cut back of the program. I believe that the amount of premium is only like 15% of the total volumes that we get. But it clearly represents a roll back, and I have indicated on the last occasion, I utterly and completely understand. What we will do, to try and make up some of that 13% or 15% loss, whatever it is, is to have, certainly, government vehicles only use regular. People who know say to me that that’s marketing, premium being better that regular.”

Government and cane farmers hold out hope for sugar crop
On Monday morning, a key meeting between executives of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) and Prime Minister Dean Barrow was held in Belize City. Farmers are anxiously awaiting this latest attempt at mediation by the Government of Belize, after producers Belize Sugar Industries (BSI)/ASR appeared unwilling to budge to satisfy the BSCFA’s attempts at conciliation. BSCFA Chairman Ezequiel Cansino stated that the farmers have been as accomodating as they can, but if they need to go to the streets, they will. Ezequiel Cansino – Chairman BSCFA “We believe that it’s more flexible and that’s where we as cane-farmers we are feeling that indeed we are going too far being flexible. We are trying our best to get to an agreement. We hope that at this time we get through this impasse, and if not we will be seeking other options.” Reporter “Have you communicated to the Prime Minister that it is reaching that point where farmers are becoming increasingly incline to protest?”

One dead and one injured in Road Traffic Accident
On Saturday December 7th at about 3:00 p.m., there was a fatal road traffic accident on the Southern highway. The accident happened in the vicinity of miles 48 and 49 when a van travelling from Bella Vista to Punta Gorda overturned. 25-year-old Belizean bus driver Jexcel Redondo died on the spot, while 20-year-old Lester Enriquez Urrthia was transported to the Southern Regional hospital, suffering from head and body injuries. Police investigations continue.

Son stabs father to the chest
Alcohol consumption is believed to be the cause of the attempted murder of a father by his own son. On the night of Saturday December 6th, 50 year old Joseph August was rushed to the hospital as he had been stabbed to the left side of his chest. Joseph August and his family, including his 20-year-old son of Esperanza Village, Cayo, were socializing and consuming alcohol when they both got into an argument. The son reportedly left but returned a short while later with a knife and reportedly inflicted a stab wound to his father’s chest. Joseph August was transported to the San Ignacio Hospital, where he was later transported to the Western Regional Hospital in a stable condition.

Patrick Jones

“Pisshouse Protest” in front of Queen Street continues
Six Mondays ago, activist and talk show host YaYa Marin Coleman began a one-woman protest against the filthy conditions of the holding cell at Queen Street Police Station, known as “Pisshouse,” and similar places of detention nationwide. While the Police Department has yet to respond, Marin-Coleman continues to build community support. She was at it again this morning along with a newcomer, Anthony Reid, son of G. Michael Reid and Audrey Matura-Shepherd. She told us that she is working with the Human Rights Commission of Belize to make a strong stand for work to be done in the cell.

Christmas cheer di come!
The Petrocaribe Loan Program has become a major part of the national consciousness in recent weeks, with the Government seeking to justify its spending and the Opposition slamming what it calls fiscal irresponsibility. But the Opposition representatives have had to dial back some of that rhetoric with the announcement that the PUP will accept the significantly smaller sums – through line Ministries – offered to them. With a rare smile on his face, the Prime Minister took the opportunity to do a little gloating today, remarking that the PUP will face internal problems because their acceptance of the money leaves them open to accusations of hypocrisy and threatens the viability of their suit in the Supreme Court.

Government and cane farmers still hopeful for sugar crop
Executives of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) and Prime Minister Dean Barrow met at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza in the latest attempt at indirect mediation by the Government of Belize after producers Belize Sugar Industries (BSI)/ASR appeared unwilling to budge to satisfy the BSCFA’s attempts at conciliation. BSCFA Chairman Ezequiel Cansino stated that the farmers have been as accommodating as they can, but if they need to go to the streets, they will. They are determined to get the matter settled as quickly as possible.

Another suicide reported in Stann Creek
Another incident of suicide as well as an attempted suicide have been reported in the Stann Creek district. As we had reported previously 13 year old Lydia Pop took her life on Saturday night in Red Bank village. Her body was found hanging by the girl’s mother. Police say the suicide followed a misunderstanding between the girl and her mother. The other suicide happened on Friday night in Bella Vista village, Stann Creek. Police say 20 year old Maria Rosaria Caal hung herself after a

Fatal road traffic accident on the Southern Highway
Monday, December 8, 2014. PATRICK E. JONES Reporting: Police in Independence village have identified the victim of Sunday afternoon’s road traffic accident as 25 year old Jexcel Redondo. Redondo, a resident of Bella Vista village was reportedly on the return leg of a charter trip in a minivan when the vehicle overturned near the junction of Trio village and the Southern Highway between miles 48 and 49.

Blogs

New partnership between Condor and Tropic Air
Extension of Condor route network to include Belize via Cancun The leisure airline Condor now includes the Belize airline Tropic Air as one of its partners with immediate effect. Flights from Tropic Air can be booked via the existing destination Cancun (CUN) as an enhancement to the network of flights offered by Condor. As set out in its current 2014/15 winter flights schedule, Condor regularly flies to Cancun (CUN), Mexico from Frankfurt (FRA) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and from Munich (MUC) on Mondays and Fridays. Onward flights to Belize (BZE) with Tropic Air are available on a weekly basis on Saturdays. A return flight from Belize can be selected on a flexible basis as the connection via Cancun to Frankfurt or Munich and on to destinations throughout Europe is available daily.

Belize With Kids
If you’re considering a family vacation in Belize, hear me out. I have a niece and nephew and the first thing I realized when traveling with kids is that picking the right destination is key. You need to take them somewhere that has the wow factor, somewhere that will keep them entertained and you sane. Of course, part of making a family trip a success is making sure that adults also have a great time, and Belize has plenty to keep kids and parents happy (and in my case, the uncle, happy). Best family friendly activities 1. Horseback riding 2. Visit Butterfly farms 3. Spot a Jaguar 4. Beach time 5. Snorkelling 6. Go boating 7. Learn about the Maya 8. Hiking trips 9. Take in the culture 10. Zip-lining and Cave-tubing. Best time to go to Belize with kids? If you live in North America, you’re lucky to have four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Belize only has two seasons, the dry season (December – May), which is also known as the high tourism season and the rainy season (June – November), which is also known as the low season. I personally prefer the dry season, since its always sunny and skies are blue but the off season has its advantages of cheaper prices and contrary to what is expected, plenty of times the weather is great. How safe is Belize for kids? Safety shouldn’t be a concern but some common sense should always be used.

Belizean Curried Fish
Joe shows us how to make Curried Fish. He used Snapper and some awesome Yellow Ginger sent all the way from Belize for me. This dish is spicy and very satisfying for a nice cold day.

The Reasons to Make Belize Your Home
Have you ever dreamed of living in a country where you can languish in the warm waters of the Caribbean? Visit ancient wonders, view wildlife in their natural habitat at your own pace, and enjoy unique cuisine throughout the day? If the answer is yes, it is time for you to make a trip to the beautiful, lush country of Belize. Belize is located on the western coast of Central America. The land of Belize offers you a range of landscapes to enjoy. From the pristine beaches and warm waters of the Caribbean, to the hills of the Maya Mountains, to the dense and lush rain forest reserves. The average temperature of Belize ranges from a comfortable 84 degrees along the coast to a cooler 69 degrees in the hill regions. Do you love scuba diving? Imagine doing what you love every day of the week. Belize is a scuba divers paradise. Divers can swim with the various marine-life among the 185-mile long barrier reef, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Do you enjoy reflecting on history or visiting ancient sites?

International Sources

Condor und Tropic Air unterzeichnen Partnerschaft
Der Ferienflieger Condor zählt ab sofort die belizische Fluggesellschaft Tropic Air zu seinen Partnern. Die Flüge von Tropic Air können als Erweiterung des Condor Flugnetzes über das bereits bestehende Ziel Cancún (CUN) gebucht werden. Condor fliegt im aktuellen Winterflugplan 2014/15 immer dienstags, mittwochs, donnerstags, samstags und sonntags ab Frankfurt (FRA) und immer montags und freitags ab München (MUC) nach Cancún (CUN), Mexiko. Weiterflüge nach Belize (BZE) mit Tropic Air werden einmal wöchentlich, immer samstags, angeboten. Ein Rückflug von Belize kann flexibel gewählt werden, die Anbindung besteht täglich über Cancún nach Frankfurt oder München und weiter nach ganz Europa.

Faith in Action: Heritage Baptist Church has a mission to serve
With the holidays here, people often feel the urge to donate time or money to the less fortunate. However, there are organizations that center their time around giving - well beyond the holidays. One of those is Heritage Baptist Church in Hiltons, Va. Heritage Baptist Church also helps globally, as they have taken an annual mission trip since 2006 to Belize to conduct Vacation Bible School, participate in construction projects, help to provide medical assistance and help with food and other crusades. There are also holiday-driven projects during Christmas in which they help five to 10 families with food boxes to have the warm meals they need through the holidays. Another Christmas mission is to provide Christmas shoeboxes for children in Belize and through Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse shoebox program.

WHAT DO JAGUARS AND PUMAS EAT IN BELIZE?
By analysing almost 500 jaguar and puma scats, we found that jaguars commonly eat armadillos and white-lipped peccaries (waris); while pumas commonly eat pacas (gibnut) and red brocket deer (antelope).

Videos

Video: Belize (November 2014), 8min. Belize City - Ziplining - Cave Tubing - Spelunking - Crystal Cave Adventure - New River Safari - Lamani Ruins - San Pedro - Ambergris Caye - Snorkeling - Hol Chan Marine Reserve - Shark Ray Alley - Palapa Bar & Grill

Video: Julfest Belize, 7.5min. ja vad händer egentligen här hos oss…. här får du se!!

Video: San Pedro Holiday Lighted Boat Parade, 3min. Santa Claus riding a GIANT Shark floating across the moonlit sea caught the eyes of everyone who went out to watch the eight annual San Pedro Holiday Lighted Boat Parade that took place on Saturday, December 6, 2014. That, plus a handful of boat entries, lit up the dark horizon and delighted spectators of all ages on a magical evening.

Video: Scuba Belize Full part 1 and 2 HD, 22min. Scuba Diving with Huracan Diving Long Caye, Belize

Video: Mayan Ruins and Chocolate Factory Tour, 2min. This tour is all about Maya culture. Take a trip to two different Mayan sites, "Nim Li Punit" (translates to "Big Hat") and "Lubaantun" ("Place of the Fallen Stones") where the crystal skull was unearthed! Take a break for lunch at a local restaurant and enjoy a chocolatey dessert at the Mayan Chocolate Factory, Ixcacao where you get to make your own chocolate the way that the Mayas did!

December 8, 2014

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

Wolfe’s Woofer: Elephant
Hello, sweetheart,” I said, answering my phone. “What’s up?” “Can you pick up Davin from school today for me?” Melody asked. I said, “Sure. That’s what grandfathers are for.” Since I arrived before class was over I sat on the porch and waited. “All right, class,” I heard the teacher say. “I am thinking of an animal whose name begins with the letter E. What is it?” There was an excited murmur in the classroom. Then I recognized Davin’s voice exclaiming, “I know! I know, teacher! It’s a elephant!”

Police Report
Found Property (Drugs) On Thursday, November 27th at 8:00PM, acting on information, San Pedro Police Quick Response Team conducted a search in an abandoned lot located on Glitter Street, San Pedro Town next to a well-known drug peddler. The search led to the discovery of a black plastic bag containing 84.79 grams of suspected cannabis. No one was found in the area and the drugs were labeled as Found Property. Theft On Sunday, November 30th, 23-year-old Jasar Price reported that on the same date at 12:30AM he parked a golf cart with aluminum bumper on Barrier Reef Drive. The golf cart was rented from a golf cart agency. About two minutes later when he returned he noticed that the golf cart was missing. As a result, San Pedro Police carried out an investigation whereby the golf cart was found abandoned in the San Pedrito Area with the light switch and windshield broken. The cart was processed and handed over to the owner. The matter remains under investigation.

TMM Yacht Charters donates computer to highlight Humane Education at the SPRC
The Saga Humane Society Education program, led by Sandie Betz-Eisenberg, and Cindy Kyles and her service dog Sheila, has been successfully educating the children of Ambergris Caye with a revitalized learning program since September of this year. The Humane Education Team has presented to Ambergris Caye Elementary School, Island Academy and ABC Pre-School in the last few months, spreading the word about the Basics of Pet Care – students learn about their pet’s basic needs, as well as the importance of safety around animals, Respecting animals – students learn the importance of the human-animal bond and why proper animal treatment is very important, and Pet Overpopulation – students learn about the issue of pet overpopulation, its root cause and the Saga Spay/Neuter Initiative Program (SNIP): “It’s Hip To Snip!”.

