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March 20, 2015
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 Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
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The San Pedro Sun
Conflicting witness reports raise serious questions about diver’s death
An initial incident report taken by the San Pedro police was comprised of statements issued by Amigos del Mar employees. According to the report the crew had learned that Pieper had undergone triple bypass surgery last year as he suffered from heart problems. They also indicated that his condition was not reported to the dive company prior to the dive. Persons suffering from heart conditions are not allowed to dive.
But the Belize City Police incident report, derived from the witness reports of family members, mentions nothing of Pieper having had triple bypass surgery or heart problems. Moreover, the family members have indicated that as a First Class Pilot, Pieper suffered from no medical conditions and was in optimal health. “As a family we are very distraught over this event. Roger Pieper was a very well respected and much loved father and grandfather. He was an experienced diver who had gone on many dives around the world without even the smallest incident because he was so cautious and professional in all he did. Roger had recently retired after a very successful career as a pilot and was excited to begin a new chapter of his life with his family. Roger was in excellent health, and very physically active, which makes this event such a shock for all who knew him. Roger was very active in his community, where he made many friends and was very active in the church. We all miss him so very much and are very saddened by all of this. Roger is survived by his wife Anne, daughter Sarah, twin sons Christopher and Andrew, and grandchildren, Brian, Kylie, Haley and Jacob. Roger had just turned 65 and we all had high hopes to spend many more years with him on many more adventures. He will be sorely missed,” stated a release issued by the family.
Tiger Sharks overcome No Limits with a split-second win
The National Elite Basketball League tournament continued with some spectacular games over the weekend. San Pedro Tiger Sharks travelled to Belize City where they faced an upstart Belize City No Limits. While it was not an easy swim for the Tiger Sharks, they managed to snatch the victory from Belize City No Limits by a split second, causing a major upset for the home team.
The game took place at the Bird’s Isle. The Tiger Sharks took an early lead, but by the end of the first quarter, it was obvious that the Belize City No Limits was no easy contender – they took full control of the match. While it was a neck and neck battle for control, the No Limit boys clearly demonstrated a better command of the ball game. The home team dominated every quarter, and going into half time, had a narrow four points lead. The Tiger Sharks struggled to make a come-back throughout the ball game, and going into the fourth quarter, were down by seven points.
Belize’s Nestor Mendez elected as Assistant Secretary General of the OAS
Mendez told his OAS counterparts that more than ever, the organization stands poised to focus on that which unites the member states, rather than the issues than can divide them. “This is a task that can only be carried out together on the basis of dialogue, on the basis of respect for each other and with deep commitment.”
Ambassador Mendez will serve along with former Foreign Minister of Uruguay Luis Almagro, who was elected Secretary General of the OAS. They will succeed Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza of Chile and Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin of Suriname, both of whom will conclude their terms this year. Both Mendez and Almagro received congratulatory remarks from their counterparts including the OAS representative from the USA, Mexico and even Guatemala.
Burton Caliz charged for the death of Leroy Pilgrim; acquitted in the Appeal Court
Former Police Officer No.277 Burton Caliz, who was attached to the San Pedro Police Station, has been acquitted of manslaughter charges for the 2004 death of Leroy Pilgrim. The then 23-year-old Pilgrim was shot in the head during an alleged struggle with PC Caliz on the night of February 12, 2004 in the San Juan Area of San Pedro Town. The young constable was initially charged for murder, but outcome of the case changed on Friday March 13th when Caliz was acquitted before the Belize Court of Appeal.
In February of 2004, Caliz was charged for one count of murder and was placed on interdiction. When the case went to full trial in 2007, the murder charge was reduced to manslaughter. Caliz was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in jail. He then sought for an appeal, which he won, and a retrial was ordered.
Ambergris Today
Miss Lions Club San Pedro Pageant Contestants Announced
The San Pedro Lions Club announces its candidates for the Miss San Pedro Lions Pageant that will take place at the Rafael Angel Nuñez Auditorium on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 7:30p.m. Entertainment will be provided by the San Pedro Dance Academy, David Aguilar, Miss Carnival 2015 and DJ Debbie. Tickets are available from any Lions Member or at the San Pedro Lions Den - Reserved: $10 General: $5.00. Miss San Pedro Lions Contestants 2015:
Ciara Duran - 16 years,
Ezra Jacobs - 15 years,
Jessica Bradley - 16 years,
Marisha Thompson - 15 years.
Belize Warns and Investigates Land Title Fraud Cases
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture (MNRA), through the Lands and Surveys Department, has launched an investigation into fraud cases involving land titles that were recently discovered.
The preliminary investigation suggests that there is a systematic effort being orchestrated by persons of both foreign and local nationalities to obtain property by fraudulent means. The perpetrators use fraudulent international passport and other forms of identification to usurp the identity of real land owners to obtain property and subsequently proceed to fraudulently transfer land titles to prospective buyers by forging signatures of MNRA officials in an effort to make the documents appear legitimate as though they were issued from the Lands and Surveys Department. It appears that the con artists are targeting properties owned by absentee landowners who reside abroad.
First Belizean Appointed Second Highest Office in Organization of American States
The Office of the Prime Minister of Belize is pleased to announce that H.E. Nestor Mendez, Ambassador of Belize to the United States, Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS), and High Commissioner to Canada, was elected for a five-year term as the new Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States. The post of Assistant Secretary General is the second highest office in the OAS, it is a highly competitive post to obtain, and holds senior responsibilities in that hemispheric organization.
Misc Belizean Sources
NATURE AT WORK
Sargassum accumulating on the shores on North, Ambergris Caye.
History on Nassau Grouper fisheries at Caye Glory
Here is a brief history on the Nassau Grouper fisheries at Caye Glory. The article was done by myself and Ethel Truly and was published on the GCFI in 2007. Some of you might recognize some of the fishermen from San Pedro we interviewed. Enjoy.
IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM (MNRA) to everyone
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture (MNRA), through the Lands and Surveys Department, has launched an investigation into fraud cases involving land titles that were recently discovered.
The preliminary investigation suggests that there is a systematic effort being orchestrated by persons of both foreign and local nationalities to obtain property by fraudulent means. The perpetrators use fraudulent international passport and other forms of identification to usurp the identity of real land owners to obtain property and subsequently proceed to fraudulently transfer land titles to prospective buyers by forging signatures of MNRA officials in an effort to make the documents appear legitimate as though they were issued from the Lands and Surveys Department. It appears that the con artists are targeting properties owned by absentee landowners who reside abroad.
These cases of fraud have come about as a result of the new land management system that was designed to be more rigorous, specifically verifying the authenticity of applicants, especially those not applying in person or with foreign passports. As a result, the Lands and Surveys Department is uncovering several documents that purport competing interest for the same parcel of land. In some cases, the documents refer to land that do not exist.
Land Fraud Cases
Consequently, and in direct response to the uncovering of these fraudulent land transactions, the Lands and Surveys Department warns the general public to BEWARE of internet websites that purports to sell land in Belize. Government is mindful that there are many legitimate real estate companies that sell land over the internet and as such we encourage buyers to execute the necessary due diligence during this process.
The MNRA, through the Lands and Surveys Department, takes this opportunity to assure the general public and lands stakeholders that all legitimate transactions and documents are backed up on a daily basis and no land registration will be completed without the proper authenticated documentation that matched our electronic and manual recording system. The laws of Belize are very clear on the perpetration of fraudulent land transactions, which are considered serious criminal offences for both the perpetrators and their accomplices. As such, the Ministry is working with the Police Department to conduct a thorough investigation to find and prosecute the perpetrators of these fraudulent land transactions.
Solid Waste Management Project
The public is hereby informed that under the current Solid Waste Management Project, the executing agency, the Belize Solid Waste Management Authority (BSWaMA) of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture (MNRA) has awarded a contract for the construction of a waste transfer station and dumpsite rehabilitation at the location of the existing dumpsite through the Burrell Boom - Hattieville Road, between the Philip Goldson and George Price Highways. These works are financed by the Inter – American Development Bank (IDB) and the Government of Belize and co-financed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/Global Environment Facility (GEF), Belize Chemicals and Waste Management Project #00089331.
Kindly note that the works have commenced and will be ongoing until August 30th, 2015. During this period, heavy equipment and trucks will be moving in and out of the site, therefore all motorists and cyclists are asked to exercise extreme caution when approaching the Burrell Boom dumpsite.
San Pedro Easter Bash
Link Up at San Pedro Easter Bash at Sandbar San Pedro for 2 Days of Hypeness
Western Ballaz Host Red Taigaz
The Western Ballaz are hosting the Belmopan Red Taigaz, the 2nd best team in the league, tonight. It's going to be a great game. Mistah Geeh will be mixing, and the afterbash is once again at Thirsty Thursdays.
In related news, you can vote for the all star team member selection. Just go to the NEBL page, and like your favorite player. It's North vs. South, and it'll be happening at the SHC auditorium on April 10th.
New BTB Site Specific Guides
Congratulations to all 94 new BTB certified Site Specific Tour Guides! They were all specially trained to lead tours at local Mayan archaeological sites. More pictures here. Best of luck!
"The National Institute of Culture (NICH), The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) and the European Union (EU) were honored to present 94 new Site Specific Tour Guides from the Orange Walk, Belize, Cayo and Toledo Districts. These new guides were trained to carry out tours at the archaeological site nearest to their home."
Kids Self Defense at Calla Creek
A big thanks to 4 the World, who put together self defense training classes for kids, which took place in Calla Creek. Looks like they had some fun, and learned some good techniques too. They also had their Yoga Workshop at the Benque HoC.
"Self Defense Training for kids in Cayo was a lot of fun thanks to Katie Myers and crew. Our volunteers were eager to work with these great kids in Benque Viejo and Calla Creek Village."
The U.S. Embassy is happy to announce our partnership with Omni Rootz Productions to bring Riti Sachdeva to Belize for a series of Theatre Workshops
Please join us Monday, March 30th or Tuesday, March 31st at the SISE House of Culture in San Ignacio.
WORKSHOPS ARE FREE!!! Hope to see all aspiring actors, writers, and others with interest in theatre there!
Questions? Please email [email protected] and we will direct you to the appropriate person.
Earth Day Network Outreach
UB's Earth Day Network did some outreach at the local schools, and with the help of the Forest Department, they even planted some mahogany saplings. Thanks, EDN!
"This year, the University of Belize Earth Day Network's Outreach campaign has been actively educating those of all spectrums! With the help of the Belize Forest Department we've obtained several Big-leaf Mahogany saplings and are now actively planting one in each visited school!!! Our target is to implant awareness in the minds of our youth, to conserve, protect and live healty eco friendly lives!"
Soul Project Psychedelic Art Projection
The Soul Project is having another multimedia show. The video is, well, psychedelic. The last one was quite interesting, dealing with Mother Earth, and this one promises to be a little more retro, combining live music and psychedelic images on the big screen. The show starts tonight at 9:30pm.
Channel 7
Fuel Shortage Continues, Relief On Far Horizon
Tonight the fuel shortage we told about on Tuesday is acute: gas stations all over the country have run out of diesel fuel - and the few gas stations that do have say they only have a few gallons available. How did it come to this? Well, as we told you on Tuesday, the shipment from PDVSA in Venezuela is late and industry observers say the local office for ALBA Petro-Caribe Belize Energy Limited did not properly project for the fuel consumption in March - when fuel consumption is always highest.
The situation right now is that the ship is loading tonight in Curacao - but won't arrive in Belize until next week Tuesday - over a week late. This evening, we called 10 gas stations in Belize City and out district - and only one of them had diesel fuel. UNO tells us that nine of their eleven gas stations countrywide have no diesel.
So, the situation right now is acute - and those who use diesel want to know when it will get better. Well, we know that PUMA continues to truck in fuel from Guatemala - and the APBEL office in Belize tells us that 40 trucks have been brought in since last week. Trucks keep coming every day, but that's hardly enough - and those scarce supplies are being rationed.
Belize's Premier Striker Won't Play World Cup Qualifier?
Belize's Football Federation is getting ready to play its first world cup qualifier for 2015 - and it will be against Cayman on Thursday March 25th. But the list of the players that was sent out yesterday does not include the country's most prolific striker Dion McCauley. He's in Atlanta where he just finished a one year contract with the Atlanta Silverbacks and is exploring his professional opportunities. He says he's fully recovered from a sports hernia surgery five months ago and practicing two times a day. So, why hasn't he gotten a call to play on the national team? That's what he asked on a Facebook video blog today:..
Deon McCauley, Striker
"I just want everybody out there to know that I am not hurt and it's not my fault that I won't be on the National Team this time around, but at the same time I want to support the guys and hope they do good. I don't know why I wasn't called to the National Team this time around, but at the same time I have to understand that everybody have their own evaluation of every situation."
The New FCD Rangers Unit
Your probably remember the Chiquibul Telethon which was held last year on Saturday, October 18. It was an effort by the Friends for Conservation and Development and all the media houses countrywide to come together for 7 straight hours to raise funds for the recruitment of more rangers to protect the Chiquibul.