Doctor Love
Dear Doctor Love, I love my mom and dad but sometimes it seems like they want to control everything in my life. I am graduating high school in six months and I feel like I should be able to make some decisions on my own. This is about a friend of mine who got a tattoo that I think is really cool. I don’t have any tattoos myself but I told him how much I like it. Now, he and some more of my friends have been trying to talk me into a getting a tattoo. I finally agreed. When I went to my mom and told her, she called my dad in and they sat me down and lectured me on why I should not get a tattoo. I kind of agree with what they are saying but I have already told my friends I would get one, too. How am I getting out of this?

CTV3

Getting To Zero WITH Outreach Programs
On December first, Belize joined the world in observing World Aids Day. The event has been observed worldwide since 1988 to celebrate those who have lost their lives to the virus, celebrate the work achieved and to recommit to ending the epidemic. Here in Orange Walk Town, this year the HIV/AIDS Committee organized an entire week of activities for these very purposes. Today, representatives were at the Institute for Technical and Vocational Education and Training Center conducting outreach. Nurse Veronica Ortega, who works at the VCT center at the Northern Regional Hospital, was heading the team there. Veronica Ortega – Nurse, VCT, NRH “Since the HIV Prevalence is higher in the male population so we think that coming to ITVET is a good means of trying to get this young male to get tested.”

Osmany Salas Elected As President Of BTIA
At its 29th Annual General Meeting, the Belize Tourism Board today announced that Herbert Haylock completed a successful two year term and now assumes the post of the Immediate Past President of the Association. This was followed by the announcement of his successor and that Orange Walks Osmany Salas has been elected as President for a full two year term. Salas is current Chairperson of the Orange Walk BTIA Chapter and General Manager of Nahil Mayab Restaurant & Patio in Orange Walk Town. In his speech, Salas listed several targets he wishes to accomplish by the end of his term including: Recruit an Executive Director by February 2015; Significantly increase the BTIA membership; Support the formation of new Destination Chapters for Belmopan and the Belize District; Develop further the financial viability of BTIA, among other goals.

Managed Access Program Comes To An End
Sustainable managed fisheries are essential for the people of Belize and for the health of the magnificent Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. The commercial capture fishing industry for lobster and conch is an important export and a source of employment for approximately 15,000 Belizeans – nearly five percent of the population. Belize’s recreational fisheries draw visitors from around the world and are a foundation of its tourism industry. Abundant biodiversity of fisheries is a crucial factor in maintaining the reef ecosystems. Yet, Belize’s fisheries are threatened by overfishing and decline. The potential decline of Belize’s fisheries due to overfishing and the deteriorating health of the Mesoamerican Reef is a threat to the environment, economy, food security, and livelihoods in Belize. To address these challenges, fishermen, the government, academia, and NGOs in Belize are working together to implement a system for fishing called Managed Access, which combines territorial user-rights for fishing and no-take replenishment zones. These collaborators envision that reefs will be healthier and more resilient to climate change due to recovered fish stocks from Managed Access combined with well-protected and larger no-take zones.

Investigation On Stabbing Of Student Continues
The last time we reported on the unfortunate incident that landed one student of Corozal Junior College at the Northern Regional Hospital was on October 29th of this year. Well today reporter Victor Castillo caught up acting OC of the Corozal Police formation Inspector Peter Serrano, who in an off camera interview informed CTV3 that presently his department is conducting the last leg of investigations, which is the identification parade of the culprit. Charges that the culprit could face in this case are grievous harm, use of deadly means of harm and attempted murder.

Fuel Prices Reduce At The Pumps
Belizean consumers and motorists got some badly-needed relief this week when the price of world oil plunged to its lowest level in years. This is translating to lower prices at the pump and today we were made aware that the gasoline prices have declined to under ten dollars, the lowest it has been in several years. Effective last night at midnight, Premium Gasoline went down 44 cents and now sells for $9.65 per gallon, Regular gasoline went down by 43 cents and now sells for $9.29 and Kerosene went down by $1.13 and now sells for $7.74. And while we know Gasoline is the bloodline that keeps Belize moving, tracking gas prices can feel like a roller coaster ride. They're down a little one month, up the next, and then they shoot up more than 40 percent in a year. Whether these prices will stay, well we just have to wait and see.

BSI Responds To BSCFA Start Of Crop Season Still In Limbo
When we left you on Wednesday we told you about the negotiations that were resumed by both the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association and ASR/BSI as it pertains to the current impasse in the industry. And while we they left the negotiating table with positive expectations and awaited a reply from BSI by today, tonight BSI/ASR held to its word and replied to the Associations points and proposals but let’s just say things are not looking up. Our sources at the Association say that the response from BSI/ASR was not in favorable terms and was mostly inclined to benefit BSI/ASR. At the end we will you be the judge as we managed to obtain that letter.

The Reporter

href="http://www.reporter.bz/general/bcci-holds-christmas-expo/">BCCI holds Christmas Expo
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a two-day expo this weekend under the theme “All about Christmas.” The expo, geared at promoting that Belizeans shop in country for the Christmas season, was held at the Ramada Belize City Princess. The event showcased various products such as cakes, chocolate, paint, craft jewellery and even multi-purpose cleaners. Chief Executive Officer of the chamber, Kim Aikman, explained that the event was in line with the chamber’s private sector development mission. ‘We are about creating that environment conducive to good business,” Aikman said. “For some businesses, this is an opportunity to showcase what they have to offer when people are in a buying mode.”

Mexico confirms missing student identity
Mexican Attorney General, Jesus Murillo Karam has confirmed that forensic experts have identified the remains of one of 43 missing students. Karam said that tests in Austria matched a piece of bone retrieved from a rubbish dump in Guerrero state to the DNA of missing student Alexander Mora. Mora’s relatives had vowed to carry on fighting for justice. The students’ disappearance in September has led to protests across Mexico against corruption and violence. Karam told journalists in Mexico City corrupt officials handed over the students to a criminal gang called Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors), after taking part in a protest in the town if Iguala on September 26. They were taken to a waste disposal site near the town of Cocula and killed. The criminals burned their bodies before scattering their ashes in a river, Karam said. He added that the tests were carried out by top experts at the University of Innsbruck.

IDB meets with media over coffee and projects
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) shared breakfast with representatives of the media on Wednesday to shed light on its work and the projects it funds. IDB’s Country Representative in Belize, Anneke Jessen, said that while the bank provides loans mainly to governments at low interest rates, it also funds projects by civil society organizations because it feels those projects are also important. The Belize Audubon Society’s birding project is one of those initiatives. Meanwhile, one of the government projects that it has invested in is the Education Quality Improvement (EQIP) program, which focuses on improving the quality of education in Belize by offer teacher-training using different teaching methods. Jessen said that the bank will also help the government implement an information system to track how the schools are spending the monies that the government is giving them.

Patrick Jones

PUP endorses Paul Thompson in Albert Division
The People’s United Party (PUP) today held an endorsement convention in the Albert Division in Belize City. Paul Thompson was officially installed as the PUP’s standard bearer for the division and will challenge the incumbent, Herman Longsworth of the United Democratic Party (UDP) in the next General Elections, constitutionally due in 2017. The PUP Albert Division endorsement was held at the basketball court at the Anglican Cathedral College in Belize City.

Traffic accident claims the life of one man
One man has lost his life in a road traffic accident this evening in the southern part of the country. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending proper notification of his family, but we understand that the man is from Bella Vista village. Information received says that the man was chartered to go to Trio village and that upon his return after dropping off his fare, his minivan overturned on the Trip road. Investigations continue.

Belizean athletes win at regional bodybuilding championship
This the four-man contingent of athletes from the Belize Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation and president Stanley Moody returned from El Salvador. There the athletes had a successful participation in the Central American Bodybuilding Championship. Mr. Belize Rigo Vellos placed 2nd in the Light Heavyweight (80 to 85 kg) category ahead of Clayton Greenidge who also came second in the Masters. Oyinkro Akpobodor, also known as the African, won the Juvenile U-23 category and placed second in the Heavyweight (over 85 kg) category in only his second overall competition.

Blogs

San Pedro’s Christmas Lighted Boat Parade Is Back And GORGEOUS. Tickets MUST Be Booked For Next Year!
Last night was one of my favorite events of the year…a DO-NOT-MISS-EVENT. The San Pedro Christmas Lighted Boat Parade. An annual event…we hope. The last one was in 2012 and it was fantastic. Beyond great. 2013 was cancelled due to lack of participation. But this year, it was back! With so many people congregating in San Pedro’s Central Park. Hear? Yes. I MISSED IT. Sadly. I was on an all day trek from San Pedro to NJ…here was my view as I loaded on to my American Airlines flight to Miami at the Belize International AIrport. Not quite as festive. Neither is getting to Ridgewood, NJ (my hometown) at 12.45am in FREEZING cold rain. So let’s get to the parade. My tech-partner Chris took some great shots. And a few friends are sending them this morning. So here is the San Pedro Lighted Boat Parade. LOVE IT…even from chilly CHILLY NJ.

International Sources

Sofia Coppola's Guide to Belize
Even the most inveterate traveler needs to find a place to do absolutely nothing. For Sofia Coppola, that place is a tiny seaside village in Belize, where the most exciting adventure she’ll have all day is a bike ride to the gelato stand and back (and that’s just perfect). Hugh Garvey talks to the filmmaker about escaping it all. Sofia Coppola understands the transformative power of a hotel better than most. The filmmaker and style icon grew up as a sort of real-life Eloise, traveling the world with her father, director cum hotelier Francis Ford Coppola, who over the years has built a small empire of luxury retreats. She set two of her movies in hotels, mining the serene dislocation of the Park Hyatt Tokyo in Lost in Translation and the languorous debauchery of Chateau Marmont in Somewhere. And when Coppola wants to fully check out, it’s at her family’s Turtle Inn resort in Placencia, Belize, that she checks in. With a permanent population of just 800, the tiny fishing village of Placencia sits on a slim spit of land on the far western edge of the Caribbean, where the water is that textbook turquoise blue but dense rain forest is just a mile inland. It’s remote, serene, and slow-paced, which is just the way Coppola likes it. Coppola, who splits her time between New York and Paris with her children and husband, Thomas Mars, of the French pop band Phoenix, says, “In Paris you have to be more put together, or at least try to be. You get real privacy in Placencia. It’s nice to be able to be a bit of a slob and feel fully relaxed in a place so removed from busy, modern life.”

How Canada/Mexico became part of US policing regime
During this summer’s child migrant crisis and the accompanying frenzy around “security” along the U.S.-Mexico boundary, a spotlight was shone on Mexico’s role in protecting the U.S. “homeland.” It helped illuminate what Washington considers the United States’ territorial boundaries: those of the countries associated with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In other words, the territories of Canada and Mexico are part of the U.S. policing regime, under a regional security framework we might call “NAFTA-land Security.” Evidence of this emerged in July when a Congressional hearing featured a discussion on, as Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) put it, “what Mexico is actually doing to help us” regarding the unauthorized movement of Central American children. Some lawmakers and officials hinted that insufficient efforts by Mexican authorities made possible the unwanted migrants’ northward movement through Mexico. The current focus on Mexico’s border with Guatemala and Belize is at once a long-developing story and part of a much larger policy agenda. Partly in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, partly the result of security compunctions deepened through the advancement of economic interests by way of North American economic integration, the United States has sought to improve the Mexican state’s policing capacities. In doing so, Washington aims to shape those capacities toward U.S. concerns in order to ensure Mexico’s political economic stability, to better protect the U.S. homeland through “layered defense,” and, in turn, to insulate the highly integrated and strategically crucial North American economic space from internal and external threats.

Venezuela cuts PetroCaribe oil shipments
Shipments of cut-rate oil from Venezuela to Caribbean and Central American countries under the PetroCaribe programme were cut by about 20% through October compared with the same period last year, ClipperData, a New York data tracker, has reported. And, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), last year Venezuela’s preferential oil exports to the 13 PetroCaribe countries declined 15% from 2012, says. Although Venezuela has pledged to continue the program, several participants in the programme are preparing for further declines, which would affect domestic spending and potentially tip some economies into recession. In Grenada, the discounted Venezuelan oil funds 40% of social programmes, from textbooks and free lunches for children to paying for roads and buses. Haiti named an airport after Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chávez , who founded PetroCaribe in 2005, and uses the oil money for food distribution programs and for monthly allowances for the poor. The Dominican Republic has used the program to plug a fiscal hole.