In the end, the telethon raised just under 328 thousand dollars. And, 5 months later FCD decided to show public how they managed to grow their ranger unit from 4 to 18.
How well do these new rangers perform, and can they do the tough job of protecting the embattled Forest Reserve? Well, FCD invited the media today to witness the graduation of these 18 rangers from their training program, and 7News attended. Daniel Ortiz reports:
Daniel Ortiz reporting
These men in military fatigues may look like a brand new law enforcement unit run by the state, but actually, this is the for the Friends for Conservation and Development.??These 18 new rangers have gotten training in First aid, wilderness patrolling and surveillance, navigation, intelligence gathering, biology, wildlife Rescue and health, search and rescue, protected areas Law enforcement, Special Constable training. All that is important especially the enforcement aspect since the Chiquibul, which is now their new home, is constantly under threat. But each ranger is primarily a conservationist.
Importer Wants To Penetrate Belize's Rice Market
Belize produces enough rice to feed itself - but an Indian merchant wants to bring in rice from Guyana - where it's cheaper and because he can make a profit on it.
The CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture Jose Alpuche met with the rice producers yesterday to apprise them of the situation. He told us today that he stressed that government has no intention of granting a license to the importer.
But, it's not that simple. Under the revised treaty of Chaguaramas which established the Caricom Single Market and Economy - Government cannot simply block the importation of products that come from the Caribbean to protect a local product - and you can ask Belikin about that.
Still, government is holding its ground, but the importer has indicated that he may take dispute to COTED which is the council for trade and economic development. The merchant has indicated that he would present it as a trade dispute between Belize and Guyana.
Belgrave Acquitted In Trial Without Jury; Judge Rejects Victim's Written Statement
31 year-old Jermaine Belgrave, who was charged with the murder of 35 year-old Cleo Robinson, was acquitted today in a trial without jury before Justice Adolph Lucas.
Viewers may remember that Robinson was shot in the abdomen on February 23, 2010, while he was riding a bicycle on Glenn Street. He died 16 months later.
In Belgrave's criminal trial, Justice Lucas ruled that he would not accept the victim's written statement in evidence, specifically, the portion where he identified Belgrave as the man who shot him on that night. Dr. Mario Estradabran, who did the autopsy, testified that Robinson died from malnutrition after being shot. But, Robinson's common-law wife, Janice Lynch, testified that she used to feed him and care for him while he was bedridden. Again, Justice Lucas did not accept Dr. Estradabran's version of the cause of death.
Police Caught A Man Wanted For Murder in Guatemala
San Pedro police have caught a man who they say is wanted for murder in another country. Guatemalan 20 year old Marvin Leonel Shoy Sagui a Laborer from the San Pedrito area was charged and remanded for theft. But when island police ran am interpol check, they found out that he was wanted in Guatemala For the crime of Murder. They have contacted their counterparts and he will be handed over.
San Pedro Police Found Weed Stash In San Mateo
San Pedro police also found a major stash of drugs in the San Mateo area. Police searched small house where they found a black garbage bag with ten compressed parcels of marijuana - for a total of about 22 pounds.
They looked around the house and found four parcels of cocaine weighing eight pounds. They also found a single round of 7.632 ammunition. No one was in the area.
GSU Also Found City Weed Stash
The GSU found a stash of weed hidden under a tree on Tuesday morning. At 10:00, the G.S.U searched an abandoned lot on Lindo's Alley in the Conch shell bay Area where they found a black plastic bag with 301 grams or 10 ounces of cannabis concealed under a tree. No one was in the area at the time of the search so the drug was labelled as Found Property.
A Scuffle At FSTV Over Taxi Tour Operators
The tourism village - on cruise ship days it's always a struggle for the tour operators forced to hustle outside the gates of the village. They have to jostle for position, while trying to keep a relatively calm atmosphere for tourists. This morning, though, some commotion was created when one of them got detained by police - he says it was just for holding up a sign. Here's what happened:..
Jimmy Robinson, Secretary General Tourism Zone Tour Guide - Tour Operators Union
"The president was arrested by the police out here and was taken to the Queen Street Police Station. So as secretary general and as executive of the union, automatically, what I did was group everybody together and try to find out about his whereabouts and what was the reason why he was arrested."
Geovannie Brackett, reporter
"How was it after that?"
Jimmy Robinson
"What I did was get in touch with the personnel from the BTB here on the ground and also personnel from the TPU and I was made to understand that the matter was under control and about 45 minutes later he was back out here with us."
Health CEO Looking Into KHMH Operating Theatre Malfunction
As we told you on Friday, the sterilizer in the operating theater at the KHMH hasn't been working, which has delayed all elective surgeries. We asked the CEO in the Ministry of Health about this today and he says there is a program set in place to resolve the shortage and malfunction of equipment in the operating theater.
Dr. Peter Allen, CEO, Ministry of Health
"But I was aware that they were having some challenges with the sterilizers at K.H.M.H. Fortunately; the Ministry of Health has been working on a program of "redundancy" in some essential equipment, with the idea being that when equipment is essential then you can't just have one piece of that equipment, because if it goes down then what do you do. So you building redundancy by buying additional equipment should in case something happens. So the Ministry of Health, supported by the Ministry of Finance, just bought six new sterilizers for distribution around the country. So, I am aware that our own national engineering and maintenance center which is on the compound of the K.H.M.H. had taken two of those new sterilizers and set them up on the compound of K.H.M.H to support them."
EU Grant Will Be Used to Upgrade All 3 Regional Hospitals
ALSO, on the topic of health, there is an upcoming project for the construction of another wing at the Western Regional Hospital in Belmopan. The CEO spoke to us about how crucial this new addition will be for the safety of patients in the face of emergencies and natural disasters.
Dr. Peter Allen, CEO, Ministry of Health
"The principal purpose of the 30 million dollars, is to construct a separate wing on the grounds of the Western Regional Hospital in Belmopan, especially to do many different things, but especially looking at the potential for natural disasters at Belize City, associated with climate change and the potential for evacuation of KHMH in such instances and then how do we maintained the importance and complex tertiary services which has been developed over the last years at KHMH. So, this new wing is intended to do that and also to help KHMH by being another referral center within the country."
BTEC Graduates 30 More Employees
Over 30 graduates received their diplomas today from the Belize Training and Employment Center program. The program caters to men and women from different backgrounds and interests from Information Technology to sewing. A ceremony was held at the American-Belizean Technology and Education Center to honor these graduates and 2 of the graduates told us how the 8 week program will bring them closer to realizing their career-dreams.
G. TOE Washington, Regional Director, "Just us Belize"
"What this program is about is something called the "Central American Regional Security Initiatives" by the United States government. What we try to do is enhance the skills of the Belizeans, so that they can get jobs, so that they can stray away from criminal activities and enhanced themselves. So, what we've done is we've look at the entire Belize culture and we saw certain avenues such as customer service, hospitality and sales. We look at the IT information technology, we know the world is going that route. We decide to also train in that route and we also look at people who wants to use their hands for skills purposes, so as sewing and tailoring. Even though we are training these people and giving them skills, we have built relationships, so we can provide jobs for them. We don't promise anybody jobs, because it depends on your effort and yourself. We are going to teach you how to fish. We are not going to give you fish, but teach you how to do that. However, we build relationships so that we have opportunities to get jobs."
PROCCER Rehab Drug Program
About 70 health professionals will be trained to rehabilitate drug users and addicts. Today that training program - PROCCER - was launched at the NaRCIE conference room at the Ministry of Education. The training will focus on prevention techniques, treatment and rehabilitation. Now, while training is one aspect, the availability of equipped rehabilitation centers is the other - and that's the major challenge hovering this program. CEO of the Ministry of Health Dr. Peter Allen says he is aware of this setback but that this training program is the first step in overcoming it.
The program will run for 6 months. The program is being funded by the OAS. They have contributed $66,000 Belize dollars to the program.
Childhood Teachers Busted With Weed
Tonight, 2 early childhood teachers who told the court they are employed as social workers for the Human Services Department are out on bail tonight after police allegedly raided their family's home in the Jane Usher Boulevard area and they found weed there.
According to police, they conducted a search at a house on Louise Bevans Street in the Port Loyola area yesterday. 21 year old James Herrera, his girlfriend, 26 year old Honduran national, Evelyn Gamboa Bermudez, with his sister in law, 20 year old, Deshawn Moguel were all present at the time when the officers reportedly discovered 77 grams - or 2.71 ounces of marijuana.
Lands Department Warns About Fraud At Placencia Village
Land Fraud - back in 2011 we reported so much on various cases of it that we kind of gave up - because, it's kind of like an onion, no matter how much you peel there are always more layers - and, yes, it can make you cry. At all times we were met with a kind of exasperated resignation from the Ministry of Natural Resources because with such a high level of fraud and identity theft there's only so much they can do to reverse fraudulent land transfers. In most cases, they would refer victims to the police - who have little expertise in prosecuting that type of crime.
And that's why we viewed with interest a press release which came out today from the ministry. It says that the ministry has launched an investigation into fraud cases involving land titles that were recently discovered. IT continues, quote, "there is a systematic effort being orchestrated by persons of both foreign and local nationalities to obtain property by fraudulent means." It explains, quote, "The perpetrators use fraudulent international passports and other forms of identification to usurp the identity of real land owners to obtain property and subsequently proceed to fraudulently transfer land titles to prospective buyers by forging signatures of (Ministry) officials in an effort to make the documents appear legitimate."
Public Service Employee Assistance Program
Happy public officers translate into to happy clients. That is the main idea behind the newly launched Belize Public Service Employee Assistance Program. It was launched today at the George Price Center and it will provide educational and counselling services to public officers. Now 'happy' isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the public service. Some of you do think about the sometimes dry and almost robotic or monotonous voice on the other end of the line when you call government departments or the sometimes callous and unkind customer service. Well, according to program coordinator Shawn Vargas, this reality is as a result of the personal and professional problems that public officers endure and fail to address. Vargas told us how this program will change that.
Public servants will have access to 25 professional counselors countrywide.
Bagasse Payment Coming
Tomorrow Sugar Cane farmers from the north will be receiving their first payment for bagasse. IT's a retroactive payment for 2014 based on the agreement signed this year. That stipulated that ten weeks into the season the retroactive payment would be made. It adds up to about half a million dollars and Chief Financial Officer Belizario Carballo explained how it is broken down:
Belizario Carballo
"That payment will therefore be made this Friday the 20th of March as per the agreement and as per the calculation of the amount to be paid is set out on the agreement and that calculation has workout to a total figure of $597,000, when divided by the amount of cane that was delivered was close to 1.2 million tons of cane last crop. On a per ton basis it averages out about fifty cents per ton."
H. E. Nestor Mendez Says Belizeans Supported His OAS Candidacy
As we told you last night - Belize's Ambassador to the US and Permanent Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Nestor Mendez is the new Assistant Secretary General of the OAs. IT's a huge upgrade for him as he now becomes an international figure for the 34 member regional body. He told us yesterday that it is a triumph for Belize's pragmatic approach to diplomacy:..
H.E. Nestor Mendez, Assistant Secretary General (Designate) - OAS
"I am very pleased at the response to a Belizean candidate. It underscores where Belize stands in the inter-American system. It means, we are an accepted player, both Caricom and Central America. Between those two regions, it amounts to 21 member state in the OAS of 34. We are also very constructive. We are moderate and pragmatic in our diplomacy."
Waste Transfer Station For Boom Dump Site
The Belize Solid Waste Management Authority has awarded a contract for the construction of a waste transfer station and dumpsite rehabilitation at the location of the existing dumpsite through the Burrell Boom - Hattieville Road, between the Philip Goldson and George Price Highways.
Works have commenced and will be ongoing until August 30th, 2015. During this period, heavy equipment and trucks will be moving in and out of the site, therefore all motorists and cyclists are asked to exercise extreme caution when approaching the Burrell Boom dumpsite.
Channel 5
Diesel Shortage Prompts Rationing of Available Fuel at the Pumps
Tonight there is a countrywide shortage of diesel and premium at the pumps amid heavy demand for fuel which is causing a mess in the transport and industrial sectors. The [...]
What’s Behind the Delay in Shipment of Petroleum to Belize?
The shortage of premium and diesel is a most unusual case and while the insufficiency persists, retailers have been told to give priority to government’s essential services, as well as [...]
Will Cruise Ship Arrivals Be Affected by Fuel Dearth?
The shortage of fuel already has Belizeans alarmed about private and public transportation. Well, the news of the shortage had others speculating that cruise ships coming into the Belize were [...]
Fire Guts Allenby Street Property
Eight persons, members of the Herrera family, are without a roof over their heads following a fire that destroyed their house at corner of Allenby Street and East Collet Canal [...]
Lord Michael Ashcroft to Make Appearance at Spoonaz Café on Friday
And on a lighter note, Lord Michael Ashcroft is back in Belize. On a previous visit, he attracted plenty attention when a photograph was taken of him having breakfast with [...]
Friends of Conservation Graduates New Rangers for Chiquibul Patrols
For years Friends for Conservation and Development has been battling the illegal incursions of Guatemalans into the Chiquibul National Park. These Guatemalans come to cut our timber, harvest our xate, [...]