Caribbean heads arrive in Havana for CARICOM-Cuba summit
Heads of state and government of the member nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), together with officials from regional organizations, began arriving on Saturday in Havana to participate in Monday’s fifth CARICOM-Cuba summit. According to the program released to the press by the Cuban foreign ministry, starting at noon the presidents or prime ministers of Suriname, Grenada, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda were due to arrive on separate flights at José Martí International Airport in Havana. The arrival on Saturday of the heads of delegations from Barbados, Jamaica and St Vincent and the Grenadines was also expected, along with the heads of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), CARICOM and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

Videos

Video: How to have fun in Belize, 1min. How to have a great time in Belize the a cave tubing trip. We have over five amazing adventures to take you on. See the amazing caves while floating down a river on an inner tube. Zipline across the tropical forest. Visit the Mayan ruins and explore ancient history.

Video: Belize 3 OK, 9min.

Video: Creation Care Study Program Belize Part II, 5.5min. Footage from our campus in Santa Elena Belize as well as our travel week to Guatemala, marine ecology course at Glovers Atoll and other parts of Belize.

Video: Belize, half moon caye wall, 15min. scuba diving in belize

Video: Norwegian Cruise, 12min. Bobbye and I were joined by Leigh Anne and Laura for a cruise to Cozumel, Belize, and Honduras. Great time!!

Video: Blue Ventures Bird & Manatee Conservation, 77min. Blue Ventures Bird & Manatee Conservation Blue Ventures are an award winning marine conservation organisation running expeditions in Belize and Madagascar. Blue Ventures new volunteer project works to help monitor and conserve coastal areas and the Barrier Reef around Corozal Bay and Bacalar Chico National Park .

Video: Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary || DTOURZ Placencia, Belize, 2.5min. Here's just a fraction of the excitement from the DTOURZ Cockscomb tour! You can also take the Cockscomb tour at night!

Video: Cockscomb Basin Nightlife Tour || DTOURZ Placencia, Belize, 1.5 min. Here's a little bit of the fun from the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary tour when the nocturnal animals are out! You can also take the Cockscomb tour in the daytime for some fun in the water!

December 7, 2014

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

Holiday Lighted Boat Parade 2014 (11 photos)
Wow, what a beautiful night! Full moon peeping out from whispy clouds and the Caribbean horizon aglow with sparkling boats. A perfect evening to kick off the holidays on La Isla Bonita!

San Pedro Police launch Christmas Anti-crime Campaign
With the Christmas Season already here, the San Pedro Police Department are taking extra measures to ensure the safety of the island during these festive times. As such, the annual Christmas Anti-crime campaign was launched on Monday, December 1st and will see increased patrol and police presence during the upcoming months. In addition, police are sharing precautionary tips with residents to avoid criminal incidents as best as possible. According to Deputy of San Pedro Police, Inspector Henry Jemmott, the month of December in particular sees a rise in arrivals to the island as it is the start of the high tourism season, resulting in an increase of criminal activities.

Pioneros of Cancun thrash San Pedro Tiger Sharks
From the onset, it was obvious that the host team was by far the dominant team, pulling an early lead in the match. They won every quarter of the game, but the big gap came in the third and fourth quarters where the score difference ballooned to over 20 points. By the end of the game, San Pedro Tiger Sharks lost by 46 points in a game that concluded in 124 to 78 points in favor of the Pioneros. “The Belize Basketball Federation anticipates that this strong relationship will continue to strengthen the sport of basketball in both Quintana Roo and Belize,” said a release from the Belize Basketball Federation ((BBF). Both teams were given special recognitions for their participation in the friendly game. Notables present at the event were high ranking officials from the local government of Quintana Roo as well as Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico, His Excellency Oliver del Cid.

Pedro Baki arrested and charged for Carnal Knowledge
San Pedro Police have arrested and charged a man who had been wanted for multiple carnal knowledge incidents on a minor since 2013. The culprit has been identified as Pedro Baki and has since been remanded to the Belize Central Prison for him crimes. The victim had sought the assistance of Human Development Officer Adan Kay on April 10, 2014. An investigation and search for Baki began, but was fruitless.

Chocolate Heredia’s Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary faces management problems
According to Vega, the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development has refused to assist FOSC since there is no legal co-management agreement between the two parties. When asked why there was no co-management agreement signed, Vega explained that after the last agreement expired in 2012, they have refused to sign a new one. “We put in a lot of energy, time and work on a proposed draft that was mutually accepted. That draft was taken to Cabinet but when it came back to us for signage, it was totally different than what we agreed on in the draft… it was simply not the best agreement for the country or for the management of the sanctuary,” commented Vega. She went on to explain that the agreement in its final stage favored the GOB. “The agreement should give equal status to management authority and it is not reflecting that in the final agreement and as such we have declined to accept.”Tours-belize-manatees

Misc Belizean Sources

KREM KRISMUS
Battle Field Park in Downtown Belize City comes alive with KREM KRISMUS from Monday, Dec. 15 - Sunday, Dec. 21 from 8pm - 10pm. Don't miss it.

The Reporter

Mexico City’s police chief resigns
Mexico City’s police chief, Jesus Rodriguez Almeida, has resigned after strong criticism of his handling of protests in the city. A largely peaceful march on 20 November over the disappearances of 43 students in Guerrero state ended with riot police dispersing the crowd. Rodriquez gave no reason for his departure and the city mayor said he had stepped down immediately. Earlier this week President Pena Nieto announced new justice and police plans. After the 20 November protest, Mr Rodriquez Almeida said he had “congratulated his personnel for their work,” in particular for “restoring public order, no matter whether others like it or not”. Lawyers for 11 people who were arrested on the day called for his resignation.

BTIA elects new president
The Belize Tourism Industry Association has elected Osmany Salas of the BTIA’s Orange Walk Chapter as its new national president. At the association’s 29th Annual General Meeting held at the Radisson Fort George Hotel, Salas emphasized that increasing the association’s membership is a top priority. “We have lost some members over the years; we need to do what we have to do to regain those members and expand the association,” Salas said. “Key to that is to establish chapters where we currently do not have any, for example in Belmopan and the Belize District”, he continued. Salas explained that great potential exists for expanding the association’s membership, and pointed to the fact that of the total restaurants in the country only four percent are members of the BTIA.

Civil Aviation Day celebrated in Belize
The Belize Department of Civil Aviation observed International Day of Civil Aviation on Friday with a list of events, including a wreath-laying ceremony to honour pilots all over the world who lost their lives in the course of their duties, and a larger ceremony on the Phillip Goldson International Airport compound. Durong that event, the department honoured one of its employees for having 51 years of service in the field. Nigel Carter, chief operations officer at the department, explained that the day was all about raising awareness about the importance of civil aviation and safety-related issues. “By the end of 2014 we will have had 290,000 flight operations,” Carter said. “We have different classifications, depending on damage and number of injuries to define an accident and for this year our only accident happened yesterday December 4.”

Patrick Jones

Girl commits suicide in Stann Creek
A family from the village of Red Bank in the Stann Creek district is mourning the death of a teenage girl. She has been identified as 14 year old Lydia Pop. According to reports received, the girl who attends the Red Bank Christian School was found hanging inside her home just after 9 o’clock tonight. Sources say that the girl’s mother was visiting with other family members in the same village and when she returned home, the sight of her daughter’s body hanging from a rope around the neck was what greeted her.

Belizean athletes attend Central American Body Building championship
Belize is being represented at the Central America Bodybuilding Championship which is underway in San Salvador, El Salvador. Mr. Belize Rigo Vellos, Master’s Champion Clayton Greenidge and Novice Champion Oyinkro Akpobodor , along the the president of the Belize Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation traveled to El Salvador on Friday for the event which ends on Sunday. The event is being held in Santa Tecla La Libertad in the Salvadoran capital.

PG politician complains about the state of municipal’s streets
The bad condition of streets in Punta Gorda town has caught to attention of the People’s National Party, headed by community activist Wil Maheia. The PG Town Council has been carrying out some street works around the municipality; however complaints from citizens are that priority is not given to some streets that are really in bad conditions as it shown in the pictures accompanying this story. The PNP’s Wil Maheia says that the residents of Punta Gorda must realize that there needs to be more of a proper investment in roads that are child-friendly for the town. It must be noted here that aside from being the leader of the PNP, Maheia is the party’s Mayoral candidate that will contest the Municipal Elections next March.

OpEd: The Information Revolution is here!
The history of the world has been marked by great revolutions. Revolutions inevitable change the entire system of how countries and the world operates. Much like the Industrial Revolution this century will be marked by the Information Revolution. The information revolution is marked by the shift to where information is recognized as the most power asset of any country. Similarly, to how the industrial evolution and those that came out better off from it was determined by access and knowledge of use of machines and tools, so too will the information revolution be marked by those that had access and knowledge of use to ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies). In fact, most of the world has recognized that poverty cannot be effectively eradicated in the world unless there is a closure in the global digital divide. “The digital divide is the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. It includes the imbalances in physical access to technology as well as the imbalances in resources and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen. In other words, it is the unequal access by some members of society to information and communication technology, and the unequal acquisition of related skills.”

International Sources

The Ecosystem That Is Disappearing Faster Than Any Other on Earth
Mangroves--the uniquely salt-adapted trees and shrubs that line our tropical and subtropical coasts, the critical membrane between land and sea--are disappearing at faster rates than virtually any other ecosystem on Earth. Mangroves are some of the most productive, complex, and beneficial natural wonders of our planet. They act as filters for our water supply, reduce erosion, serve as nurseries for commercial fisheries, provide opportunities for recreation, nurture vital marine biodiversity, and can act as "carbon sinks," which reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The destruction and degradation of these natural systems--because of factors such as climate change, development, tourism, wood extraction, and non-sustainable farming--bring about tremendous ecological, social, and economic losses, the extent of which we are only now just realizing.

Support A Study Trip to Belize
Greg Whitt is a two-time recipient of the Untied Arts Council Regional Artist Project Grant. In 2011 his project took him to study folkloric music and traditions in Cuba. In 2015, he's headed to study with the Garifuna at the Lebeha Youth Center in Hopkins Village, Belize. His interest is in music of the African diaspora, but also in how we can apply ancient wisdom traditions to benefit modern society. Greg has been sharing this kind of applied philosophy in hands-on rhythm experiences for more than a dozen years. Greg believes life is richer when we communicate, cooperate, and collaborate with one another and with the world around us. Because he believes this, he facilitates programs to help people live, work, and play well together. He works with people in corporations, congregations, communities, and classrooms who want to shake things up a bit for the sake of creating more-meaningful connections.

Videos

Video: Fitballing, 5min. Fitballing In San Pedro with couple of friends down in Belize.

Video: Christmas Spectacular 2014, 2hr, 53min. from Channel 5

Video: May 2014 Belize Highlights, 7.5min. Finally got around to putting together a highlight reel from the Belize trip. We dove the reefs off Ambergris Caye, Lighthouse Reef, and Turneffe. The Great Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye Wall were among the highlights. We saw nurse sharks, colorful fish, reef sharks, and turtles all while swimming over and through world-class reef.

Video: Belize RGS expedition, 17min. Reigate Grammar School 2012 expedition to Belize

December 6, 2014

It's Official! Reggae superstar Demian Marley to perform in Belize!

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

Shopping: stock up for Christmas in Belize!
Ahhh, Christmas shopping…that wonderful time of year when your to-do list magically grows as long as Santa’s. Suddenly, you’re scrambling for ideas on what to get Great Aunt Maria and Beto, the cousin twice-removed from your stepmom’s side. Have no fear, we’ve been secretly window shopping around town, keeping track of the awesomeness that abounds on La Isla Bonita and would be PERFECT for stuffing stockings and placing under the tree. For your beloved wife: How about some shiny baubles from Belizean Arts? We bet some rings or dangly earrings or bracelets would fit nicely in that heart-shaped jewelry box from Graniel’s Dreamland!

Those fleeting rays of sunshine!
It’s been very rainy, in case you hadn’t heard. It seems that we’re bound to grow gills soon if the rain doesn’t stop. As soon as we get desperate however, there’s a few rays of sunshine that peek out as if to say, “I’m still here…have some patience!” We all know when the rains stop, we’ll be begging for respite from the heat! But in the meantime, how fun is it to have these images captured by those willing to wait for a little spot of sunshine?!

Good Samaritan survives gun shot wound and plane crash within hours
An armed robbery that occurred on Pescador Drive on Thursday, December 4th at approximately 1:15PM left 24-year-old Good Samaritan Carlos Najera injured with a single gunshot wound to the left leg. According to San Pedro Police, a distress call was received of robbery in progress at A-Z Store, and Najera was shot while attempting to stop the robber from escaping. Najera was then immediately taken to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II, where he received primary care before being transported to the Karl Huesner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) in Belize City. At 2:20PM, Najera was transported to the city via Tropic Air flight #281. Upon arriving to the municipal airstrip, the flight experienced engine problems and was unable to decelerate. Several attempts were made by the pilot to shut down the engine. However, the momentum caused the plane to overrun the airstrip and landed it in the sea.

SPHS Boys are Northern Regional Basketball Champs
Young athletes from the country’s Northern Division descended upon Ambergris Caye over the weekend of November 28th-29th for the National Secondary School Association (NSSA) Northern Regional Basketball Championship. The games took place at the Angel Nunez Auditorium and saw eight high school teams competing for the top prize and opportunity to represent the Northern Division at the NSSA Basketball Championship. But in the end it was San Pedro High School (SPHS) male team and Muffles College High School (MCHS) female team that took the top prizes. Schools represented were MCHS by the males and females, Corozal Community College (CCC) males and females, Belize Rural High School (BRHS) males, New Hope High School (NHHS) females and SPHS female and male teams. A total of eight games were played during the two day tournament: four female matches and four male matches. The auditorium overflowed with fans who showed up to support their favourite team and this support definitely motivated the young players.

SICA ministers converge on Ambergris Caye to speak on regional health issues
The 41st ordinary meeting of the Commission of the Ministers of Health of Central America and the Dominican Republic (COMISCA) was in Belize held under the auspices of the Belize’s Pro Tempore Presidency of the Central American Integration System (SICA). The event was spearheaded by Belize’s Minister of Health Pablo Marin. During the two-day forum, the health representatives of the region discussed many health issues and initiative in the SICA-member states. Minister Marin commented, “Enormous strides have been made in Belize and the region and we look forward to further progress in the next year.” He added that every six months COMISCA holds their Ministerial meeting and this time around Belize has been chairing the Pro Tempore President of regional health organization. According to Marin, during Belize’s Presidency, new challenges including Ebola and Chikungunya had been addressed. Renewed attention was focused on chronic diseases including HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Family and Community health.

Blue Water Grill makes donation to the San Pedro Cancer Society
San Pedro Cancer Society (SPCS) was the recipient of a check of $1,717BZ from Blue Water Grill (BWG). The donation was presented on Wednesday, December 3rd and was part of a social media incentive to raise awareness for SPCS. The well-known island restaurant posted on their popular Facebook media page that they would donate $1BZ for every ‘like’ that their image of Giving Tuesday received during a set time. At the end of the allotted time (midnight), the image had received an astounding 1,717 likes.

Petrocaribe money to fund 24-hour medical service on Ambergris Caye
When asked what the delay in the decision was, since the monies were allocated months ago and he had promised that the service was to start in by September, Marin said, “The funds are now in place for us to employ the workers for the 24-hours service. It was not about disbursing the monies that was the delay, but the actual hiring of doctors and nurses who are willing to come to the island. In the past, when we sent doctors to the island, after being here, they realized it is expensive to live there and so they would move off the island. We had to work around that to get doctors to come,” explained Marin. In addition to the current staff, the Ministry will now hire additional staff to allow uninterrupted medical services on the island. The auxiliary staff will be hired from the island, but the professional workers such as doctors and nurses will be hired from mainland Belize. In the longer term, the Ministry of Health is hoping that the students from Ambergris Caye that were given scholarships to study nursing and medicine will be brought to the island to contribute to the health sector. The need for a 24-hour medical facility has been one of the major areas of concern that has been brought up on many forums by the thousands of islanders and tourism stakeholders. In the past, many families have seen sick and injured loved ones suffer and wait for hours until proper medical help could be accessed. Some have even witnessed the untimely death of a loved one while waiting for help. So the news of the opening of the medical facility for 24 hours is seen as a welcome “Christmas gift” to the residents of Ambergris Caye.

Spotlight on: Diamante Beachfront Suites
Since its discovery as a haven for visitors from far and wide, Ambergris Caye has attracted visitors who travel year after year to her shores. And warmly welcoming them from the very beginning was Celi McCorkle. Known as the godmother of tourism for the island, McCorkle has been running the historic Holiday Hotel in the center of town. It seems that the desire to make a mark and add to the rich tourism fabric didn’t go far, as following her footsteps is daughter Lisa McCorkle Guerrero. At the helm of the fabulous Diamante Beach Home development, Lisa has been bringing to life a project that started as most do: a dream. Sitting on land owned by the family for over 35 years, Diamante can be called a true Sanpedrano development. Envisioned by Lisa’s late husband, and being fulfilled by Lisa, Diamante is a unique project that will see sound structural engineering, attention to every detail down to the finishes with fine Belizean artistry throughout. From the beginning, Lisa has aimed for quality, sound structure and impeccable finishes that will inspire confidence in buyers. On-site engineer Jorge Barrios has been a major part of the design team, working to ensure that the buildings are built to fit every safety standard from the required to the unforeseen (earthquakes, et al). The historic works of Graniel’s Dreamland/Construction will be in charge of the gorgeous wood finishes throughout.

Ambergris Today

UPDATE ON CARLOS NAJERA
Shooting & plane crash victim Carlos Najera is in stable condition in the Belize City Hospital, after a very bad day (yesterday) for him. The bullet hit his tendon which will require surgery and therapy in order for him to walk normal again.

San Pedro High School Celebrates Founder's Day/Angel Nunez Birthday
Once again the faculty, staff and students of San Pedro High School pulled off yet another great celebration for Founder’s Day, dedicated to Mr. Angel Nuñez who is now a retired principal of the school. San Pedro High has designated his birthday celebrations as Founder’s Day and have included Mrs. Martha Guerrero and Mrs. Celi McCorkel co-founders of San Pedro High School. The students and teachers showcased their talent by singing, dancing and performing for the founders. Happy Birthday Mr. Angel Nuñez and congratulations to the founders of San Pedro High.

Air Quality Monitoring Program to Start For Belize City
Air quality monitoring in Belize has been nonexistent to some extent, and as such, on December 4, 2014, the Department of the Environment (DOE) is starting an air quality monitoring program in Belize City. The Belize City Air Quality Monitoring Program will test the air quality of Belize City, in particular as it relates to Nitrogen Oxide (NO2), Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and Ozone (O3). It will assist the DOE in establishing a baseline for understanding the environmental and human health effects of air pollution from industrial, vehicular and other domestic emissions.

Misc Belizean Sources

MINISTERS OF AGRICULTURE OF CENTRAL AMERICA AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MEET IN BELIZE TO DISCUSS REGIONAL AGRICULTURE ISSUES
he Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture (MNRA) in its capacity as President Pro-Temp of the Central American Agriculture Council (CAC) hosted the OIRSA-CIRSA Meeting on the 4th December and the final meeting of the Agriculture Council of Ministers on the 5th of December, 2014 in Placencia, Belize. Panama currently holds the Presidency of CIRSA but agreed to the Belize initiative to combine meetings in an effort to save cost, improve coordination and increase effective participation. (4 photos)

The Reasons to Make Belize Your Home
I couldn’t keep my eyes off the Caribbean Sea in Belize—whether I was cruising around by boat, watching tiny islets fade into the distance…swinging in a hammock strung between two palms on the beach…or beating that tropical heat with a cold Belikin beer in the shade of a palm frond-roofed beach bar. Belize has a lot to offer those seeking a new life abroad. The low cost of living means a couple can live well on $2,000 to $3,000 or less a month. Established expat communities make for a ready supply of new friends, and it’s English-speaking, even if it’s the second or even third language for many locals. (I spoke only English during my time there and had no issues.) Plus, it’s easy to get to from North America, thanks to daily flights. And it’s no problem to get around the roughly Massachusetts-sized country itself: The main highways are in good shape, regional airlines provide service all over, and frequent and on-time water taxis serve the island communities.

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING 2014 (44 photos)
On Wednesday, December 3, the San Pedro Town Council hosted its annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony to kickstart the Christmas Season in San Pedro. Mayor Daniel Guerrero welcomed everyone to the event where he expressed his gratitude for everyone's assistance. The event included a wonderful performance of Christmas Carols by San Pedro's very own Heaven's Voice Youth Choir which is lead by Miss Natalie Arceo. The San Pedro Town Council would like to thank Ms. Dixie Bowen & Mr. Guillermo Rodriguez for helping us out yearly with the setting up of the Christmas tree. We would also like to thank Miss Natalie Arceo and the Heaven's Youth Choir for spreading the Christmas spirit with their carols. And lastly, we would like to thank everyone who came out to this event which keeps on growing. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2015!

Mrs. Ofelia Caliz passes away
Mayor Daniel Guerrero, the San Pedro Town Council and Staff would like to extend its deepest condolences to the Caliz family on the passing of Mrs. Ofelia Caliz. May her soul rest in peace.

DYS CZL Youth Group learning about the different types of Mangroves and their importance.

Corozal Town Council's Annual Christmas Tree Lighting
Corozalenos' are invited to the Corozal Town Council's Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Presentation tomorrow Dec. 6th beginning at 7pm at Central Park. Come on out and enjoy the Christmas spirit!

Channel 7

Tropic Air, Should They Have Been Warned?
Yesterday it made headlines everywhere when a Tropic Air Cessna Caravan plunged off the runway at the Municipal airstrip and took a dive into the Caribbean. No one was hurt - but it does raise valid concerns. First among them is that Tropic had only just bought the aircraft last month for 4 million dollars. So what went wrong? Tropic Air is saying its was an engine failure, but the Civil Aviation Department which is leading the investigation is being very guarded in its remarks... Nigel Carter, COO - Civil Aviation Department "Tropic Air Flight 281, Cessna 208 Caravan inbound from San Pedro to Belize Municipal Airport was involve in an accident. The aircraft had 1 pilot and 5 passengers. Upon attempting to land at the municipal airport the aircraft was not able to come to a full stop in the existing length of the runway and ended up departing the runway and coming to rest beyond the end of the runway in the water."

Waste Control Going To Crowfoot City Hall?
For the past 2 nights, we've been showing you our interview with Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley about the recent challenges he has been facing. Well, one of his headaches returned today...but like a migraine! A Supreme Court Marshall went to City Hall to crowfoot the council's items to recover an outstanding debt! Now that kind of action is reserved for the hardest pay malpago's - but now it has befallen city hall. It's a product of that well-known dispute that City Hall has with Belize Waste Control where it falls behind on arrears for garbage collection. About 6 weeks ago, the Supreme Court entered a default judgment against the Council when Waste Control sued them. Bradley and the council didn't offer any defence, and so, the court ordered them to pay the company $525 thousand dollars.

Sugar Negotiations, Still No Breakthrough
Well, it's coming right down to the wire for the 2014 - 2015 sugar crop. The season is scheduled to open on Monday and still tonight there is no agreement between BSI and the Cane Farmers. At this point BSI has responded to the cane farmers proposals with a letter dated today - it ends with the hope that an agreement can be signed shortly. The cane farmers continue to seek political intervention and are scheduled to meet with the Deputy Prime Minister tomorrow. We'll keep following the story.

House Falls In City, Devastates Family
Tonight a Belize City man needs your assistance after he lost everything inside his home. Sometime this afternoon Miguel Vansen - a resident of Roches Street in the Lake Independence Area - received the news from his neighbors that his upstairs wooden house had collapsed. Luckily no one was inside the house - but all his belongings were destroyed. Monica Bodden spoke to a very emotional Vansen a few hours ago:.. Miguel Vansen - Home Owner "I was working on a street right over there when my neighbor came and told me that my house fell. I never believe it, but when I came I saw it like that." Reporter "Sir, was your house shaking before?" Miguel Vansen - Home Owner "Yes it was shaking because when the hard breeze come I would feel it the shake. It never really had good board and thing. Most of it was already leaning." Reporter "You lived there alone?"

Gallaty Pleas With Court To Get Back Driver's License
It made news back in April when 57 year-old Insurance executive Phillip Gallaty was charged for reversing his Toyota Hilux into the vehicle belonging to Traffic Magistrate Stephanie Gillett. Well, he was suspended from driving, but today, Gallaty went to court pleaded with the Senior Magistrate to lift that sanction. He was found guilty before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith for the charge of driving without due care and attention on September 4. Chief Magistrate Smith suspended his license for 6 months as punishment, but today, he went back to court to ask Senior Magistrate Frazer to allow him to drive. Gallaty explained that due to nature of his business, the suspended driving license has caused him a great deal of inconvenience, and an inability to earn his living.

Man Charged For Gang Insignia Says He Turned To God
33 year-old Ian Westby, an unemployed resident of Casuarina Street, is on remand tonight after being taken to court for displaying gang related tattoos. Police officers encountered him in his neighborhood yesterday, and when the officers observed closely, they saw that he had "30" tattooed on his left arm, and "WS" on his right hand. Police associate these tattoos with the Crips Gang, and they charged him with the offence of displaying gang insignias. He was arraigned today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer on the charge, and he attempted to plea guilty to the offence. He says that he got the tattoos when he was in primary school, but that he has been a member of the Central Assembly of God Church for the past 6 years now.