Say What? No Deon McCauley on Belize National Football Team!
T he National Football Team was announced about three weeks ago and one name was noticeably missing. Belize’s star striker, Deon McCauley, was not listed as one of the members [...]
Ambassador Nestor Mendez on Becoming New OAS Assistant Secretary General
On Wednesday, Belize’s Ambassador to the OAS, Nestor Mendez, soundly defeated Ambassador Bayney Karran, Guyana’s permanent representative to the organization, in a historic vote to become the new Assistant Secretary [...]
Where Does OAS Fit Into Chiquibul Encroachment Equation?
So where does the Organization of American States fit into the encroachment equation at the Chiquibul National Park? The answer is that it hasn’t, not in a meaningful way at [...]
Twenty-seven Plots of Land Cleared for Illegal Farming in Chiquibul
With the election of Ambassador Nestor Mendez as Assistant Secretary-General of the O.A.S., all eyes will be on the dynamics of the relationship between Belize and Guatemala. That relationship is [...]
Tour Guides Up In Arms with BTB Over Tourism Village Arrangement
Tour operators at the Fort Street Tourism Village were up in arms earlier today when upon learning that Arton Bowen, president of the Fort George Tourism Zone Tour Operators and [...]
List of Caribbean Countries Involved in Money Laundering Released
There is a report tonight on the issue of money laundering. Seven Caribbean countries find themselves on the U.S’ “Major Money Laundering List” for 2015. They are Antigua and Barbuda, [...]
Jermaine Belgrave Beats Murder Wrap
Tonight, Jermaine Belgrave, a resident of Belize City who has been on remand for the murder of Cleo Robinson, is home free after being acquitted by Justice Adolph Lucas. The [...]
Social Workers Busted for Weed
Two Early Childhood teachers employed as social workers with the Human Services Department and the boyfriend of one of the teachers, were before the court today to answer to a [...]
Land Fraud Unearthed at Ministry of Natural Resources
In October 2013, the Prime Minister told the Belizean Diaspora in Los Angeles in U.S.A. that the Ministry of Natural Resources was a hotbed of corruption because of the countless [...]
GSU Raid Produces Weed and Cocaine on La Isla Bonita
The Gang Suppression Unit along with the San Pedro Police made a significant bust in anti drug operations at La Isla Bonita which yielded both cannabis and cocaine. On Wednesday [...]
Ministry of Health on KHMH Sterilization Issues
T here’s some good news coming out of the Ministry of Health tonight. For some weeks, the K.H.M.H.’s operating theater was without sterilizers. It was said that the sterilizers were [...]
ABTEC Graduates Class of 2015 in Information Technology
Over a year ago the American Belizean Technology Education Center was opened in Belize. Since then, close to three hundred students have graduated and majority have earned gainful employment. The [...]
PlusTV
Ministry of Forestry and Fisheries to address ship groundings
In recent months there have been multiple vessels grounding on the Belize Barrier Reef, threatening the health of the World Heritage Site and lifeblood of the Belizean sea...
San Pedro Mayor and Minister receive death threats
On Friday March sixth, San Pedro Police nabbed 10 people for gun and ammunition related charges; they are 51 year old Peter Moses Hernandez, aka Campos, 26 year old Marciana Campos, 23 year old Teresita Jessely Cordova, 48 year old Guadalupe Gonzalez, 42 year old Victor Vasquez, 52 year old John Ar...
Two charged for attempted murder
Police have laid attempted murder charges against 23 year old Ronald Michael and along with 30 year old Alrick Smith charges of conspiracy to commit murder for attempting to kill 29 year old Kenroy Arnold by shooting around 9:00 p.m...
Stella Morris student knocked down
A student of the Stella Morris Primary School in Belize City was knocked down this morning. Stella Morris School caters to children with various disabilities and the boy is estimated to be between the ages of 8 to 9...
Domestic dispute results in alleged stabbing
A woman who allegedly started a fight with her former partner late on Monday evening is accused of grievous harm and use of deadly means of harm after she allegedly stabbed him with a knife...
Security Guard dies suddenly on the job
On March 17 at about 5:40 a.m., police were called to the Ready Call Centre on the Boom/Hattieville Road where they saw the motionless body of 32-year-old Emrick Nolberto of Belize City. Nolberto was found lying on a step of a building in the compound, apparently dead...
Richard Harrison complains about PUP
After the People United Party’s sound defeat at the Cayo North bi-elections in January 5, 2015- which some believe set the stage for the 8-1 defeat at the municipal level- the PUP executives reconvened to discuss the way forward for the party...
Bay View Oasis Resturaunt Burglarised
At 1:30 a.m. on March 16 a burglary was reported at Bay View Oasis Restaurant and Bar located at 4 1/2 miles Philip Goldson Highway where 35-year-old Nadine Moreira, Honduran business owner reported that at about 1:00p.m...
Aggravated Assault and theft on San Pedro
68-year-old Shamil Espat, a fisherman of San Juan area, San Pedro Town reported that sometime between 6:00p.m. on March 15 and 7:30a.m. on March 16, his white 25-foot fibre glass skiff named “Eagle Eye” , valued at $27,625.00 was stolen. He further reported that on March 12 at about 3:30p.m...
Heart Attack 50 ft Below
An American tourist died while at the Blue Hole last week...
Mayor of Twin Towns Sworn in
“Let the work continue.” That was the platform of the UDP’s road to victory at the municipal level last two weeks. Since then, the new UDP mayors and one PUP mayor have been sworn in to office in all 9 municipalities...
Rotoract Week in Belmopan
Several Belmopan Vendors put up stalls at the Parque De Las Americans in the San Martin Area, Belmopan to sell food and clothing during the weekend and sometimes during the week...
600 People Attend Father Kurt’s Funeral
People from all across the country congregated at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic church in Belmopan to say their last goodbyes to a very beloved priest, church leader and friend Fr. Kurt Kassebeer who passed away on Monday March 9th...
Omar Figueroa Moving Up the Ranks
Since Dr. Omar Figueroa won the Cayo North bi-elections in January 2015, two months ago, and was made a parliamentarian, he has been quickly climbing up the ranks of the UDP being named a Minister of State with responsibilities in the Prime Minister office. Well Figeuroa continues to climb up...
Oceana on Object on the Reef
On Thursday March 12th while Belize was observing Reef Week a strange looking object floated over the reef in recently expanded Hol Chan Marine Reserve about six miles north of San Pedro Town on an area called the Mexico Rocks...
Unexpected death in Libertad
Corozal Police are baffled over the sudden death of 79 year old Belizean unemployed of Libertad Village Corozal District George Trapp who was found dead at 2:15 pm on Saturday March, 2015 in his own backyard...
Jervis Valencia charged for murder
The March 5 murder of Moses Gonguez on Mayflower Street disrupted the peace of election night...
Visiting African caught with dead man’s passport
A native of Cameroon in West Africa must pay a fine after pleading guilty to illegal use of a document, specificially a Honduran passport whose bearer is dead...
Jury acquits on murder charge
A jury of 8 men and 4 women deliberated for a little over 4 hours today in the court of Justice John Gonzalez before it found Kenneth Dobson, aka “Fudgie”, not guilty of the murder of Erwin Staine. Staine was shot multiple times in the left side of his chest on June 1, 2011...
Woman charged for stabbing “obsessed” assailant
A mother of 3 residing in Mahogany Heights, Belize District, is accused of grievous harm despite claims she defended herself from a man she says was obsessed with her, although they do not have a relationship...
Shooting in Ladyville
Ladyville Police have arrested two persons for the shooting of Kenroy Arnold. On Thursday night March 12th at around 9 pm 29 year old Kenroy Arnold was socializing with friends when a vehicle reportedly pulled up with two men inside...
Drivers suffer accidents on City streets
This past weekend there were two traffic accidents in the same neighborhood of Belize City. Fortunately, neither was serious...
The Guardian
No New Taxes, in the Budget but...“Millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars…” for Infrastructure and Public Officers’ salary increase
One silver tongue politician from Southern Belize is famous for the quote; “If you thief the money there is none to work and if you work the money there is none to thief.” The People’s United Party generals are always quick to point out that under their 98 to 2008 administration the economy doubled in size but they never say how. The truth is, under that administration, the economy grew as a balloon among tainted needles inflated by a whirlwind from external commercial banks. Yes the economy doubled in size but the public debt more than quadrupled during the same period.
Independent auditors have found and former deputy Prime Minister Johnny Briceño has confirmed that “Millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars” were stolen during the Musa/Fonseca administration. This is why the national infrastructure was in such deplorable condition when the United Democratic Party got into office in 2008. “I’m not talking about a little bit of money…millions, tens of millions of dollars they stole,” says Johnny Briceno. That is why there was no money to work.
Belize’s H.E. Nestor Mendez’s is new Assistant Secretary General of OAS
Belize’s Ambassador to the United States and High Commisioner to Canada, His Excellency Nestor Mendez, is now the elected Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States. According to the Government of Belize, Hon. Prime Minister Barrow and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “embarked on two years of active diplomacy and campaigning to achieve the support of the majority of countries in the Americas for this post”. This effort resulted in Ambassador Mendez receiving 24 votes out of a possible 34. His challenger, Ambassador Bayney Karran of Guyana, received 10 votes.
In contrast, Guatemala’s former Vice-President Eduardo Stein Barillas had to withdraw his candidacy for the highest OAS post of Secretary General after support for his candidacy was evidently weak. As a result, Uruguayan Luis Almagros, who received very early support from Belize, was unopposed in his bid to replace Jose Miguel Insulza. Almagros and Mendez have pledged to transform the organization so that it can respond more efficiently and effectively to the needs of its Member States.
Francis fighting to remain in power
What remains of a shredded PUP held a meeting on Wednesday March 18 to try to save as much of Francis Fonseca’s face as is possible. The PUP’s meeting started at 10a.m. and after a marathon 4 hours and 40 minutes they came out to say that they will be endorsing Francis Fonseca as the PUP party leader.
What they are not saying is that as much as possible the entire stew had been pre-cooked with the executive of the PUP being informed that Francis Fonseca must maintain power by any means necessary and as such that was what was the expected outcome. This however had to be done by way of an endorsement at the Executive Council level; he could not be challenged. This maneuver needed pledged support from everyone for that to occur and it happened.
Another Raise for Teachers and Public Officers
“Despite our disagreements with some of the Union Leaders, we tremendously value both our Public Officers and Teachers. We believe in them, we treasure them and we consider it our special obligation to properly reward them.”- Hon. Prime Minister Dean O. Barrow.
Hon. Prime Minister Dean Oliver Barrow introduced the General Revenue Appropriation Bill (2015) at the House of Representatives on Friday, March 13, with great news for teachers and other public officers. The budget for the upcoming fiscal year signals a continuation of the unprecedented physical transformation of the country. It once again features significant investment in national infrastructure, expansion of social programs and even more spending on education and healthcare but what most Belizeans are talking about is a second consecutive budget with salary increase for teachers and public officers.
Dan Silva could owe GOB hundreds of thousands of dollars in GST
Belizeans are becoming more keenly aware of the economic dynamics of their beloved country Belize. Having fallen in love with that locomotion of the Transformation Train, those who have booked their ride are getting on board, and this train they will ride. Having booked their ride, they are also determined to see that The Transformation Train completes its journey. They are committed to do whatever they can to aid the Prime Minister and Captain of this Train to keep it on track.
After hearing one of the most robust budget presentations of any ever yet read, and loving the idea of the desired accomplishments without implementing any new taxes, there are those among us who have taken the challenge to assist in whatever way we can. In his last Friday Budget speech, the Prime Minister was heard to say that instead of implementing new taxes, he will call for more efficient administration of those existing regimes.
From the hospital to the courtroom for Jervis Valencia
Thirty three year old Jervis Jermaine Diamond aka “Jervis Valencia” who is a member of the Ghost town area gang also know as Mayflower was discharged from the hospital on Monday morning and handed into police custody where a book of charges was waiting for him since the March 4, 2015 shooting murder of Moses Gonguez also of the Ghost Town gang and the attempt on the life of Triston Gordon and for shooting at two police officers, a Corporal and a Constable.
Valencia was escorted to the Belize City Magistrate’s court under police guard but he could barely walk.
He had to be escorted with help from his ex/girlfriend, Shelly Meighan.
She took him back and forth until he was taken into a police mobile bound for jail at 4 in the evening.
11 Special constables for Friends for Conservation and Development
On the 14th of March at an event held at Tapir Camp in the Chiquibul National Park, eleven Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) park rangers were sworn in as special constables by members of the Police Department. The training conducted by the Police Academy was led by Sergeant Magdaleno and Corporal Tun, while swearing in was led by Inspector Eusebio Lanza. The purpose of the training was to enable FCD Rangers to be more effective in addressing illegal activities occurring within the boundaries of the Chiquibul National Park and help regulatory agencies maintain law and order
The Special Constable Training Program forms part of a Specialized Ranger Training now underway in the Chiquibul National Park for FCD rangers that will culminate on Thursday, 19th March at Tapir Camp.
Institute holds accountability seminar in Belmopan
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture IICA held its yearly review on its achievements on Thursday of last week at the George Price Center for Peace and Development in Belmopan and in doing so revealed a road map in moving forward in Belize. Present for this meeting were officials from various Government Ministries, such as from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture as well as various stakeholders that are working to ensure Belize’s food security.
IICA currently operates in 34 countries and has its headquarters in Costa Rica. IICA is a specialized agency of the Inter-American system that focuses on meeting the needs of these Countries in making agriculture competitive and sustainable; to improve the lives of rural dwellers.
RETAKING AND TRANSFORMING ‘CULTURE CAPITAL’:
History has already recorded that on March 4, 2015, a vast majority of the good and sensible citizens of “Culture Capital” swept away an incompetent, retrogressive and unpopular PUP Town Council. This was part of a nationwide reaffirmation of the people’s confidence in, and support for, the UDP transformation spearheaded by the Hon. Dean O. Barrow, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and leader of the UDP. Throughout our campaign to “Tek Back Griga” and transform Culture Capital, the manifesto platform of pledges was firmly rooted in the principles of “Productivity, Progress and Prosperity.” The previous three years of misrule and missteps were outstanding only for their inaction rather than productivity, stagnation rather than progress, and misuse of resources rather than being a catalyst for prosperity. The gross negligence and irresponsibility of our PUP predecessors resulted in a resounding call from Wagierale to Monument Site for action in critical areas such as infrastructure, street maintenance and construction, drainage, sanitation, parks and playgrounds, sporting facilities, beach preservation and enhancement, business promotion including tourism, and so on. Of the 46 promises encompassing all these spheres of development made by the ousted PUP Council, not one was fulfilled.
Julius is the true leader of the PUP
From all appearances Julius Espat is the real leader of the PUP. He seems to be the only sober person in that party and the only one who seems to have his wits about him. Said embarrassed himself when he stood up in the National Assembly rambling unintelligible phrases, Johnny sat looking like an idiot not able to refute Said’s statement about him being crazy and Francis…well anyone’s guess about his ineptitude is accurate. Julius took to Facebook seeking an apology. Julius spoke to the media and stated that he believed repercussions were in order. Julius looks better than all of them. Julius is the true leader of the PUP.
Two bit attorney’s appeal against Penner fails
Elvin Penner, the former UDP standard bearer for Cayo Northeast, has been cleared for a second time in the courtroom of Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin.
COLA who has been trying to blast the UDP government for not prosecuting Elvin Penner on immigration charges found out for themselves exactly what the Prime Minister had described months ago, that there is a difference between factual and legal guilt when it comes to Penner’s involvement in the Won Hong Kim passport scandal.
Readers may remember that on July 24, 2014, Penner was acquitted by Magistrate Aretha Ford in the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court of the two immigration charges. Those offences were brought against him by COLA’s Geovannie Brackett and Nedal McLaren after they managed to bring the charges against him in a private prosecution.
Two bit attorney’s appeal against Penner fails
Elvin Penner, the former UDP standard bearer for Cayo Northeast, has been cleared for a second time in the courtroom of Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin.
COLA who has been trying to blast the UDP government for not prosecuting Elvin Penner on immigration charges found out for themselves exactly what the Prime Minister had described months ago, that there is a difference between factual and legal guilt when it comes to Penner’s involvement in the Won Hong Kim passport scandal.
Readers may remember that on July 24, 2014, Penner was acquitted by Magistrate Aretha Ford in the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court of the two immigration charges. Those offences were brought against him by COLA’s Geovannie Brackett and Nedal McLaren after they managed to bring the charges against him in a private prosecution.
PUP cannot reprimand Johnny
The worst that the People’s United Party can do to Johnny Briceno they have done already. And what they have done already is that Julius Espat has called him a liar, Said Musa has also called him a liar and added that he does not know what state of mind he must have been in when he said what he said and Francis Fonseca said that it is an internal party matter.
Beyond that they can do nothing because they know what Johnny said was the truth and they cannot reprimand him for saying the truth. The key players whom he refers to in the tape are Said Musa and Ralph Fonseca, and everything that he said about them is the truth. We may never know what was discussed in Independence Hall on Wednesday March 11, but what is for sure is that all in the room who must have had a gripe with what Johnny said do not have the moral fortitude to reprimand him.
Kenneth Dobson Cleared of Murder Charge
Kenneth Dobson had been on remand for the murder of Erwin Staine since June of 2011 but now he is a free man after a jury of 8 men and 4 women cleared him of the charge and lesser offense of manslaughter on Monday, March 16.
Erwin Staine was gunned down on North Creek Street in Belize City shortly after 10 p.m. on June 1, 2011. He was hanging out in front of his home when a gunman pulled up, exchanged words with him then opened fire. Staine was shot three times: once to the chest, abdomen and leg. The murder was witnessed by the victim’s sister, Deborah Lee Staine. She was the crown’s main witness during trial. Deborah testified that she was at home when she saw her brother enter the house and then went back outside. She heard hard talks and when she went outside she saw Dobson pointing an object at her brother.
Two arrested for shooting Kenroy Arnold
Police have arrested and charged Alrick Smith, 30, and Ronald Michael, 23, for the shooting of Kenroy Arnold in Ladyville Village on Thursday, March 12. Smith and Michael were charged jointly for conspiracy to commit murder. Ronald Michael was read additional charges of attempted murder, deadly means of harm and dangerous harm.
On Tuesday, March 17, the pair appeared before Magistrate Herbert Panton. No plea was taken from either men since the charges will be dealt with on indictment.
Michael asked permission to speak and that’s when he told Magistrate Panton that the police had the wrong man. He claims the police were looking for his brother but because they could not find his brother they charged him. He placed his identification card and charge sheet with information and complaint in front of the judge to see.
Magistrate Panton upset over charging of grieving widower
On April 28 of last year, businessman Raul Magana was involved in a road accident. Magana was travelling with his wife, Lisa Li-Magana and their toddler son, Raul Magana, Jr. when the Toyota Land Cruiser they were travelling in reportedly sustained a blowout causing it to overturn. The father was injured, but his wife and son died from injuries.
Eleven months later, Magana was levied charges of manslaughter by negligence and causing death by careless conduct by police over the weekend. On Tuesday, March 17, he was in court to answer to the charges. Magana appeared with his attorney, Bryan Neal, in the court room of Magistrate Herbert Panton. No plea was taken and there was no objection to bail by the court prosecutor, Cpl. Kennard Clark.
Retrial for Pop’s carnal knowledge conviction
Ex-BDF soldier and resident of San Antonio, Toledo, Saturnino Pop, 27, was convicted of three counts of carnal knowledge of a 13-year-old minor on March 19, 2014 but today he is out on bail after the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial.
Pop’s attorney, Oscar Selgado, appealed on the ground that his client was not given a fair trial since it was ordered that the case be tried in the Southern Session of the Supreme Court. He submit that it was unfair for a sensational case to be subject to a jury of individuals from the same community. The decision to try the case in the South prevented the possibility of a truly objective jury.
Charged for stabbing her stalker
Shannon Smith, 24, of Hattieville Village is out on bail after she was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrates’ Court on one count of grievous harm upon Earlin Butler Sr. whom she stabbed over the weekend.
Shannon Smith was unrepresented when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith on Monday, February 16. The prosecutor, Cpl. Carmen Selgado, had no objection to bail. Chief Magistrate asked why she didn’t object to bail in a case where someone’s life was endangered. Cpl. Segado explained that the facts of the case show that it was the victim who entered Smith’s home and caused an altercation. On her own behalf, Smith said, "Butler just entered my house. I neva invite him.” She says Butler had been sending her text messages constantly. Chief Magistrate Smith told her to save her explanation until trial.
No defending female high school champions at national this weekend
The National Secondary Schools Sports Association (NSSSA) National Secondary Schools Softball Competition in both the female and male category will be held this weekend 20-21 March, 2015, at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium in Independence Village. This year’s National Secondary Schools Softball Championship is being hosted by Georgetown Technical High School.
The schools that have earned the right to represent their respective regions are from the Northern Region: Belize Rural High School (female) and Orange Walk Technical High School (male); from Central Region Ladyville Technical High School (female) and Nazarene High School (male); from the Western Region in both female and male Belmopan Comprehensive School and from the Southern Region Stann Creek Ecumenical College (female) and Independence High School (male).
Central Christian School girls and Holy Redeemer boys are Belize City Primary Schools Softball Champions
The Belize City Primary Schools Softball Competition came to an end on Wednesday 18 March, 2015, with the championship games played in both the girls’ and boys’ category.
In the girls’ competition, Central Christian School defeated St. John Vianney School by the score of 17-6. The winning pitcher was Kelsie Fuentes and the losing pitcher was Shantae Williams.
In the boys’ championship game, Holy Redeemer School defeated Wesley Upper School by the score of 6-3. The winning pitcher was Jerimy Fermin and the losing pitcher was Luis Orozco.
Health Hookup
Prevention is the best cure! – The essence of medicine -
There is an ancient Chinese story about a lord who asked his doctor, who was a member of a family of doctors, which one of them was the most skilled doctor.
The doctor, whose reputation was such that his name was synonymous with medicine in China, replied, “My eldest brother sees the spirit of sickness and removes it before it takes shape, so his name does not get out of the house.”
“My elder brother cures sickness when it is still extremely minor, so his name does not get out of the neighborhood.”
“As for me, I puncture veins, prescribe potions, and massage skin so from time to time my name gets out and is heard among the lords.”
Which one of these doctors are you most likely to visit? Previously, I wrote about medical issues that probably affects us, either directly or indirectly. In each article I would note the importance of going to see your doctor for regular checkups, hoping the articles with the endnote would be enough to get you to go see your regular doctor. This time around, I’m going to take the time out to explain to you exactly what it means to take care of your health.
Guided Democracy
The political landscape was lit up in full blue these past two weeks. First it was the secret tape recording from Señor Chell which simply confirmed what we already knew about all the underhanded deals concocted by the 1998-2008 PUP administration, resulting in the misappropriation of hundreds of millions from the public purse.
Concerning this damaging tape, I must admit that I find it difficult to understand the mentality within the officials of the People’s United Party, at every level. You see, the rumor existed about the tape before the municipal elections, but we heard that it would not be shared with the public until after these elections so as not to “hurt the PUP’s chances of winning”.
The central character in this drama is one Mr. Chell, who is considered a loyalist to Dave Burgos. The latter is said to have been displeased with the rhetoric about him coming from the Briceño camp prior to the PUP East convention, and this was an opportunity to even the scoreboard.
Career Paths
Every day, we come in contact with a number of people- teachers, doctors, lawyers, bankers, engineers; who all possessed different goals in their lives that was the initial starting point of their career. A career is not simply achieved for the love of money, but for the love and care for a certain type of work; not beneficial to self, but beneficial to others. A career path is rarely a path at all. A more interesting life is usually a more crooked, winding path of missteps, luck and vigorous work. It is almost always a clumsy balance between the things you try to make happen and the things that happen to you. Through a career, individuals obtain several skills that are helpful when serving people in their field of work. Of course, a career doesn't just happen, or land in the palm of your hands in an instant, or even fall from the sky as a slap in the face. Instead, it is something we have to sit and plan for. Choosing a career path is one of the biggest choices one has to make for himself, though the easiest process to start- just simply think!
Increase in allowances for police officers
The hardest working servants of the public sector, police officers, will soon receive long overdue and well deserved allowances thanks to the advocacy of Hon. John Saldivar, Minister of National Security. Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow has highlighted the allocation of funds for an increase in allowances to police officers in the 2015-2016 Budget.
“The increased allowances for the Police [is] to right a historical injustice and put them on par with the rest of the Public Service,” said Prime Minister Barrow at the reading of the 2015-2016 Budget. A Public Service allowance review was conducted on the Belize Police Department in 2012 and recommendations have been forwarded to Cabinet on ways to close the gap between what police officers receive and what other public officers receive. PM Barrow believes it is an injustice that police officers have been working all this time with less benefits than other public officers. Though not official, it is believed the increased allowances will be retroactive to years ago.
Four Ambassadors present credentials to the Governor General of Belize
Four ambassadors presented their letters of credence to the Governor General of Belize H.E. Sir Colville Young today at the Belize House in the City of Belmopan.
The ambassadors were: Ambassador of Ukraine H.E. Mr. Ruslan Spirin, Ambassador of Denmark H.E. Mr. Henrik Bramsen Hahn, Ambassador of Chile H.E. Mrs. Maria Inez Ruz Zanartu, and Ambassador of Czech Republic H.E. Mr. L’ubomir Hladik.
Speech by Dr. Carla Barnett Accepting Endorsement
Party Leader, Party Chairman, Ministers, Mayors, Standard Bearers, members of the Freetown Constituency Committee, Pastor Portillo, Miss Ebony Reid of the YOF, residents of Freetown and the rest of Belize City, ladies and gentlemen:
It is a huge honour and privilege and a great responsibility to take on the role of Standard Bearer and I give my word that I will do it with everything I have to the best of my ability for my party, my constituency and my country.