Bailed On Tuesday, Back to Court Friday
39 year-old Lance Welch, a Rivero Street resident, who was only just released from prison on bail yesterday, is back before the court for a drug trafficking allegation against him made by Gang Suppression Unit. The GSU found him in a yard on Kraal Road, and when they searched the area, they found 90.1 grams - or 3.1 ounces - of cannabis. No one else was the area, and so they charged Welch for drug trafficking. In court today, he told Senior Magistrate Frazer that after he was released on bail, he went home until late in the evening. He said that he then went to visit some friends at a yard on Kraal Road, and when his companions saw the officers, everybody ran away. Welch says that he stayed behind because he was not guilty of any offense, and that's when the officers found the drugs and are trying to tie him to it.

Meighan, The Younger Freed
18 year-old Shaquille Meighan, the younger brother of the well-known Tyron and Ellis Meighan, is home free tonight after the Senior Magistrate threw an aggravated assault charge against him out of court. The complainant, Maurice Middleton, accused him back on June 10 of firing a weapon at him. Middleton reported to police that he was on Victoria Street when Shaquille Meighan shot at him, but missed. The prosecution was asked to produce Middleton as the main witness against Meighan today. The police prosecutor didn't, and informed Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer that police couldn't locate Middleton for the case.

BTIA Elects New President, Tries To Grow Membership
The Belize Tourism Industry Association held its 29th Annual General Meeting today at the Radisson. For outgoing President Herbert Haylock, it was the end of a two year term - and he told us that as an advocacy organization, BTIA has to continue the earn the confidence of its stakeholders - which can be a challenge:.. Herbert Haylock, President, BTIA "There are a number of things as you rightly say impacting the industry today. We continue to be voicing concerns about those issues and that we take a stand, for example to ensure that development, in terms of the context on development that we want to see for this country continues and the way we would like it to continue." Jules Vasquez "Do you lament the fact that BTIA really is not in a great place. I don't think you all have an ED. I don't know that you do and also membership of the BTIA is opportunistic. At best you have a lot of people who aren't engaged."

Big Weed Bust In Griga
Tonight, Dangriga police are processing what looks to be a lucrative drug trafficking operation in which 3 people have been arrested and charged. Acting on intelligence from Special Branch, a team of police officers launched an early morning raid today in the Baka Town Area of the community. They visited the residence of 38 year-old Delvorine Ramos, which is located on St. Vincent Street. Delvorine Ramos was present at the time along with 19 year-old Chelsey Ramos and 46 year-old Felix Alvarez. A thorough search of the premises led to the discovery of a barrel in the house corridor. Inside that barrel, the officers found a crocus sack which contained 9 plastic bags - each a separate marijuana parcel for at least 10 ounces all the way up to just under a pound. The total weight of all the drug parcels was 3.72 kilos, and due to the discovery, all 3 persons were arrested and charged with drug trafficking. It is expect that they will be arraigned at the earliest convenience.

Making Olympics Special
In October we reported on the Community Policing Unit's $6,000 dollar donation to the Special Olympic Committee. This donation was used to help fund the 2014 Special Olympics Games that was held today in Belmopan. Over 270 children registered to be a part of the event where they participated in football and Bachi matches as well as running races. But beyond the sporting activities and community support, this event highlights the importance of engaging children with diverse abilities to reach their highest potential. I found out more when I visited:.. Courtney Weatherburne reporting This golden torch planted in the grounds of the Governor General Field in Belmopan, sheds a light of hope and perseverance for participants in the Special Olympics Games. This morning, about 150 police officers accompanied by special Olympics youth made their way from Hattieville to Belmopan for the opening ceremony.

Man Called "Peter Tosh" To Court For Maim
Police say that 61 year-old Tony Anthony, also known as "Peter Tosh", chopped a man's finger off, and so tonight, he's at the prison, because police want to charge him with maim. He was arraigned on the charge of grievous harm when he appeared today before the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith. Based on the facts of the case, the prosecutor objected to bail for Anthony. The prosecutor told Chief Magistrate Smith that the charge should have been maim because the middle finger of the complainant was severed. At that point, Anthony broke down in tears, and He told Chief Magistrate Smith that it was the complainant Wayne Anthony who went to his yard at Lemonal on December 2. He says that Anthony threw stones at him while he was patrolling his yard with his machete.

Profile Of A Teacher
Tonight's profile is about Gaywin Bowen. She's the food and nutrition teacher at Maude Williams High. Tonight, she tells the profile how her life lessons inform and shape her work as a teacher:..

Civil Aviation Remembers
The Department of Civil Aviation held a ceremony today remember pilots who died while doing their jobs. It's an important part of International Civil Aviation Day which started with the laying of wreaths for those deceased pilots, and a ceremony up at the PGIA. 7News stopped by and spoke with a representative of from the Department, who told us more today: Francis Lizama, Flight Operation Inspector, Department of Civil Aviation "The civil international aviation is commemorated every year in Belize. This year its promoting global friendship and understanding and we also remember our fallen pilots for year to year." Daniel Ortiz "How many pilots have you loss in accidents that have killed them?"

Re-visiting The Battle On The Boulevard
Call it the sidewalk skirmish, the battle on the Boulevard, or whatever you wish…but Wednesday's showdown between Gilroy Usher and Anthony Boots Martinez was a first. In an era when lively political debate is much in demand, but scarce in supply - we'll have to take this shouting match as our version of debate. It might not have been informing but it sure was entertaining - and tonight we have a slightly satirical re-take on it:.. It went on like that for 15 minutes. Next time we promise we'll have full punch stat and compubox figures.

BSI - The Breakdown
At the top of the newscast we told you that BSI has counter-proposed to the cane farmers association in a letter dated today. Well, the contents of that letter are known at this time. Here's what BSI and the cane farmers say: they are willing to negotiate the term of the agreement. The cane farmers have accepted the 7 year proposal, but they want a right to cancel it within a year if they don't agree on a strategic development plan which BSI is coming up with. Today, BSI called that unrealistic. Second, on the ownership of the cane. The cane farmers are willing to cede their notion of ownership on the condition that they can renegotiate for a percentage for any future bye products which may come from the cane. BSI is willing to accept this but with heavy conditions, principally that they would have to first recover their investment from such bye product before any discussion of a revenue cut.

Channel 5

BWC Attorneys Crowfoot City Hall Trucks
Belize City’s Mayor Darrell Bradley has been having his share of financial woes of late, since he is faced with the commitment of taking on one hundred and seventy new [...]

Civil Aviation Investigates Tropic Air Crash
At around two thirty Thursday afternoon a Tropic Air Cessna Grand Caravan, inbound from San Pedro, crash landed at the Municipal Airstrip in Belize City and then ran off the [...]

BSI Rejects BSCFA Proposals
The sugar-cane crop season 2014-2015 will not start on December eighth. And when, or if it will start, is anybody’s guess. On Wednesday the BSCFA presented proposals to the BSI [...]

BTIA Holds AGM
The annual general meeting of the Belize Tourism Industry Association took place this morning at the Radisson Hotel in Belize City. While the tourism industry has faced its own share [...]

Osmany Salas is New President of BTIA
The B.T.I.A. also welcomed a new president during today’s AGM. Osmany Salas has been chosen to succeed Herbert Haylock as head of the private sector tourism organization. The incoming president [...]

Guatemalans Serve Five Year Sentence
A pair of Guatemalan men found hunting in Belizean territory illegally is spending the first night of a five-year sentence at the Belize Central Prison. Thirty-five-year-old Emilio Chub and twenty-five-year-old [...]

Young Mother Behind Bars for a Bullet
A young mother remains behind bars tonight along with her two siblings, but sadly her two month old baby boy is at home being deprived of breast milk. The case [...]

Cop Out on Bail
Two men, including a cop, who are facing criminal offenses, are out on bail tonight. First, there is PC Rupert Thomas, who is attached to the Independence Police Formation in [...]

Robbers pretending to be passengers robs James Bus en route to PG
A James Bus en route to Punta Gorda Town on Thursday night was held up by a trio of armed gunmen who boarded the vehicle near San Isidro Village as [...]

Civil Aviation Lays Wreaths in Honour of Fallen Pilots
The Department of Civil Aviation held an event today to coincide with International Civil Aviation Day. The activities began with a wreath laying ceremony to honor pilots who perished in [...]

Special Olympics National Games Held in Belmopan
Today the 2014 Special Olympics National Games were held in Belmopan. It was a culmination of local and regional games in which athletes from across the country had the opportunity [...]

BCCI to Host Christmas Expo in the City
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry is hosting a Christmas expo this weekend in Belize City. The expo has become a popular event because it offers consumers great deals [...]

PlusTV

Financial Irregularities at KHMH, again
The Ministry of Finance requested another Special Audit for the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital over two x -ray machines purchased...

Venezuela selling PetroCaribe loans?
The price of oil on the World Market continues to fall and while that is a good thing for those countries whose Governments pass on the savings at the pump, it is also cause for concern for some on the global scale...

National Special Olympics Games in Belmopan
“Let me win, but if I cannot, let me be brave in the attempt...

Highway robbery of James Bus
A James Bus was robbed on the Southern Highway. Sometime around 6:30 pm on December 3, a James Bus travelling from Belize City to Punta Gorda was stopped by three men in San Isidro Village...

New PreSchool in Kontiki
A new preschool, Arms of Love Preschool, was built in the Kontiki area of the Twin Towns in the Cayo District. The new preschool was built by the Government of Belize at a total cost of $265,775.00 with funds financed through a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank.

BSI and BSCFA still negotiating
After many back and forths and some apparent hostilities between ASR/BSI and the BSCFA, on Wednesday both parties went back to the negotiating table, where they met for a much anticipated meeting at the BSI staff club in Orange Walk Town. Present at the meeting were ASR/BSI, BSCFA and their attorneys and representatives of the Sugar Industry Control Board (SICB). The meeting was rather cordial as both parties attempted to mend fences in order to begin the crop season as soon as possible. However, up until Thursday, there is not much that can be said as both parties are not revealing much about the discussions at this time. Both do concede, however that the discussions were good. BSI’s Belizario Carballo spoke the media on Wednesday.

Street Fixing Challenges in Belmopan
Residents of Salvapan area that live in the Calle De Las Americas Street Extension are under dire need of street repairs. The street is trafficked regularly as it is the main point of entry for residents on the Northernmost part of Salvapan. The street extension has always been left in a bad state however the recent rains have since worsened the conditions of the road leading into that area. Cirilio Choco is a resident of that community. “I’m complaning on behalf of all of us, the residents of the Salvapan area, because our road looks like it’s a road where you haul logs. The reason is that it’s a pig road, lots of mud, lots of holes, lots of water, especially for mosquitoes, and [it's] very dangerous for kids going to school. That’s why I am talking on behalf of the Salapan people, towards the media, to let you guys know that we need help, and we need to call our ministers and our Area Representative to please help us in this area. We have more that fifty kids who come to school every day, mothers, children, men who go to work every day, and then we have to pass through all of this mud.”

Dark Knight’s Cave Contract Clarified
FECTAB held a press conference on November 17 to discuss what they said was an exclusive 75 year contract to Dark Night to conduct tours at a cave behind Jaguar Paw on the George Price Highway. FECTAB was irate that a foreign company would be allowed exclusivity of a Mayan archaeological site. However, after meeting with NICH and seeing the contract for themselves, FECTAB says that the contract is for a period of three years, and they are satisfied that the company does not have exclusivity. Tom Greenwood – President of FECTAB “It came out at us from nowhere, and there was some misinformation about it. This will happen, when it is obvious that an archiological site is suddenly available to one person or one company, and not anybody else, we fear the worst. Now we know that the Dark Night contract is a three year contract. NICH has invited anyone to come there and read up on the contract, and you’ll see two things that are stark about the contract. We’re happy that these are true, that there is nowhere in that contract that gives permission to build a zipline through the caves, and the Dark Night people have no exclusivity to that cave. It’s a matter of absolutely getting to the cave, and the entire area is owned by various people. A lot of it is owned by the people who run Dark Night, and so that is a little hurdle, but there are other areas.”

Amandala

No apology from “Monchi,” and no lawsuit from “Gapi”
Last month, it made national headlines when the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP) Orange Walk North standard-bearer Ramon “Monchi” Cervantes, Jr., was threatened with a lawsuit by his political opponent, the ruling United Democratic Party (UDP)’s Hon. Gaspar “Gapi” Vega, the Deputy Prime Minister of Belize and the Minister of Natural Resources and Agriculture, if he did not apologize and pay damages for defamation of character, for causing a conversation in Spanish which implicated him, Vega, in the murder of Ramon Cervantes, Sr., to be broadcasted on LOVE FM. However, Cervantes, Jr., told Amandala tonight, Thursday, that he has not been served with any court papers from Hon. Vega’s attorney.