These past 8 weeks or so have been a whirlwind. Immediately after Party Leader announced my appointment as Caretaker for Freetown at the press conference on January 21, I called the Freetown Committee together and within days we hit the streets of Freetown along with the then councilor candidates.
We did not have much time to prepare for the elections, but we set out to meet as many of the residents of Freetown as we could and to discuss with them the issues they face as we encouraged them to vote for our UDP councilor candidates.
It was a short lead time, therefore we were very pleased that, in the massive UDP win at the March 4 polls, our party achieved significant gains right here in Freetown.
Magistrate Dale Cayetano appointed new director of Belize Family Court
The Judicial Legal Services Commission has appointed Magistrate Dale Cayetano as the new director of the Belize Family Court. Magistrate Cayetano was informed of the decision on Thursday March 12.
The department has been out of a director for almost two years since the former Director, Margaret Nicholas left the post.|
The 49 year old Magistrate is presently employed as a Magistrate with the Belize City Magistrate's Court and he is currently the magistrate for Court #4, working under the directive of Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith.
The acting Director of the Belize Family Court is presently Natalia Carter. She has been the acting director since Nicholas resigned almost two years ago.
‘Gas Dem & Light Dem’
A Big Man like you John Briceno ended up looking small on National TV news on March 11th, 2015. It is one of the first ever public castrations of a high ranking political figure in the history of Belize. To see a wide eyed and solemn Briceno being paraded before the media while two of the most vile PUP’s took turns berating him, was pathetic. One can only hope that absorbing such humiliation out of love for the PUP must come with high rewards. He was accused of being a liar and absent minded at the same time. This, coming from the leader, deputy leader, and past leader of the once grand old PUP. For good measures, the current Deputy Leader, Julius Espat made sure that those who could not hear could read. The message was not going to be blocked out, so he took to facebook asking for a retraction and removal of Briceno from the ranks of the PUP.
Briceno served up a salvo of damning accusations against no other than his Party Leader and former Party Leader during a private conversation with a party supporter. The cleansing of the soul exchange did not reveal a lot that the Belizean public did not already suspect. However, it confirmed those suspicions, and there is no better confirmation than fish from river bottom. While the matters of BTL purchase and resale, the Yen swap and Intelco affairs are well known, there are two new issues of public interest.
Busted with weed while making police report
Gania Robateau, 29, walked into the Queen Street Police Station to make a report against her common-law-husband, who she claims beat her up, but unfortunately for her she was the one who ended up being detained.
According to reports, Robateau was making a police report about domestic abuse when she took out a small amount of marijuana from her bra. She claims that she had just bought a joint to smoke with a friend but her common-law-husband came and beat her up. She forgot she had the weed in her bra and when she remembered she took it out in the presence of an officer. The weed was taken away and measured. It amounted to 3.6 grams; therefore, she was charged with drug possession.
Teenager, 19 is sentence to 12 years for robbing two women!
A teenager who robbed his victims and then looked back at them and laughed was sentenced to two six years jail terms after he pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery.
On June 14, 2014, 18 year old Chrisdale Courtney attacked and choked two women, sisters, forcing them to give up their belongings. At the time of the attack the women had a child with them.
On Thursday March 12 when Courtenay appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer, he pleaded guilty and saved the court time. After his plea Magistrate Fraser sentenced him to 2 - 6 year jail terms effective on the day of his guilty plea. The two terms are to run concurrently with each other.
The two victims were in court for the trial. Before they gave their testimony Magistrate Fraser advised Courtenay of the strong evidence against him and asked if he wished to maintain his guilty plea, that is when he changed it to guilty.
Kevin Crawford convicted for breaking into Central Bank Governor’s home
On Thursday March 12, 22 year old Kevin Crawford, a Mechanic employed with his father was today found guilty of the October 9, 2012 home invasion that had occured at the governor of the Central Bank’s home located on Coney Drive in Belize City. The incident happened at around 12:45 p.m., when the maid was ambushed at the door and an assailant forced himself into the house and gagged and tied her up while he burglarized the house stealing a number of items including the maid’s cell phone.
When he appeared before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith, Crawford maintained his innocence after being charged for aggravated burglary. He said he was in class at Saint John’s Junior College and it could not have been him who broke into the home and terrorized the maid and stole from inside the home. In court however, after the Chief Magistrate summed up the evidence she found him guilty of the offence.
Charged for stabbing her stalker
Shannon Smith, 24, of Hattieville Village is out on bail after she was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrates’ Court on one count of grievous harm upon Earlin Butler Sr. whom she stabbed over the weekend.
Shannon Smith was unrepresented when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith on Monday, February 16. The prosecutor, Cpl. Carmen Selgado, had no objection to bail. Chief Magistrate asked why she didn’t object to bail in a case where someone’s life was endangered. Cpl. Segado explained that the facts of the case show that it was the victim who entered Smith’s home and caused an altercation. On her own behalf, Smith said, "Butler just entered my house. I neva invite him.” She says Butler had been sending her text messages constantly. Chief Magistrate Smith told her to save her explanation until trial.
Accused of Stabbing Ex-Boyfriend
One day after Shannon Smith was charged for stabbing her alleged stalker, Shanice Waller, 20, was taken to the Belize City Magistrates Court for stabbing her ex-boyfriend.
According to Luis Kerr, at around 5.30 a.m. on Sunday, March 15, he was home with a female at #4374 Custard Apple Street when his ex-girlfriend, Shanice Waller, arrived at the house and started an argument. Kerr says he did not want her to go into the house because the other female was inside. Waller managed to get past him and he grabbed her around the neck to restrain her but when he let go he noticed that he was bleeding near his leg. He then saw Waller with a small black handle knife in her right hand. Kerr was later transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where it was then realized he was actually stabbed twice, once to the thigh and once to the wrist.
Guy East captures 34th Annual SMART Belmopan Cycling Classic
The Cycling Federation of Belize held its 34th Annual SMART Belmopan Cycling Classic on Sunday 15, March, 2015.
The Elite Open race started from in front of the SMART Headquarters on the Phillip Goldson Highway travelled into Belize City along the Central American Boulevard into the George Price Highway into the City of Belmopan then back onto the George Price Highway into Belize City and then back onto the Phillip Goldson Highway for the finish in front of the SMART Headquarters.
At the end of the race, the first rider to cross the finish line was Guy East of Santino’s Ride for Victory Team. Second place went to Geovanni Choto of C-Ray Road Addikzx, third place went to Brandon Cattouse also of C-Ray Road Addikzx, and fourth place went to Marlon Castillo of Santino’s Ride for Victory Team while fifth place went to Jose Robles of Western Spirit.
In the U-23 category, first place went to Joel Borland of Digicell 4G Elite Cycling Team, second place went to Giovanni Lovell also of Digicell 4G Elite Cycling Team with third place going to Richard Santiago also of Digicell 4G Elite Cycling Team.
Perez Hardware wins in Beverly Castillo Football Competition
The 2015 Beverly Castillo Football Cup Competition for Belize Rural Central continued on Sunday 15 March, out in Ladyville with two more games on the schedule.
In the first game played, Perez Hardware edged out Williams FC by the score of 3-2. The goals for Perez Hardware were scored by David Solorzano, Johnathan Hanson and Desmond Kerr. For Williams FC, the goals were scored by Kevin Young and Dehron Baptist.
In game two, Mahogany Heights and Largos FC played to a 2-2 draw.
Patrick Jones
EDITORIAL: The Thin-Skin Macho
By Jessica Habet: Media houses casually compare House meetings to circus acts in their broadcasts. The public expects the ritualistic mudslinging across the floor. I have begun to listen for particularly witty comments to combat the increasing frustration felt when tuning into the meetings. What is this plague that reduces our leaders to squabbling friends? […]
New program targets drug abuse
Belize’s Ministry of Health is partnering with the Organization of American States (OAS) to launch the local version of a region-wide drug abuse prevention treatment program, called PROCCER, that is The Training and Certification Programme for Drug and Violence Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation. The objective of the programme […]
Fire guts house on Allenby Street
A late evening house fire in Belize City on Wednesday caused severe damage to the residence of two families and the business of one of them. Police and fire officials responded to a house fire in progress at #144 A Allenby Street around 4:25 p.m. and spent the […]
Judge acquits man of murder
Supreme Court Justice Adolph Lucas today freed 31 year old Jermaine Belgrave of a charge of murder dating back five years after the conclusion of a trial without jury in his court room. Belgrave was accused of the February 23, 2010 shooting of Cleo Robinson, who was shot […]
5 of the Best Affordable Tropical Islands for Retirees
“I love the greens and blues,” says Washington native Deb Crofutt of her new life on a tropical island. “I love the smiles on the faces of everyone I make eye contact with. I like being away from the hustle and bustle of home and the pressure to own ‘things.’ I spent so many years working in the corporate world just to have stuff. This is a simpler, better life.”
Imagine the feel of the warm sun on your shoulders as you walk along a pristine white sand beach stretching to the horizon, fringed by palm fronds and the sumptuous blue ocean. You’re on your way to your favorite bar to enjoy a cocktail with expat friends as the sun goes down. All part of your new laidback lifestyle free from stress. For many people, particularly snowbirds seeking to escape the biting North American winter, this is their ideal retirement. An affordable island with a carefree lifestyle, modern amenities and sunshine all year round.
If you’re after a laidback, English-speaking Caribbean retirement at an affordable cost and with easy access to the States, you can’t do much better than Ambergris Caye, Belize’s largest island. Ambergris has racked up a series of impressive “best island” awards over the last few years; the island received Trip Advisor’s Traveler’s Choice Award for Best Island for 2013 and 2014. But Ambergris Caye is much more than a tourist destination. It’s a perfect retirement haven.
Spring Time In Belize Part 2
In Belize, March, April and May are the driest hottest months in the year. Don’t get it wrong, its dry because we are out of the “rainy season” and hot because the humidity is still everywhere trying to wrap itself around you. We know, we know, it sounds awful but that was not the effect you should be having because its Easter time and the kids get off school for a couple weeks! You call it spring break and we love spring break!
Spring is when the kids are overflowing with joy! Not only are they out of the responsibilities of school but they get to create! In Belize, they create carts! These carts are made from scrap wood and the wheels of old strollers. The carriage is basically a plastic crate we would normally transport chicken or fruit – add a piece of string and WALLA!! JOY! (If you read this piece of the writing deeply, you felt a little jolt of joy yourself!)
Then, another creation comes flying – literally! Its also the windiest time of the year! The trade winds are a-blowing and the kids are a-creating kites!!! Fathers, mothers, daughters and sons and brothers and sisters and cousins – lots of cousins – are creating their home-made kites. Its a feast for who fly’s first and highest and longest and most beautiful!
Santander Sugar: The Largest Private Foreign Investment in Belize To Date & One Super Interesting Tour
Earlier this week, I received an invitation.
And then just a few days later I was dressed like this and packed with information about Belize’s sugar industry, world sugar production, Belize infrastructure (and our needs in that department) – standing in a huge GORGEOUS dead flat field in Belize, chawing on a piece of sugar cane.
Life is fun sometimes. Now let me give you a download (and that’s what it is, there is just too much) about my day outside of Belmopan, visiting Santander sugar and learning about how that simple spoonful of sugar that I dump in my coffee each morning, gets to the table. From auto-pilot GPS guided tractors to syndicated loans from international banks, the modern sugar industry is no longer just a man, his field and a machete.
International Sources
US president to make state visit to Jamaica
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has announced that US President Barack Obama will pay a state visit to Jamaica on April 9, 2015.
Obama and Simpson Miller will hold bilateral discussions on a range of issues of mutual interest. During the visit, Jamaica will host a meeting between Obama and the heads of government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for discussions on issues on the CARICOM-US agenda, including security and trade. They will also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. The CARICOM-US meeting will be co-chaired by Perry Christie, prime minister of The Bahamas and current chairman of CARICOM, and Obama.
Great news for seafood sustainability!
The U.S. just launched an ambitious new action plan to combat illegal fishing and seafood fraud. These are global problems that cause billions of dollars in economic losses each year and threaten ocean ecosystems.
Ancient Mayan child traffickers? Not so fast, scientists tell U.K. tabloid
With a name like the Midnight Terror Cave, it's no wonder that one British tabloid decided to get creative and turn a Mayan archaeological site into the location of a shadowy, pre-Columbian child-trafficking ring.
Scientists and the media in the Central American nation of Belize, however, are calling out the Daily Mail in the U.K. for a story they ran in which they claimed that "Children were trafficked from hundreds of miles away to be sacrificed to the gods."
The allegations of child trafficking seem to stem from comments made by one of the students working on the site, Samanatha Lorenz, who – given the data accrued from the analysis of the teeth – theorized that the children must have been brought to the cave from far off for the purpose of ritual sacrifice.
Lorenz's theory, however, is challenged by a number of scientists – including archeologists from the both the U.K. and Belize – who argue that a lot more research needs to be done to actually prove that a human trafficking ring was at work. And even if it was, it is hard to speak of it in today's socially-charged terminology.
"To take the data and speak of ‘children trafficking' is misleading at best and warrants more in depth research," John Morris, director of the Institute of Archaeology told News Belize. "The fact that this has not been published in a peer review journal suggests that the ideas presented are speculative."
Op-Ed: KKK leader disappears and is found living among blacks in Belize
Three decades after vanishing without a trace, former Imperial Wizard Bill Wilkinson of the infamous Ku Klux Klan, was found living the high life among Belize's predominantly black population. “Life is real good, I love the island, it’s full of very friendly people,” said Wilkinson, who is now running a multi-million dollar vacation resort in San Pedro.
Wilkinson was Imperial Wizard for what was considered the most dangerous and powerful sector of the KKK from 1975 to 1984, when he ultimately jettisoned everything and fell off the radar for thirty years.
Under Wilkinson's tutelage, factions of the Klan even prepared for a “race war,” for which mercenaries he called the Klan Guard trained in “hidden commando camps.” Some have also credited him with planning the events that led up to a 1979 shoot-out between the Klan and the Southern Christian Leadership Council.
Beach cities to play host to Special Olympians this summer
After 16 years overseas, the Special Olympics 2015 World Summer games come to Los Angeles and the beach cities have a crucial part to play in the historic event.
Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach have signed on as Host Towns welcoming special athletes from seven different countries during a three-day acclimation period leading up to the July 25 opening ceremonies.
Manhattan Beach will host coaches and athletes from Hungary and Nepal. Hermosa Beach will host Belgium and Belize, while Redondo Beach will host delegations from Benin, Haiti and Suriname.
Hold the Habanero, Economist, Only Some Latinos Like It Hot
The Economist has taken heat for depicting Latinos as chile peppers. Chile peppers have been misunderstood ever since a clueless Christopher Columbus named them after peppercorns for their spicy quality, even though the tasty fruit of the genus Capsicum aren’t related to peppercorns. So it came as no surprise that when the latest cover of The Economist portrayed Latino immigration to the United States as an American flag made of red hot chile peppers, many Latinos were upset–because, the truth is, the majority of Latin American countries can’t handle spicy foods. So, I’m here to set the record straight on Latinos and our reputation for hot tempers (sometimes true), hot women (very true) and hot peppers (not true). Chiles originated in South America and made their way up through Central America and into Mexico—today, Mexico counts around 150 different chiles used in regional cuisines, but none hotter than the habanero (a staple in the Yucatan but used nationally as a hot condiment) and a few other scorchers like chiltepin, manzano, piquín, and chile de árbol. Then come the medium-hot jalapeños and serranos, but the rest are mild and used for sauces, soups, stews, moles, salsas, marinades, for stuffing, and eaten whole. In Central America, Guatemala is the chile king with its many peppers like cobanero, siete caldos, and chiltepe, but these are used sparingly in cultural dishes, and with the exception of Belize (lots of habanero), the rest of Central America can’t handle the heat.
Mo Mojo introduces zydeco sounds to Latin America
Local band Mo Mojo spread the word about Zydeco music from its Northeast Ohio base to Latin America this winter.
The band, celebrating 20 years this year since it was founded as Zydeco Jones, was selected to participate in the American Music Abroad program that the Association of American Voices administers on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Members left Jan. 20 for a five-week tour to Barbados, Belize, Panama, Mexico and Colombia.
“It was our job to be cultural ambassadors, and we did a pretty good job of it,” said Jen Maurer, who plays accordion and sings and is the last remaining original member of the band. “We were the first Americans that many had ever met. We had so many nice moments of cultural exchange even when we didn’t speak the language.”
The band was one of 10 from around the U.S. to take part in this year’s program. They were selected from 42 bands about a year ago after a live audition in New York City.
ASC Discusses What Drives Change In Aquaculture
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) brought together a distinguished panel for this year’s Seafood Expo North America to join in the discussion on what drives environmental and social responsibility in aquaculture.
On the second day of the show the ASC session was opened by CEO Chris Ninnes who demonstrated some of the big commitments made to the programme, bringing the session to life with a preview of a new ASC film showing how 30 farms in the State of Rio de Janeiro are dedicated to gaining ASC certification in readiness to supply the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Member of the Belize Shrimp Growers Association, Alvin Henderson, described the rewarding journey the eight shrimp farms took in seeking ASC certification. “The main hurdle was building capacity and we had to work hard on creating the right culture to manage compliance,” Henderson said.
“These farms represent 90 per cent of Belize’s shrimp production; most of the farms are small operations but we had support from outside investment. But, no matter what, we’re committed to meeting the ASC standards. For us it’s been an amazing journey that has helped us grow responsibly as a group.”
Videos
Belize, 5min. Ambergris Caye, Belize July 2014.
Amazing - The Beautiful Bugs of Belize, 3min. Thomas Shahan is an Oregon-based artist and macro-photographer who specialises in high-magnification photography. He is the imaging specialist for the Oregon Department of Agriculture's entomology lab.
For the past two years, Thomas has been teaching at macro photography workshops in Belize, and he took these stunning photographs during those trips.
The Beautiful Bugs of Belize, 3min.
Wow...! The Beautiful Bugs of Belize, 3min.
Highlights of First Live Mixed Martial Arts in Belize, 7min. MMA's First Live airing in Belize. 8 fights. Alberto Galera from Quintana Roo, Mexico wins the title belt.
TROPIC AIR "The Airline of Belize", 9min. AWESOME video... Short interview with Johnny Grief, a little on the history of Tropic Air and their planes, see the new terminal in San Pedro, then go fly with them!
FIre in Belize City, 5min. Fire fighters show up to fire fight with no water.
Santander Poised to Commence Sugar Milling in Belize, 6min.
2013 Mission Trip to Belize - Christ Church Cathedral, Fredericton NB, min. Slide presentation from the 2013 mission trip to Belize.
Belize Linie's Best, 5min. Success on the water with the kiteboard! Although there certainly were some failures, and Laura's patience was tested, I enjoyed the day and am looking to get back out onto the water again!
My father fishing in Belize, 10sec. This is what happens when you don't listen to the tour guide.
Adventures in Belize, 3min. Snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea, running around the Mayan ruins, going on the Bocawina zipline course, and cave tubing in ancient caves!
Belize Dive Dolphins Delfines, 4.5min. ncreibles minutos buceando con grupo de delfines...
belize diving 2015, 8min. Diving Trip to Belize -2015.
Do It For Belize 1 (Belize VS. Mexico), 23min. 8 Mexicans and 8 Belizeans fight for country in a LIVE TV event.
The first heavy weight MMA belt between a Belize Defense Force Soldier and a Mexican national occurred at the end of a spectacular event hosted at the Belize Elementary Auditorium.
Zip-lining in Belize, 1min.
Rappelling in Belize, 4min. Rappelling down from a tree stand in Belize.
March 19, 2015
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The San Pedro Sun
“Dateline: The Real Blacklist” will feature Gregory Faull’s unsolved murder
John McAfee, the man who Belize police say is still a person of interest in the murder of Gregory Faull, is still making news. A crew of three from Dateline NBC was in Belize filming segments for a follow up on Faull’s unsolved murder. The Dateline NBC team arrived in Belize on Saturday March 14th and re-visited the area where both Faull and McAfee lived and other parts of the country. The material will be used as part of Dateline NBC’s new series called “Dateline: The Real Blacklist” and it will be hosted by NBC’s Richard Engel. The mini-series focuses on conspiracy-themed investigations and crimes that involve larger-than-life perpetrators and circumstances surrounding unsolved crimes. The former computer antivirus pioneer McAfee has remained a “person of interest” to Belize police in their investigation into the murder of Gregory Faull.
Faull, an American national was found murdered on November 11, 2012 inside his home on north Ambergris Caye. While McAfee was never accused of the murder, the millionaire ran from Belize after he learned that Belizean authorities wanted him for questioning as a person of interest. Faull and McAfee were bitter neighbors because of McAfee’s ferocious dogs which he would allow to roam on the beach to drive people away from his nearby property.
Comedy Movie Night at the Paradise Theater
It’s March. Oscar season has come and gone, and it feels like we’ve all spent the past six months watching nothing but movies about Stephen Hawking. Thankfully, that time is over. Now it’s time for something really funny and really stupid.
This Thursday at the Paradise Theater, we’ll be showing IDIOCRACY. Written and directed by Mike Judge (creator of “Office Space” and “Silicon Valley”), “Idiocracy” is the story of a man (Luke Wilson) who is frozen for 500 years, only to wake up and find society so incredibly dumbed down that he’s now the smartest man alive. The movie is really funny and sophomoric (in the vein of “Dumb and Dumber”), but it also offers an all-too-likely depiction of America’s consumer-driven future. I think you’ll enjoy this movie — and I’m positive you’ll leave feeling thankful you live in Belize.
Inspector Henry Jemmott takes over Coastal Executive Unit
As of Tuesday, March 17th, the helm of the Coastal Executive Unit has been taken over by Inspector Henry Jemmott. Previous Officer in Charge, Superintendent Luis Castellanos handed over control of the San Pedro Police Station and will now be holding a management position at the Belize Police Department headquarters in Belmopan City. Jemmott previously held the position of Deputy of the Coastal Executive Unit.
Since his arrival to San Pedro in June 2014, Jemmott has been instrumental in the operations and community relations building of the San Pedro Police Department. These are the two key factors that qualified him to take over as OC. “We will continue to work on improving the San Pedro Police Department and making the island safe for residents and visitors. As OC, I will continue to enforce community oriented policing in both San Pedro and Caye Caulker. I also plan to increase our operations to target crime across both islands,” said Jemmott.
CrossFit San Pedro members inspired by dedication
She was on holiday in mainland Belize, but 57-year-old AnnElise Bennett had to find a certified CrossFit box (gym) in the country to take part in the current worldwide challenge known as the CrossFit Open. The Open leads to the official 2015 Reebok CrossFit Games set to take place July 21-26, and will see the world’s top CrossFit Athletes compete for the title of ‘World’s Fittest’. As an official (active) affiliate in Belize, CrossFit San Pedro’s family was happy to welcome AnnElise to the island. Members dropped by to observe and cheer her on as she completed the 14-minute workout. The scaled version of the official 15.3 Open workout consisted of 50 wall ball squats and 200 jump ropes, aiming for as many rounds as possible in 14 minutes.
MOE to show no tolerance on the sale of fake diplomas
Over the past few weeks, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has been investigating reports of the sale of fake diplomas by a person identified only as the “Diploma Guy”. The evidence of the fraudulent act surfaced on the popular social media network, Facebook, where a conversation between the “Diploma Guy” and a potential buyer stated that a fake diploma can be bought for $4,000. The conversation continued to state that fake diplomas can be bought from any secondary or tertiary institution in Belize, the United States of America and Europe. Upon learning of these activities, MOE quickly launched an investigation and released a statement on the matter.
According to the press release “The MOE informs the general public that any person found in possession of any such documents under the Belize criminal Code will be liable to imprisonment for two years and those found guilty of being a common forger is liable to life imprisonment.” The release also urged all establishments and educational institution to scrutinize any diploma presented to them, and if suspicions arise on the legitimacy of the document, they are to contact the MOE.
2015/2018 Mayor and San Pedro Town Councilors officially sworn in
The Mayor of San Pedro Town Daniel Guerrero and his six councilmen have officially taken the oath of office. The public event took place on Monday March 16th at the San Pedro Central Park, in which the portfolios of each of the council members were announced. The members of the San Pedro Town Council were elected under the banner of the United Democratic Party (UDP) in the March 4th municipal election.
First to take the oath of office was two-term Mayor Daniel Guerrero. In his remarks, Guerrero called for unity amongst the residents of the island and took the opportunity to invite the opposition to work along with the council. “Elections are over and we are a council that was elected to serve everyone. For that reason, I am inviting the opposition members to join us and bring their ideas to the table so that together, we can move this island forward. I say this because I sincerely believe that they had some good ideas that we believe can help us bring more prosperity to the island.”
Ambergris Today
Death Threats Received by San Pedro Mayor and Area Representative
It is not something that is very much heard of in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, but reliable sources have indicated that both San Pedro Mayor Daniel Guerrero and Area Representative/Minister of Tourism Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr. have received death threats this week.
Although there has been no official police report or has the San Pedro Police Department released any information about the serious matter, but word is that criminal elements have threatened the lives of both island officials. Hon. Heredia, who freely walks around San Pedro Town very casually and bare-footed can be seen with a full military/police escort and his home on the island is being heavily guarded.
At his recent speech during the official swearing in of the San Pedro Town Council, that took place on Monday, March 16, 2015, Hon. Heredia indicated that both him and the members of the Town Council were prepared to protect and keep the safety of the community even if it compromised their lives. This caught some of the people in attendance off guard and wondering why he would say that.
“If we have to die for you all, we will do so,” commented Hon. Heredia on Monday.