Gungulung man, 27, executed on “Jump Street”
On Wednesday, December 3, police responded to a shooting on Wagner’s Lane, more popularly known as “Jump Street.” The Belize Emergency Response Team (BERT) ambulance that screamed its way down Albert Street moments after a police mobile unit, with siren blaring, had passed, drove back quietly on Regent Street as it made its way back to its base, an ominous sign of another fatality in the city — ambulances do not transport dead people. None of the residents of Jump Street who were standing behind the yellow police crime scene marker knew who the man was, who lay dead near the entrance to one of the network of alleyways that connect to Jump Street. The suspense about the identity of the victim was soon broken, as word began to spread that the man on the ground, who was shot once in the head, was Robert Tracy, a man from Gungulung who had strayed into Jump Street.

Johnny denies 7 million dollar Guardian story!
The Guardian’s headline story of Sunday, December 7, 2014, “Johnny Briceño’s driver died leaving behind 7 million dollars?” has been described by current PUP Orange Walk Central area representative, Hon. John Briceño, as “completely absurd and ridiculous” in an interview with Amandala today. The Guardian, the mouthpiece of the ruling UDP, claimed that an Orange Walk man who had been employed as Briceño’s driver died leaving behind assets worth “somewhere in the region of $7 million.” Earlier this week we were informed that the body of Anthony “Tutch” Gillett, Briceño’s former driver, was recently exhumed from the Orange Walk cemetery where he had been laid to rest. The exhumation followed an internal family dispute over assets, including his house, that he had owned before his death.

Woman, 45, faces $10,000 and 3 years for 1 weed tree
A woman who was on trial for marijuana cultivation and pipe possession was found guilty this morning when she and her two children appeared before Senior Magistrate, Sharon Frazer. Frazer found Tyron King, 18, and Sherin King, 20, not guilty of the two charges, but their mother, Olympia King, 45, was not so fortunate. She was found guilty of both charges against her. Another person who was accused along with the Kings was Harrison Smith, who has been murdered since the trial began. Frazer, in a gesture of goodwill, allowed King to go home to spend the Christmas holidays with her family, but warned her that the penalty for marijuana cultivation is the same as that for drug trafficking, a fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for 3 years.

Deadline December 15 for KREM Classic
The Cycling Federation of Belize announced today that it would be conducting its 2015 Membership Registration drive this Saturday, December 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., at the UWI Open Campus in Belize City on Princess Margaret Drive. According to the Federation, “All persons (athletes, support personnel, officials, teams etc), can bring in their completed registration forms with the relevant supporting documents (copy of either your Social Security Card or Passport) to indicate proof of your date of birth.” The release also noted that “the deadline for membership registration for athletes participating in the 25th Annual KREM New Year’s Day Cycling Classic is MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2014.” It added that, “Deadline to submit names for vetting of Foreign Riders, who will be riding on a team for this event, is Friday, December 12.”

Belmopan Football Association 1st Division Tournament
There were 4 games scheduled for Sunday, November 30, at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in the Belmopan Football Association (BFA) 1st Division Tournament, but only 1 of the games was actually played. In the first game, scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m., San Martin FC won by default (3-0) over Las Flores United. In game 2, UB Black Jaguars dropped Maya Mopan Ranger, 3-1, with goals from Reynaldo Lisbey (53’ & 62’) and Angel Briceno (74); while Maya Mopan’s lone tally was by Juan Pop (28’). The other 2 scheduled games, Armenia FC vs Cotton Tree FC, and Duck Run II vs Club Atletico, were not played because the referees were called to officiate at PLB (Premier League of Belize) games.

Serving the people …
Seen from a certain perspective, electoral politics is an investment of time and money in order to achieve power. Power is the reward for that investment, and when one achieves power in the form of government formation in Belmopan, one then proceeds to recoup one’s investment. Most of our politicians recoup more than their campaign investment when they are elected to office, and if they personally do not wish to grab in excess because of personal reasons or because they want to protect a political image of cleanliness, then their relatives and cronies will gladly do it for them. The people of Belize now know that politics in Belize is a “grab tub” business. The people of Belize are not fooled any more by this “I want to serve” foolishness.” Politicians and those around them want access to the public funds of Belize. That is what the game is all about. The real estate of Belize is also a great prize. That real estate includes pristine land and jungle, and wonderful coral isles. Tiny Belize, must we say it one more time, owns the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. Then there are the petroleum realities and possibilities. How about collecting protection money for the movement of narcotics from South America to the United States? Yes, you can get rich when you are in political power in Belize.

From the Publisher
I’ve heard a few Belizeans in the Diaspora give me credit for having remained in Belize, but, to be truthful, some of the background explanation for my remaining in Belize has to do with my airplane phobia. If I could have flown back and forth, I might have moved to America in early 1979, say, when the UDP were giving me a really hard time and appeared about to take national political power. I have been saying to you Belizeans that we must always keep the Seventeen Proposals in mind. These remain the template the Americans are using insofar as their foreign policy for Belize is concerned. I have also been saying that we must pay keen attention to the Maya of Belize, because their perspective is important for the rest of us. One problem is that both the American foreign officials and Maya leaders are more sophisticated than Belizeans can conceive.

Residents of Ivor Street held fundraising flea market to repair their street
Ivor Street lies deep in the north of the Lake Independence area, almost by the riverside, but when it rains, navigating the street is a nightmare for its residents, because the short street has no drainage and the potholes keep getting bigger. Residents of the street have traditionally taken matters into their own hands and have done some of the work to improve the street on their own. In another two weeks, they will launch their street cleanup campaign. Before the start of the cleanup, however, on Saturday, November 29, the residents of Ivor Street held a flea market inside Battlefield Park to raise funds to buy filling to repair their street. Two of the residents of the street, Shasa Eiley and Jacqueline Meighan, told Amandala about their plans to tackle the street filling.

GoBelize youth program graduates 10, celebrates 10th anniversary
GoBelize is a non-governmental organization which is focused on advocating for the rights and development of youths in both rural and urban areas. Today, the administrators and alumni celebrated the program’s 10th anniversary while incorporating the graduation ceremony for ten additional cohorts who joined the organization this year. After starting out under a regional initiative known as “GoJoven” in 2004, the program evolved and later localized in Belize through the efforts of past graduates who came together to contribute to the leadership and development needs of Belizean youths. Executive Director, Eva Burgos, who was one of the first to undergo the internationally funded, youth-led program, told Amandala about her role in the program and its future initiatives.

High schoolers enter regional science project competition
A group of teenagers from Canaan S.D.A. High School in Belize City have put together an innovative energy-generating contraption which is designed not only to improve ventilation in some of their classrooms, but also to propel them to success in an upcoming regional competition known as The Sagicor Visionaries Challenge 2014. Through the yearly event, students between the ages of 11 and 18 years from high schools all over the Caribbean are stimulated to solve problems of sustainability in their schools and communities through STEM, which stands for a combination of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Since some of their classrooms are made of metal, which is known to conduct heat, the students have decided to create an electromagnetic generator ventilation system made up mainly of a bicycle, an alternator, an inverter and a car battery, which will be used to power wall fans inside the classrooms to reduce the heat and make the classrooms cooler.

Possession of 118 grams of cannabis results in $1,500 fine for amputee
An amputee who shredded the prosecution’s drug trafficking charge against him (by proving through a cross-examination of witnesses against him that he did not sell cannabis, but merely used it) was sentenced to a fine of $1,500, yesterday morning, Tuesday, when he appeared before Magistrate Herbert Panton, who had found him not guilty of drug trafficking, but guilty of possession of a controlled drug — 118 grams of cannabis that police found at his home. On September 3, 2013, the police’s Gang Suppression Unit (GSU), while on an anti-drug operation in the Conch Shell Bay area, searched the home of Alton White, 50, and his common-law wife, Idolly Frazer, 36, and found 118 grams of cannabis in two separate locations.

Drilling beyond 7,000 feet in Sarstoon-Temash
Alistair King, the country representative for US Capital in Belize, confirmed to our newspaper today that the company continues exploratory drilling inside the Sarstoon Temash National Park, and although no commercial find has been discovered even at 7,000 feet below ground level, they remain hopeful that the search will yield positive results. Whereas the Government of Belize has granted permission for the oil company to drill for oil inside the protected area, two NGOs – the Sarstoon Temash National Park and the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO) – contend that no such drilling should be allowed in the park where extractive use has been strictly regulated. Members of the surrounding Maya communities have taken issue with the Government’s decision to grant the permit to US Capital to enter the national park for oil exploration activities, and four of the surrounding communities have filed a suit against the Government of Belize, challenging its decision.

Supreme Court judge tells BGYEA to try mediation once more
The Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association (BGYEA) and the Government of Belize remain locked in a legal dispute over the rights to use the Harmonyville “buffer zone,” an area that BGYEA members who reside in the surrounding territory wanted to use to plant corn, but for which Government has taken them to court, claiming that the area is a road reserve. After the government’s side had failed to abide by two court orders for mediation, the parties were ordered back to the mediation table yesterday, Monday, by Supreme Court Justice Courtenay Abel, who expressed disappointment that the court-ordered mediation was not used to try to resolve the dispute. Following the court hearing this morning, some members of BGYEA and residents of the Harmonyville community explained what is happening on the ground.

Belize missing again from corruption index
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2014, captioned “Clean growth at risk,” was released today by Transparency International and again Belize has been excluded from the rankings (the government chose not to participate), so there is no telling how Belize measures up to its regional counterparts which have been ranked on the international scale. According to the CPI report, “More than two thirds of the 175 countries in the 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index score below 50, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean).” Generally speaking, countries in the Americas scored poorly, and the report said that 68% of countries scored lower than 50%, versus 66% last year, 2013. The average score for the Americas, although being only 45%, is still higher than the average global score, which is 43%.

Prime Minister attends Fifth CARICOM-Cuba Summit
Cuba-CARICOM Day, observed annually on December 8, was instituted back in 2002, to solidify relations which Cuba began to cultivate with the region decades earlier, starting with the establishment of diplomatic relations with Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago back in 1972. On Monday, December 8, 2014, Cuba will host delegations from CARICOM member countries, including Belize, as talks focus on matters of economic importance, in the context of the 5-year strategic plan (2014-2019) for the region, formalized at the last regional summit. Prime Minister Barrow left Belize on Tuesday, December 2, to first travel to Atlanta, Georgia, USA, after which he plans to travel to Cuba for the regional summit.

OW cop internally charged for handcuffs on Ramon Cervantes, Sr.
Information reaching Amandala suggests that disciplinary proceedings were carried out today against Police Constable #743 Javier Alvarez, who is attached to the Orange Walk Police Formation, after it had been alleged that his handcuffs were used to bind the hands of Ramon “Don Ramon” Cervantes, Sr., the well-known Orange Walk businessman and former mayor who was abducted and murdered earlier this year. According to information we received from sources within the Belize Police Department, Alvarez was reportedly found guilty of two counts of Prejudice to Good Order and Discipline, and was consequently fined $200 and “severely reprimanded” by a disciplinary body today.

The Reporter

Two murders, 15 hours apart! Are they connected? Police want to know
City Police are looking to see if the murders of Emerson Arnold, 35, and Kenroy Parham, 25, who were killed 15 hours apart over last weekend, are connected in any way. Hattieville police have several persons detained for the Parham murder and are looking […]

Hold-up in Cotton Tree Village marks start of Christmas season
Three Bowen & Bowen employees, along with a Chinese grocer and his wife were relieved of their money and cellular phones during an armed hold-up at around 2:30 Monday afternoon in the village of Cotton Tree in the Cayo District. Two men wielding handguns […]

Court extends mediation date in dispute over buffer zone
The Supreme Court this week gave another extension for the Government of Belize and the Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association (BGYEA) to hold mediation talks to settle the dispute over the buffer zone surrounding the Harmonyville Community at mile 41 on the George Price Highway. […]

U.K. lawyer finds prison system in need of overhaul
A report published by a London-based NGO entitled “Behind the Prison Gates” identifies many of the problems the Belize prison system faces, including proper care for mental and juvenile inmates. Joseph Middleton, a human rights lawyer in the UK, was commissioned to undertake the […]

BTL system failure
Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) experienced an interruption in their system this week that caused BTL customers nationwide to lose calls, text messages, 4G and DSL services. BTL Public Relations Officer, Lorena Martinez confirmed that BTL experienced some issues with their system early Wednesday morning, […]

Boots on the ground! FCD will triple its patrols in the Chiquibul
Friends of Conservation and Development, the non-governmental organization which co-manages the Chiquibul Forest, is preparing to beef up its monitoring of the area by tripling the number of forest rangers. Director Rafael Manzanero, explained that after the successful Chiquibul telethon in October, the NGO acquired […]

Still no date for crop-open day and no breakthrough in sight!
Belize Sugar Industries Ltd. has until Friday midday to respond to proposals by the Belize Cane Farmers Association, which came from a meeting held on Wednesday, December 3rd. If the response is favourable, the crop could start as early as next week. But if BSI does not budge on its […]