Misc Belizean Sources
Island Invasion:Easter Bash Vol 4
Look out for Island Invasion Easter Bash Vol. 4 taking over San Pedro Nightlife April 3,4
PRE SCHOOLS CULTURE DAY
On Wednesday, March 18th, the Pre Schools in San Pedro were all dressed up in their cultural attires from the diverse ethnic groups that exist in Belize. The kids also had to prepare a presentation where they briefly explained their culture...and the best part was that they had exquisite food from each culture!
Culture Day is part of the Child Stimulation Month activities.
Kids Self Defense at Calla Creek
A big thanks to 4 the World, who put together self defense training classes for kids, which took place in Calla Creek. Looks like they had some fun, and learned some good techniques too. They also had their Yoga Workshop at the Benque HoC.
"Self Defense Training for kids in Cayo was a lot of fun thanks to Katie Myers and crew. Our volunteers were eager to work with these great kids in Benque Viejo and Calla Creek Village."
Cayo Leadership Seminar
The Management and Leadership seminar for the Tourism and Hospitality Industry will take place at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel from Tuesday, March 31st through Thursday, April 2nd. Registration is through this week, just contact the SIRH. The long flier can be found here.
"Course will be lead by Philip Queen from California who is the founder and CEO of FMC. Mr. Queen has an extensive background in leadership and management training in addition to Military honors."
A Walk Through El Cayo Book Launch 2015
We are proud to present A Walk Through El Cayo book, now available at our office in Belmopan.
Go Maya Belize Adventures
Go Maya Belize Adventures is a new tour operator based in Cayo. They have a pretty smooth looking website. They are based out of Rumors Resort(which is coincidentally the featured hotel on the website), yet are catering to tours all around Belize. They have only perfect reviews on Trip Advisor.
"Go-Maya Belize Adventures is a professional Destination Management Company & Tour Operator. We are dedicated to helping you plan your Belize Vacation with the most successful and memorable outcome. Our dependable transfers will get you to your lodging destination in a timely & safe manner."
Channel 7
PUP Stands By Francis Fonseca, Status Quo Preserved
The PUP’s National Party Council held an extended meeting today at Independence Hall. Most of the business of the day was to prepare for next week’s budget debate.
But, while that was like political house-keeping – the hot button item that was on everyone’s mind was the balance of power in the PUP after the leaked John Briceno recording – and whether in the wake of the municipal elections trouncing, Francis Fonseca remains viable as leader.
4 hours into the meeting, the Party Council decided to break for a few minutes so that the National Campaign Manager could speak with the waiting press about Fonseca’s standing as leader. Here’s what he had to say:
Godfrey Smith - National Campaign Manager, PUP
"In the first half of the meeting, the party leader, the Hon. Francis Fonseca; in essence, laid on the table the question of his leadership and the question of a leadership convention. Expressed his commitment and dedication in continuing forward - to lead the PUP to the next general election. But would do so only if all members of the national executive, all standard bearers and the parliamentary cacaos freely expressed their views on this position. The floor was then open and every person in the room essentially some 38 persons, comprising those 3 bodies spoke and gave unanimous support for the leadership of Francis Fonseca moving forward. With some of the views being expressed that they perhaps should be an endorsement convention, which will he held at some point in the future - to be determined by the PUP. “
Belizean Diplomat Wins OAs Asst. SG
Belize’s Ambassador to the US, Nestor Mendez, is Ambassador no more – tonight he is the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States. That is the result after he won an election this afternoon in Washington D.C., comfortably outdoing his Guyanese opponent Ambassador Bayney Karran by a margin of 24 to 10.
It is a breakthrough accomplishment because the post of Assistant Secretary General carries hemispheric responsibilities and it is the second highest post in the OAS. More than that, it is one of only two elected posts within the OAS – and this year, it was the only elected since the new Secretary General Foreign Minister of Uruguay Luis Almagro ran unopposed.
Almagro and Mendez will make up the new leadership tandem in the OAS – and today, Mendez – who becomes the first Belizean to hold the senior post – was gracious in acceptance:…
Cabinet Leaning Towards De-criminalization of Weed - Wants To Consult Churches
Belize’s weed laws could be in for a radical change as there are credible reports tonight that Cabinet has decided in principle to support the de-criminalisation of possession of less than ten grammes of marijuana. 7news has confirmed that the subject was discussed at Cabinet yesterday with a majority of the ministers supporting – again, in principle - the recommendations of the Decriminalization of Marijuana Committee.
Their final report which was tabled three weeks ago recommended that possession of up to ten grammes of marijuana should not be a criminal offence. The committee recommended that 10 grams or less be listed for private, personal use, and persons found with that quantity should get a ticket with fines and no possibility of incarceration or any offence on their criminal record. Ten grams of weed is a third of an ounce as much as you see in this bag – and can make up about ten average sized marijuana joints.
Santander Welcomes The Media, Lays Out 150+ Million US Dollar Sugar Cane Investment
Green Tropics – since the company came on the scene in 2012 – they’ve been mostly bad news. First they trenched a canal right through the Labouring Creek Jaguar Corridor Wildlife Sanctuary for which they landed a record environmental fine. And then, they sprayed the crops of 30 Valley of Peace farmers laying waste to about 150 to 200 acres of vegetable crops. And maybe that’s why the brand Green Tropics has been taken out of the public equation. Now the company has been re-branded as Santander – which is fair enough because it’s the name of their Spanish parent’s company. But, Santander is not only taking on a new name – they’ve got a new welcoming approach to the media. Today, the entire press crop was shuttled out to their development site behind Valley of Peace. IT’S twenty thousand acres of land which will be used for sugar cane production, harvesting, milling and bagasse co-generation. IT’S a formidable investment – said to be the Santander group’s largest agricultural development in this region – and we found out more today:…
Julez Vasquez reporting….
A tractor like this costs two hundred thousand dollars – but they let me hop into it and take a turn behind the very big wheels – not because I know how to drive a tractor – but because it’s all computer controlled – and not even a novice like me can mess it up.
Gay Man Maurice Tomlinson Goes To The CCJ About Belize's Discriminatory Immigration Law
Remember Jamaican Maurice Tomlinson? He’s the well-known gay rights activist from that country who started to sue the governments of Belize and Trinidad and Tobago over the immigration laws which he claims is discriminatory to him and other LGBT persons living in the Caribbean Community. He decided to take his case to the highest court in the land for both countries, the Caribbean Court of Justice.
For the past 2 days, officials from both countries have been at the CCJ headquarters in Port of Spain, Trinidad arguing against his claim in an attempt to convince the judges that the discriminatory interpretation that Tomlinson has chosen to take is wrong since neither of these two countries has ever prevented gay persons from entering before.
Tomlinson’s case is novel because it seeks to invoke the original jurisdiction of the Court, and he to get to this appeal case, he had to seek to be heard as an individual because his country, Jamaica, refused to get involved on his behalf via the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
Blue Bell Recall - What About Belize?
Blue Bell ice cream products – which are sold in Belize - may be linked to the death of 3 Americans. According to The Guardian online, 5 patients at a hospital in Kansas contracted a bacterial infection called listeriosis after eating Blue Bell ice cream products – 3 of the patients died. As a result of this, several Blue Bell Products have been recalled. Those include the Chocolate Chip Country Cookie Sandwich, Great Divide Bar, Cotton Candy Bar, Scoops, Vanilla Stick Slices, Almond Bars and Sour Pop Green Apple Bar. Now how does this recall affect us? Arctic Cold imports these products to Belize from the US and you can go to almost any grocery store in Belize and find Blue Bell products. We contacted Arctic Cold but the managers were not available. We also contacted the Bureau of Standards and they said they weren't aware of the recall but will follow up on it. According to the U.S Food and Drug Administration website “Consumers should not eat any of the products listed above. If these ice cream products are in your freezer, they should be thrown away, even if some of them have been eaten without anyone becoming ill".
City Fire Guts Home, 7News Saw It Start
Tonight a Belize City family is homeless after their house burned down this evening in the city. 7News happened on the scene just as the fire was starting and Monica Bodden saw flames overtake the house in just a few minutes. Here’s her report starting when only smoke was visible:…
Monica Bodden reporting…
Around 4:30 this afternoon, smoke was seen coming from the upper flat of this two story building located at the corner of Allemby Street and East Collet Canal.
Next door neighbours went into panic mode and even began removing items from their own homes. As the smoke grew thicker and darker, the entire neighbourhood flooded unto the street side – many on their cell phones calling the fire department- while some ran up the block to the nearby Fire Station to get urgent help.
OAS ASG Designate Nestor Mendez Thanks Belize
At the top of the newscast we told you about Ambassador Nestor Mendez who has become the first Belizean to be elected Assistant Secretary General of the OAS. It is a major accomplishment for the career diplomat – who bested his Guyanese opponent 24 to 10. And while you have heard his remarks to the assembly – what about the folks back home? We spoke to him by telephone a few minutes ago and he said he was grateful for the support:…
H.E. Nestor Mendez – Newly Elected Assistant Sec. Gen., OAS
“You know, I have been touched and humbled by all the expressions of support that have been forthcoming and really, I am very very grateful. I wasn't aware there was such a tremendous interest in these issues and I do have a lot of friends and I really appreciate so much messages of best wishes and prayers that I have received. In the last week, and today has especially been even more so. I am eternally grateful to everybody who has expressed some sort of best wishes. And i'm very happy and very pleased. We have several young officers in the ministry of foreign affairs and other ministries in the government of Belize who can see what we are doing and what can be done with the proper support. I'm hoping that will open some doors really."
British Paper Makes Sensational Claims About Mayan Cave
A British newspaper is sensationalizing an archeological discovery in Belize. The Daily Mail online calls it “evidence of child trafficking in the Mayan Midnight Terror Cave in Cayo.”
The article refers to a 3 year study of the cave by Belizean researchers and Archaeologists from California State University which ended in 2010. The article speaks of human remains of adults and children between the ages of 6 and 14 along with the remnants of sacrificial altars dating back to between 700 and 900 AD. And then it says, foreign scientists and researchers believe that the “underworld network of caves in Belize may have been used to traffic Mayan children as young as six for sacrifice.”
A Book About The Twin Towns
A new book that captures the historical development of the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena was launched today at the Welcome Center in San Ignacio. The book is entitled “A Walk through El Cayo”. The 56 page text is a compilation of interviews done with community elders along with archival information about the historical and cultural richness of San Ignacio and Santa Elena. You can get a copy of the book at bookstores in both towns. In a release sent out today by NICH it states " It is hoped that students, educators, tour guides, tourists and the general public will appreciate the narratives and re-discover the secrets and beauty of the Twin Towns".
Channel 5
Late Afternoon Inferno Destroys Home on Allenby Street
Just before four-thirty this evening, fire destroyed a home at number one forty four Allenby Street in Belize City. There were three structures in the corner lot, including the two-storey [...]
Ambassador Nestor Mendez is New Assistant Secretary General to O.A.S.
A historic vote took place at the Organization of American States in Washington. Belize’s Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, Ambassador Nestor Mendez, who is also accredited to [...]
P.U.P. Executive Unanimously Endorses Francis Fonseca’s Leadership
Following a massive loss in municipal elections, the executive and key players in the P.U.P. have been circling the wagons around embattled leader Francis Fonseca. And today, in culmination of [...]
Johnny Briceño’s Noticeable Absence from Fonseca Endorsement
Executive members, parliamentarians and standard bearers today, but former Party Leader John Briceño was conspicuously absent. Briceño, last Friday, very publicly, supported the call for a national convention of the [...]
P.U.P. Campaign Manager Comments on Old Guard
There has been some criticism of the party for its refusal to let go of certain persons considered the old guard. But if you expected any mass jettisoning or serious [...]
Ladyville Police Explain Charge Against Raul Magaña
The driver of vehicle involved in a traffic accident that occurred last year was taken to court on Tuesday. Raul Magana Junior was behind the wheel of his SUV that [...]
Jaguar Officer Heads to Crooked Tree to Assess Livestock Predation
Belize has a healthy jaguar population in the region with an estimated five hundred jaguars; however, they are considered to be threatened and are on the decline internationally. But in [...]
Errol Belisle to be Charged for Knocking Down Stella Maris Student
Eleven year old Austin Olivera Junior remains comatose at the K.H.M.H. after he was knocked down by a tour van around eight a.m. on Tuesday morning at mile eight and [...]
Business Senator Dissects 2015/2016 Budget
Tonight, as we promised, we take another look at the 2015/2016 budget, scheduled to be debated on the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh. In the preface to his presentation, Prime Minister Barrow [...]
Senator Mark Lizarraga Criticizes Spending as Short-sighted and Irresponsible
Lizarraga also lashed out at what he says is irresponsible and short-sighted spending, rather than any attempt at prudent fiscal management. He says that it’s not sustainable, and in the [...]
Is Short Term Job Creation Sustainable?
In the budget, there is much focus on infrastructure, and it goes hand in hand with an unprecedented infrastructure spurt in all municipalities, with the promise of more to come. [...]