Wednesday morning murder
A 28-year-old man is out on bail for attempted murder after he was shot in the back of the head and killed around 10 Wednesday morning on Wagner’s lane as he sat on a stool in a yard. Robert Tracy, a resident of Holy […]

They remember Andy!
The Garifuna community turned out in the hundreds on Tuesday night at Saint Martin de Porres Church in Belize City to celebrate the life of Andy Palacio, Belize’s former cultural ambassador, and artist for peace, as declared by UNESCO, on what would have been his […]

Belize/Mexico discuss tourism possibilities
Hotel representatives, travel agencies, car insurance agencies, restauranteurs and tour operators from Chetumal, Mahahual and Bacalar met in Belize on Wednesday at a tourism trade show to discuss possibilities for trade in that industry. The objective was to encourage Belizean service providers to consider […]

Venezuela stands by PetroCaribe in spite of falling oil prices
Venezuela has pledged to continue her PertoCaribe program, despite a worsening economic situation in that country. The Government of Venezuela has insisted that the program is sustainable. According to John Mencias, Deputy Chairman of Alba PetroCaribe Belize Energy Limited (APBEL) Venezuela’s program is indeed sustainable because the PetroCaribe program is […]

Editorial
Belize has been black-listed as the third most violence-prone country in the world. Fourteen years ago, at the turn of the century, the murder rate for Belize was 18.8 homicides per 100,000 persons. By 2012 the murder rate had doubled to 39.0 homicides per 100,000 persons, and last year’s reports […]

Plane slides off runway! Passengers escape unharmed
Directors of Tropic Air are blaming the slick runway at the Municipal Airstrip in Belize City for a near disaster involving a Cessna Caravan, Flight 281, on Thursday afternoon. The plane, coming in from San Pedro, landed successfully and then slid into the cold waters at the Eastern end of […]

Trickle-down effect of cheaper oil slow in reaching Belizean drivers
Pump prices for gasoline and diesel in Belize have dropped, but only slightly when compared to the global price of petroleum in other countries, which have enjoyed significantly cheaper prices over the past few months. Belizeans are hopeful that they may enjoy lower prices […]

BML may yet get a piece of the action
Belize Maintenance Limited (BML) and the Belize City Council (CitCo) have begun discussions about the transition of 170 employees when BML’s contract ends in January, even while CitCo has been making good on its financial commitments to pay off arrears. . According to BML […]

Financial irregularities found at KHMH again
Two X-ray machines purchased by the KHMH are the subject of a Special Audit, which focused on the nation’s largest referral hospital for the period July 2013 – July 2014. The audit was commissioned through the Ministry of Finance and requested by the Board of Governors of the KHMH. In […]

The Belize Times

PUP Ready in Cayo North!! – PUP Cayo North Standard Bearer Richard Harrison to unveil 5-year Development Plan
People’s United Party Standard Bearer for Cayo North Richard Harrison has hit the ground running. He continues his ground campaign, meeting with residents of the division and gathering tremendous support as he shares his ideas for development. On Wednesday, Harrison held a successful meeting with key supporters in Bullet Tree Village who have committed to supporting him and working to bring about victory for the People’s United Party in the bye-elections to be held on January 5th 2015. Bullet Tree is a key community in Cayo North. Similarly, groups of young people, students of voting age, businessmen, religious leaders, teachers and community activists in Belize and abroad have commended Harrison for stepping into the political fray and committing to supporting him. This is the positive reaction which the People’s United Party’s decision to have Belizean entrepreneur and businessman Richard Harrison as their candidate in the January 5th bye-election in Cayo North has had in the division.

Mass resignation at Santa Familia Village Council
“It’s my way or the highway” – that’s the message the arrogant UDP Chairman Alberto August and spineless Cayo North East Standard Bearer John August imposed on the members of the Santa Familia Village Council, forcing a mass resignation of community leaders several weeks ago. Five members of the Village Council: Rafael Humes Jr., Yuri Rivera Obando, Juanito Carillo, David Carillo and Irbin Tun abandoned the UDP ship and left Chairman Gobin Carrias on his own, after they got fed up of the disrespectful treatment by UDP Chairman Alberto August and John August.

Darrel Bradley – the Christmas Grinch – BML workers denied Xmas loans because of job instability
Belize Maintenance Limited (BML) employees have received notification letters that as of January 18th they will no longer have jobs at the sanitation company, as a result of the Belize City Council’s crude decision not to renew their service contract. This has made life for BML workers miserable as the situation has impacted their ability to get the only kind of Christmas cheer available in these cold and hard Barrow times. The workers have been denied access to loans by every financial institution on the basis that they don’t have job stability. BML workers are looking for something to be cheerful about this Christmas, and have attempted to access a little extra cash from loans at their credit union and banks, but the Belize City Mayor’s indications that they might not be keeping an earlier commitment that every employee would be hired has made things iffy for the employees.

Another youth gunned down – 28 year old Robert “Bolo” Tracey executed on Jump Street
Gun shots rang out in Southside Belize City shortly after 10:00am on Wednesday morning, as 28 year old Robert Tracey was executed on Wagner’s Lane, also known as “Jump Street”. Tracey was shot in the head multiple times by an unknown gunman, and left dead on the sidewalk. Residents who had heard the gunshots looked out and saw a man lying on the ground. Horrified at the site, they called the Police. At the scene, the Police recovered several expended shells and a blue-in-color beach cruiser bicycle. It is believed that the gunman sneaked up on Tracey who was sitting in front of a private residence and shot him at close range. The gunman then ran through an alley and escaped. The Police found clothing which they believed belongs to the gunman.

ANOTHER BAD EXAMPLE
The news on Channel 5 television that the Police have decided to no longer consult the Director of Public Prosecutions before charging any citizen for criminal offenses is most disturbing. The internal memorandum to all Police formations and district stations was signed by Mr. Russel Blackett, the former Assistant Commissioner of Police and Head of National Crimes Unit. The memo was not signed by the Commissioner of Police, nor was it signed on his behalf, which may or may not have some meaning. A decision of this importance should have come from the Commissioner. Perhaps he saw controversy in this decision and felt he was already skating on thin ice in the court of public opinion. Mr. Blackett is a retired Police Officer. He reached his retirement age and has been rehired at the behest of the Prime Minister. Such a decision itself raises concern. The law governing public officers, of which all senior police officers above the rank of Inspector are legally public officers; is that they must retire on reaching the age of fifty-five years.

Verdes FC bombs Placencia Assassins 2-1
Verdes FC of Benque Viejo moved up to the No. 2 spot in the Premier League of Belize after the green machine blasted Placencia Assassins 2-1 at the Norman Broaster Stadium in San Ignacio on Sunday to shadow the top gun with 13 points. A header from Assassins’ Luis “Barker” Torres forced Verdes’ goalie Benito Moreira to make an acrobatic save, while Verdes’ Jarret Davis and Gilroy “Bredda” Thurton brought the pressure on Assassins’ goalie Jesus Urbina, with “Orlando “Leechy” Jimenez, Nahjib Guerra, Richard “Cheety” Jimenez and Everald Trapp all trying shots at goal.

SJC & Sadie Vernon boys clash in basketball finals
The Sadie Vernon Technical High School boys will take on the St. John’s College boys in the high school basketball finals at Bird’s Isle on Wednesday night, December 3. On Monday night, SJC overpowered Gwen Liz 55-47 in Game 3 of the playoffs. Dudley Erskine led with 24 points. The Sadie Vernon boys eliminated the defending Belize District high school champs, ACC boys 66-64 in overtime, after regulation ended with the score tied at 64-64. Clency Lopez finished with 25 points as he scored the winning basket unopposed, as ACC’s coach Matthew Smiling had refused to allow his players back on the court, forfeiting their chance at the championship. Belize Bank Bulldogs’ star Darwin “Puppy” Leslie is coaching the Sadie Vernon Technical High School.

The Base at Hunting Caye
Just a couple of months ago Belize’s security had been compromised leading to a brutal fatality of a Tourism Police at the Caracol Archaeological site involving some Guatemalans. Now, it has come to the attention of the Public that a privately-owned Guatemalan Contractor Company “BINARQ” was contracted to construct the Belize Coast Guard’s Base at Hunting Caye, which is a military facility located down south. This has caused some consternations and legitimate concerns by the Belizean Public as they would like to know “Why in the world would the Government allow Guatemalans to be in charge of our military base especially since there has been an ongoing dispute between the two countries? It is understandable that as a democratic and peaceful country the Government would want to try and settle the dispute with Guatemala in a civilized and peaceful manner; therefore, contracting a Guatemalan company would seem to be a start in moving forward and working harmoniously. However, I personally believe that the only acceptable way that a Guatemalan company could be operating in Belize is to have the company hire Belizean citizens only since it is in our country.

GST accountability
Slowly throughout the years we have been forced to change our lifestyles to suit the changes in the economy. In many homes in Belize today, both parents are working in order to make ends meet. Household incomes are going down, the cost of living is going up and debts are accumulating. A majority of our paychecks are stagnant while the cost of living just continues to soar. We are finding it harder and harder to be able to afford the things that were once easier to afford, like a mortgage or higher education. In order to help the economy and ourselves, we need to evaluate the issues that are affecting us. We know that the Government of Belize (GOB) has an obligation to its country and is responsible for sustaining a vast majority of expenses like fixing streets and roads, maintenance of the different ministries, schools, hospitals, national security etc. We all agree that it is necessary to pay taxes in order to sustain our country and one of the largest contributing revenue bases for GOB is the General Sales Tax (GST). It would not be necessary for GOB to implement so many other taxes or may even be able reduce some of the taxes already in place if everyone did their part in paying their due share of GST and ensuring that those authorized to collect GST on behalf of government do account for all GST collected and due.

Guerrero Street Swimming Pool
Dear Area Representative Boots Martinez, This is Guerrero St. in your constituency of Port Loyola. It has been neglected for over a decade. It has no drain on either side with potholes that turn into swimming pools. It is both a safety and health risk because it holds stagnant water for days after rainfall occurs. PLEASE HELP! Sincerely,

Michel Chebat letter to Cayo North
Dear Residents of Cayo North, Over the past few weeks, I have along with members of my committee visited with you, and listened to your concerns and ideas with the goal of formulating solutions that would bring meaningful change to Cayo North and by extension our beloved country Belize. After consultation with the leadership of the party, it was determined that in light of the current circumstances and time constraints and to foster unity and harmony within the party, I would step aside and allow my fellow aspirant to go, uncontested, into the bi-elections to be held on the 5th of January 2015.

Time to Get Serious about Sports!
Dear Editor, In countries where Sports is handled properly, it is a profitable venture for the Government as well as other partners who support the industry. Years ago when our population and the economy were much smaller, there was often only standing room for basketball games at Civic Center, football matches at MCC grounds, boxing bouts at Bird’s Isle , and softball games at Roger’s Stadium. Apart from the profit making aspects, sports is also a discipline that teaches life skills such as self-reliance, good decision making, patience, hard work, ambition, peaceful resolution of dispute, and the need for a good education among many other things. Early support for Sports also enhances the chance for amateur athletes to reap the many benefits of playing on the world stage at the professional level.

City Administrator’s pickup crashed
The expensive vehicle bought with City Council funds for daily use by the City Administrator Candace Burke was crashed earlier this week. Following the crash, the vehicle was hidden from the public and clandestinely driven to an auto body works located on the Western Highway for repair. While the Mayor and Council stomp their feet and bawl that the City Council is broke when the sanitation companies knock on their doors to collect outstanding debts, the Council will surely find a way to pay the cost of repairs for Burke’s nearly brand-new Toyota Hilux to avoid any public scandal.

Tropic Air crashes off airstrip runway
A Tropic Air Cessna plane crashed into the sea after it ran off the runway at the Belize City airstrip on Thursday afternoon. The 5 passengers and pilot were not injured in the mishap, according to Tropic Air’s Public Relations Director Dennis Sunderman. A company press release indicated that “approximately 2:20 PM flight #281 was going from San Pedro to Belize City Municipal Airport and upon landing went off the end of the runway into the water.”

WOMAN IN THE HOUSE – THE PETROCARIBE PARTY
At the sitting of the House of Representatives on November 18th last, I rose on a Point of Order, indicating assertively to the Speaker my objection to the interruptions and catcalls from the government side as Leader of the Opposition Hon. Francis Fonseca rose to debate the Petrocaribe Loan Motion. Members of our side had sat quietly as the Prime Minister, as ringmaster of his red circus, delivered his now infamous “Roll It” pseudo-defence of the Petrocaribe illegality. But, true to form, the peanut gallery of Barrow’s side of the House just couldn’t shut up and behave themselves when it was the Opposition’s turn to expose the hypocrisy of the Barrow administration. I did not myself speak to debate the Motion. The day was long, and the speeches of the government side were the usual empty drivel. Those from our side were cogent and hard hitting. I had paid keen attention as the Prime Minister tried in vain to explain away his unlawful actions in not seeking House approval before borrowing and spending the countless Petrocaribe millions. He called the Petrocaribe funds a ‘peculiar creature,’ saying that it was impossible to know ahead of time the exact sums to be borrowed, so therefore (following his twisted logic) it was alright to commit a blatantly illegal act. What hogwash, and what a spurious, silly argument! Simple arithmetic could have told him when he was arriving at Ten Million Dollars and more in funds and the need, therefore, to seek House approval as required by law prior to borrowing and spending.

Bitter Sweet Sugar Cane
The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) has been engaged in a longstanding negotiation with the new factory owners of Belize Sugar Industries, American Sugar Refining Inc. (ASR) regarding the upcoming sugar cane season expected to begin on December 8, 2014. Both parties have agreed that it is in the best interest of this valuable industry that the new sugar cane season begins on time. However, the sticking point is that BSCFA does not want to relinquish ownership of the sugar cane after sale to the factory because of the residual value of the bagasse when the sugar cane is grounded.

Dah we like suh
My grandmother had a saying that whenever I would complain to her about someone doing me wrong, she would say, “Dah you like suh!” In other words, if you didn’t like it, you would do something about it. There are usually two courses of action available to any person who believes that they are being wronged. The first is to remove themselves from the environment and the second is to do what is necessary to put a stop to the offensive action. Belizeans have long been complaining about being wronged by politicians. Abuse of authority, corruption, wasteful spending of taxpayers’ money, nepotism, cronyism, interference in Police work and the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, in this case before us (the current government is not only accused but practically found guilty of all of the above, and then some), most Belizeans do not have both options available to them. Belize is our only home and we do not have the luxury of removing ourselves from this environment. There are those who do have green cards and the opportunity to travel but they choose instead to stay and make a life in Belize. That is their right for this is our home! We therefore are left with one choice and one choice only; we must do what is necessary to put a stop to this miscreance.

Belize “Titanic” is Petrocaribe
I’m not a big movie fan but boy when I fall in love with a movie I watch it often. One such movie is “Titanic”. Mein, I loved that movie! It’s a bit long but who cares it holds my attention for the 3 ½ hours and it’s worth it. The other good thing about it is that it’s a true story. It all started on April 10, 1912 when this large ship, the largest in the world at the time, left Southampton, England on her maiden voyage to New York City. No expense was spared – every luxury available to man was onboard. Her passengers were a mixture of the world’s wealthiest, basking in the elegance of first class accommodations. She was classified as the safest ship ever built, so safe she couldn’t sink. She carried only 20 lifeboats for her 2,200 passengers and crew. The party started immediately with dancing and drinking all day into the morning. The best liquor was onboard. This was life at its best for the rich and famous. Who can forget the love story of the society girl “Rose” and the penniless artist “Jack” as they fell in love on the high seas? What a party. Life could not be better. Then four days into her journey at 11:40pm on the night of April 14, she struck an iceberg but what’s to worry? This ship cannot sink we were told, so the party continued. Soon it became obvious the ship would go down. Each passenger was issued a life jacket but life expectancy would be short. The water was four degrees below freezing and very few if any could survive this cold water.

Think About It
For some ten years public sector workers have not benefited for a salaries increase. Despite rising cost of living in Belize. In 2004 and 2005 the trade unions played an important role in paving the way for the then opposition UDP to gain electoral victory. In 2008 the UDP became the government on a promise of accountability, transparency and all the rest of broken electoral pledges. They held out an open window and door that they would be a workers government. Another broken promise. From 2008 to 2013 the Unions played along with “their” government. No raise came. When they could no longer hold back the frustration of their members, and in particular the teachers, negotiation started. Based on facts and figures the Unions placed their cards on the negotiating table. Oh, no, said the Prime Minister, we just don’t have money for a raise. The Unions said they wouldn’t budge. They were asking for ten percent.

Secret Police Files on Gangs Leaked!!
Highly sensitive police intelligence on the gang networks in Belize has been leaked out of the Police Department, and is at risk of falling into the wrong hands and undermining organised-crime probes and potentially endangering the lives of Police Officials and citizens. The BELIZE TIMES has learnt that the intelligence data was mismanaged by a Police Officer who lost the device, a flash drive, which contained a back-up copy of the information. That flash-drive, with all the sensitive content, was recklessly handled and has now fallen in the hands of a private citizen, who we understand is resisting returning it to the Police. The intelligence data, some of which the BELIZE TIMES has obtained through reliable sources, contains information on gang networks and how they operate with certain resources. It lists names and contains detailed information of the key players involved. The data represent months of work by the Police’s special branch department. If gangs get the information it could weaken the Police’s anti-gang efforts tremendously, and even give gangs the advantage as they can pre-empt police action.

Patrick Jones

Weed charge for GSU target
Thirty-nine year old Lance Welch, a resident of Rivero Street who was released on bail from prison yesterday, was back before the court today on a charge of drug trafficking. Welch was arraigned on the charge by Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser, the same magistrate who offered him bail […]

Philip Gallaty’s gets his driver’s license reinstated
Fifty-seven year old Phillip Gallaty, the manager of Victor Bryant and company limited, is permitted to drive again. Gallaty’s driver’s license was suspended for 6 months after he was found guilty of driving without due care and attention. After 3 months had passed since the suspension, Gallaty appeared […]

Gang charge for unemployed man
Thirty-three year old Ian Westby, an unemployed of Casaurina Street, was charged displaying gang insignia when he appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. Westby wanted to plead guilty to the charge. He explained that he has had the tattoos on his left arm and right hand from […]

Teen beats charge after complainant no-shows
Eighteen year old Shaquille Meighan, charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, was freed of the charge when it was stuck out today by Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. The charge was struck out for want of prosecution because the virtual complainant, Maurice Middleton, could not be located. The […]

“Peter Tosh” hit with grievous harm charge
Sixty-one year old Tony Anthony, aka “Peter Tosh”, a former police officer, was charged with grievous harm when he appeared today before the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith. But based on the facts of the case, the prosecutor objected to bail for Anthony. The prosecutor told Chief Magistrate […]

Caye Caulker residents pleads to drug trafficking
Apologizing for wasting the court’s time, 31 year old Nolberto Choc of Caye Caulker accepted a plea of guilty of drug trafficking. Chief Magistrate Ann-Marie Smith handed down a fine of $10,000, half of which was to be paid immediately and the rest by December 31, 2015. Choc […]

Guatemalans jailed on unlicensed firearms charges
Two Guatemalan mean have been charged for the crime of possession of firearm and ammunition without a license. They are 34 year old Erasmo Vasquez Emilio. The duo was intercepted by Belizean authorities last week during a patrol near Machakilha village. Police say when the men were intercepted […]

First Caribbean International Bank donates to Belize Cancer Society
On Thursday First Caribbean International Bank made a donation of $8,000 to the Belize Cancer Society, proceeds of its various activities highlighting cancer awareness. The society’s vice-president Diane Finnegan said it comes in handy to provide services to persons afflicted with various forms of cancer, many of whom […]

Civil Aviation Department defends record after plane crash
The Department of Civil Aviation today observed International Civil Aviation Day in honor of the 70th anniversary of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s founding. It comes on the heels of yesterday’s crash of Tropic Air Flight 281 off the coast of Belize City as it prepared to land. […]

New BTIA president aims to strengthen organization
With just 16% of hotels, 4% of restaurants and 11% of other key sectors as active members of the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), the spokespeople for the tourism industry are aiming to get their own house in order by improving membership and financial position. That is the […]

Blogs

Working with the manatee calves...from Dani, Lead Manatee Carer and Aussie extraordinaire
For someone to ask you to write a blog about your time and role at Wildtracks seems like a ridiculous feat. No amount of words could ever explain the pure joy and satisfaction you feel here on a daily basis, however, I will do my best. My name is Dani and I volunteer here at Wildtracks, mostly caring for the two male West Indian Manatee calves; Mitch and Lucky. Those who have met me will know that it is almost impossible for me not to cry when i see videos of dugongs and manatees in the wild, so, to be blessed with the opportunity to care for these two boys is one of the greatest endeavours of my life. Getting up at 5.30am is something normally unheard of for me, but knowing that I'm waking up to two hungry little manatees makes all the difference. I wake up each morning happy and excited to see them. It has been an absolute dream to bottle feed these beautiful animals five times a day, and it is worth the late nights, early mornings and zillions of mosquitos. Some days can be very testing and upsetting when the boys are uncomfortable, cold or gassy which can affect their feeding pattern. When Lucky came in he looked like a rumpled brown plastic bag; beached, emaciated and 95% dead. Mitch was also found stranded and underweight. Both manatees were left without a caring mother whom they would have fed from for up to two years before becoming independent. But acting as a mother, caring for, socializing, and comforting Mitch and Lucky is such a humbling experience for me. Mitch is now a very healthy, happy, handsome manatee and Lucky is looking better every day.

Throwback Travel Friday – Belize!
The second country I visited in Central America, Belize clings to the eastern coast sandwiched between Mexico and Guatemala. The terrain varies from dense jungles and Mayan ruins to Caribbean coast, blue waters and islands. Known famously by scuba divers as the location of Jacque Cousteau’s legendary Blue Hole, the coast is a great place for diving and other watersports. This is also the first place I ever ruined a camera by snorkeling with it in my pocket for a couple of hours getting a much deserved I told you so by my then girlfriend and beginning my streak of camera murder. The trip started with a flight into Belize City followed by a shuttle ride piloted by an insane Dutchman who stopped for beers halfway through the trip and deposited us in San Ignacio, a town near the border with Guatemala.

Make the Most of Your Belize Vacations
How will you make the most of your Belize vacations? With just a little research, you should find the answers that you need. Identify your priorities early on in your trip and stick to them. From here, start to meld your priorities with the 10 Belize travel tips below, in no particular order, and you will be sure to take advantage of every opportunity to experience the beautiful country of Belize to the fullest.

Testing Astrum Helicopters New Ride Over Ambergris Caye, Belize Or HOLY CRAP! I Can’t Believe I’m Doing This!
Yesterday I received an invitation from my friend and SanPedroScoop.com correspondent Finn Kardashian to TAKE A RIDE ON A HELICOPTER over the reef and Ambergris Caye with Astrum Helicopters. The very same company whisks people from the Belize International airport to super luxe resorts, allows them to flyover the Blue Hole in a matter of minutes (from basically anywhere in the country) and to see Belize’s amazing sights in probably the most spectacular way possible. Hidden waterfalls…jungle clearings…Maya sites…I can only imagine. Hovering just a few hundred feet above them…amazing.

International Sources

Caribbean integration and the big issues- Part one
Even with the premature death of the West Indian Federation in 1962, there was some optimism that the countries of the English speaking Caribbean would engage in other forms of integration short of a political union. And in many ways they have. After the ill-fated federation, there was the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA), established December 15, 1965 by Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, and later joined by other countries. It sought to increase, diversify and liberalize trade while ensuring fair competition among these countries. The Caribbean Court of Justice, intended to replace the English Privy Council, is the highest court in a few Caribbean countries. As of 2011, Barbados, Belize and Guyana replaced the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council’s appellate jurisdiction, with that of the CCJ. This means that the CCJ considers and determines appeals in both civil and criminal matters from common law courts within these countries. In addition, in July of 2014, Dominica’s parliament approved a bill to make the CCJ the final court of appeal.

OAS Launches Workshop on Drug Treatment Courts in the Caribbean
The Organization of American States (OAS) today inaugurated the third and final two-day regional training workshop on the Monitoring and Evaluation of Drug Treatment Courts (DTCs) in Bridgetown, Barbados. Participants in the workshop organized by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the OAS, included judicial, health and drug treatment officials from Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada, including the Chief Justices of Belize and Barbados. Adriel Brathwaite, Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs of Barbados, opened the workshop highlighting his country’s investment in the drug treatment court program, “to save our young people.” The Attorney General expressed his gratitude for the support from the Government of Canada and the United States to the OAS Drug Treatment Court program, while also expressing the view that the countries, including Barbados, should take responsibility for the initiative within their countries.

Videos

Video: Jason Hartman & Tim - All Things Belize, 25min.

Video: Ambergris Caye, Belize - Market Introduction, 6min.

Video: Half Moon Caye Wall Shark Fun!, 1min. Megan O'Meara and a Shark!

Video: Belize dive with SeaSports Belize Nov12, 2014, 4.5min. Carnival Pride excursion: 2 Tank dive at the South Gallow's point reef. Divers: Adrian & Nancy, Tom & Donna, Dwayne & Danita.

Video: Training Ride Belize, Dec 1st 2014, 5min. Cyclists from Belmopan joining the Oceana ride across Belize on Saturday December 1st, 2014.

December 5, 2014