Arguments in Tomlinson Versus Belize and Trinidad & Tobago Conclude in CCJ
Attorneys concluded arguments today at the Caribbean Court of Justice on behalf of the governments of Belize and Trinidad and Tobago. Jamaican gay rights activist, Maurice Tomlinson, is challenging the [...]
Shanice Waller Arraigned for Stabbing Aex-boyfriend in Mahogany Heights
In the local courts, an alleged domestic dispute between a woman and her ex-boyfriend has resulted in charges against the woman. It comes on the heels of the arraignment of [...]
Santander Poised to Commence Sugar Milling in Belize
If you heard about the Santander Group before, the parent company of Green Tropics, it may have had to do with dredging within the Labouring Creek Jaguar Corridor Wildlife Sanctuary [...]
President Obama to Meet with CARICOM Heads of Government in Jamaica
And this piece of regional news….The Summit of the Americas will be held this year in Panama on the eleventh and twelfth of April. It is deemed a historic meeting [...]
Cancer Patient Needs Your Financial Helping Hand
Tonight, we bring you the plight of Carlton Nicholas, who is in dire need of financial assistance to defray the cost of his medical treatment. He is afflicted with skin [...]
CTV3
Cane Farmers To Receive First Payment For Baggase
Sugar Cane Farmers will be receiving their first payment for bagasse from BSI on Friday. The payment for bagasse is based on the formula set out in the agreement. Financial Officer at BSI Belizario Carballo spoke about the payment which will be a little over half a million Belize dollars.
“As part of the long term agreement that we have signed with the different Associations there was a provision for a payment for bagasse and the provision provides for a first payment on that to be made retroactive for the 2014 crop and for it to be made ten weeks after they signed the agreement and that payment will therefore be made this Friday the 20th of March as per the agreement and as per the calculation of the amount to be paid is set out on the agreement and that calculation has workout to a total figure of $597,000 when divided by the amount of cane that was delivered was close to 1.2 million tons of cane last crop on a per ton basis it averages out about fifty cents per ton but that amount will be paid on the basis of the relative cane quality of the respective test groups and so each test group will be paid a different amount ranging from forty seven cents to fifty four cents per ton of cane for the deliveries for the 2013/2014 crop.”
Womens Department Recognizes List Of Women From The North
In keeping with the recognition, in lieu of Women’s Month being celebrated countrywide in Belize for the Month of March, we would like to give recognition to some deserving women who made the Outstanding Women list for 2015 in the north.
These outstanding women include: Amparo Majil of Corozal Town, Criselda Beatrize Fuentes of San Andres Village in Corozal, Cindey Rivero of Orange Walk Town and Felecita Cantun of Yo Creek Village. According to the Women’s Department in Belize, these ladies (among others), have demonstrated that they are willing to be the change they wanted to see in Belize and each candidate deserves the admiration and respect because they have served their communities well.
Maya Cement Workers To Sign New Contract
Yesterday we told you about the friction between Belizean importers of Maya Cement from the Mexican side and their Mexican employer. As we reported, shippers were complaining that they have been buying Maya Cement from their Mexican Counterparts to sell in Belize but a sharp increase in price and method of loading implemented recently have caused a major decrease in profits. This morning we got an update from the drivers and we are happy to report that a compromise has been reached. We spoke via telephone to one of the shipping agents, who wished to.
“Quedamos de acuerdo que nos van ajustar el sueldo otra vez el flete y van a componer los puestos adónde vamos a trabajar y el contrato se va a firmar nuevamente con nuevos beneficios, el Sábado van a ir unos miembros de nosotros para que se firmen los papeles en Chetumal, si desde ayer fueron cinco camiones y hoy fueron quince camiones y muchísimas gracias por su ayuda.”
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Recalls Product
It’s a favourite quick meal for many Belizeans looking to save time and money on food items but according to a release from the Kraft Foods Group, approximately 242,000 cases of select code dates and manufacturing codes of the Original flavour of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner is being voluntarily recalled. Why is this being done you may ask? We’ll, according to North America's largest consumer packaged food and beverage company, it is possible that some boxes may contain small pieces of metal. The release says and we quote, “The recalled product is limited to the 7.25-oz. size of the Original flavor of boxed dinner with the "Best When Used By" dates of September 18, 2015 through October 11, 2015, with the code "C2" directly below the date on each individual box. The "C2" refers to a specific production line on which the affected product was made”, end quote.
Ambassador Nestor Mendez Elected As Assistant Secretary General Of The OAS
Tonight there is great news for Belize as Ambassador Nestor Mendez made history today as he became the first Belizean to be elected as the new Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of the American States. The election took place today in Washington during the 49th ordinary session of the OAS meeting in the United States of America and Mendez garnered 24 out of the 34 voters casted. Also vying for the position was His Excellency Bayney R. Karran of Guyana who received ten votes.
After his election Ambassador Mendez addressed his fellow diplomats. Here is what he had to say.
BWU Signs Collective Bargaining Agreement With BSI/ASR
Today the Belize Workers Union and the Belize Sugar Industry finally signed the long negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreement. To be more specific, both parties signed two collective bargaining agreements this morning. One was for tower hill hourly paid workers which is a longstanding agreement that had expired on June 30th 2014 and had been subject to negotiations. Those negotiations were completed in February and the final agreement was signed today. BSI Financial Officer Belizario Carballo says they are pleased that the agreement has been signed.
“That agreement is retroactive to the 1st of July 2014 and goes for four years up to the 30th of June 2018 and as part of the negotiations we had agreed with the BWU increases in wages over that four year period and also other adjustments in other parts of the CBA but that is a mature CBA that we all collectively agreed that it is a progressive CBA and it is one that both side feel good about it and so we signed that agreement today along with a new CBA for the contract field workers before this they came under individual contracts, they now cone under a CBA and the BWU represents that group of workers as well and so that is the first one and we have been disusing that for some time and today we signed that collective bargaining agreement and that agreement is for two years and so it is a bit less than two years now because we had a little delay in the signing of it but it expires on the 30th of September 2016.”
Mother of Eight Year Old Child Asks For Assistance
A mother of four is pleading to the community to help her finance an operation to enable her seven year old son regain his vision. Jovita Tillett of Guinea Grass Village is struggling with her son who became visually impaired shortly after he was born. Tillett says his vision can be restored but he needs a series of eye surgeries. He has undergone one surgery and is in need of a second.
“Tengo mi bebe siete y va para ocho años y yo anduve pidiendo ayuda para mi nene y me ayudaron pero los cheque que tenia se lo agarre a mi mama y lo lleve en BCVI y perdieron los cheque y n lo pudieron operar en BCVI pero fui en Corozal y una señora de iglesia y una gringa pago su operación de mi nene y Doctor Hoy lo opero y salió bien pero una semana después empezó a salir como materia en sus ojitos porque le pusieron el contact lense y estaba como infectado y fui a que se lo cambien y se lo limpiaron y gracias a dios está bien y lo único que quiero es a ver si me pueden ayudarme para operar el otro ojo de mi nene.”
Officials From The Embassy Of Honduras In Belize Visit Prisoners At The Central Prison
As part of the new work plan prepared by the team of the Embassy of Honduras in Belize headed by Ambassador Sandra Rosales, officials from the Consular Section of the Embassy of Honduras in Belize paid a visit to the Belize Central Prison where they held a private meeting with Honduran Nationals currently serving time at the prison.
During the meeting the prisoners were given the opportunity to talk about the processes they face in the country in order for the officials to provide personalized attention to each case.
Fisherman Reports Stolen Skiff
There has been a spate of boat thefts reported in the Corozal District and San Pedro Town and tonight there is another to report. Yesterday morning, 68 year old Shamil Espat, fisherman of San Juan Area of San Pedro Town reported to police that sometime between 6:00p.m on Sunday March 15th and 7:30 on Monday morning his white 25-foot fibre glass skiff named “Eagle Eye which had a 60 horse power Yamaha outboard engine attached to it valued at $27,625.00 was stolen. He further reported that on Thursday March 12th at about 3:30p.m while securing his skiff on the dock, a man he knows pulled out what appeared to be a hand gun and pointed it towards him and his son and threatened them and then left. Police are seeking this man for questioning.
Orange Walkenos Lodge Complain Against Vehicle Vendors
And while on the topic of the vehicle vendors at the parking area by Central Park, today Mayor Kevin Bernard added that there have been additional problems. Over the years there have been complaints about some of their behavior and according to the Mayor; even the police have had to be involved.
“These people have been informed and we have said these things before, the problem that we are having with these vehicle vendors is that they think they own the space around the park and they are totally wrong and I have one message for them is that you will be moved whether by choice of by force and that we are saying to them is that the park area is not going to be allowed for vending, the people of Orange Walk have said that to us while campaigning we want our park and the park is now renovated and there are other amenities that will be coming to the park shortly with the playing ground and other things these are for the kids, the park is for our family...”
LOVE FM
Businessman Charged for Illegal Possession of Lobster
Sixty-one year old Godfrey Cooper Smith, the owner of Popeye’s Resort in Caye Caulker, who is an American citizen originally from Belize, was fined a total of $445 today by Magistrate Hettie Mae Stuart after he pled guilty to possession of lobster during closed season. Smith was ordered to pay $305 for the offence and in addition, he was ordered to pay $20 for each of the 7 lobster tails he had. Smith was busted with the lobster tails on February 19 when a fishery officer went to Godfrey’s Seaside Grill and found him with the tails. Smith paid the money forthwith.
Caye Caulker Resident Caught Smuggling Cannabis
Thirty-five year old Walter Jimenez, a construction worker of Caye Caulker who allegedly tried to smuggle 517 grams of cannabis into Belize City, was charged with drug trafficking when he appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. Jimenez pled not guilty to the charge. He was offered a bail of $5,000 and his case was adjourned until May 14. The bust occurred yesterday at Port of Belize. According to reports, Jimenez was handed over to the police by a Port of Belize employee when it was discovered that he had a black bag which contained the drug.
Five on Remand For Murder Arraigned for Drug Trafficking
Five inmates who are on remand for charges of murder, were charged with drug trafficking when they appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. They are 31-year-old, Kenrick Parham, 20-year-old, Khalil Ponce, 20-year-old, Micah Tillett, 22-year-old, Devon Goodger and 21-year-old, Jermaine Moody. They pled not guilty to the charge. Their case was adjourned until May 15. They were charged yesterday after a search was executed in their cell and 78 grams of weed was found.
Teenager Says He Was Abducted and Beaten
A teenager of a Jane Usher Boulevard address in Belize has told Police that on Monday, March 16, he was taken from Faber’s Road at around nine o’clock by persons in a minivan. The complainant, 19-year-old, Abel Lara Junior says after being taken, he was beaten then taken to an area at mile eight on the Philip Goldson Highway where he was threatened. Lara says he was able to escape at around midday. Police are seeking the men as investigations continue.
Police Seeks William For Having Sex With Minor
A minor of Silk Grass Village in the Stann Creek District was in the company of her mother when they went to the police station to make a report of sexual misconduct. According to the minor, she was at a nearby shop on Sunday, March 15 when she received a call just before eight o’clock from a man known to her as William Daniel ‘Danny’. A few minutes later the man came to pick her up and had sexual intercourse with her. A medical examination was conducted and it was certified that the female was carnally known. Police are now seeking William Daniel of a Belmopan address.
Santander: Sugar Production on The Horizon in Western Belize
The media was granted a tour of the Santander Facility in Cayo. The Santandar group of Companies has been in Belize since 2008 when it first acquired land. Since then it has been developing in to a sugar producing factory. Hipolito Novelo was part of the tour and here is his story.
HIPOLITO NOVELO
“Jose Rafael Rodriguez is the Chief Executive officer of the Santander Group- the parent company of Santander Farms, SS Energy and Santander Sugar. The operation of the company is located on a twenty thousand acre of land in the Cayo District. The facilities of the company are currently under construction and its primary goal is to grow sugar cane and produce sugar for export. Rodriguez says it all started with a childhood dream.”
JOSE RODRIGUEZ
“Since we were little my dad emigrated from Spain to Guatemala in 1954. He started a warehouse store and then he also loved to do farming. He started to plant sugar cane in 1967, the year I was born, and we as a family grew up in the sugarcane fields and we grew up thinking of doing a project like this all our lives. So we went to high school, university preparing for a project like this but we didn’t know it would be in Belize. We went to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, we even went to the States. We looked at an operation that is the only place that produces sugar cane in Spain, in the South, but in the end God brought us here and we found a place that we love the day we stepped here.”
Bagasse Payment Forthcoming to Cane Farmers
There is also the matter of dividends owed to the workers of BSI, who possess just under seventeen percent of shares in the company. Dividends for the workers are still unpaid for the period, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015. Love News understands from a union member that the workers have decided to forego those pending payments and look forward to payments for the period 2014/2015. When Love News asked Carballo why the financial statements were not shared with the workers who are also shareholders he told us that the matter is a company issue and not one that they are willing to discuss. As it pertains to payment on bagasse, those monies will be forthcoming soon, according to Carballo.
“As part of the agreement that we signed with the cane farmers associations there was provision for the payment of bagasse which starts and actually that agreement provides for retroactive payments for the 2014 crop and it provided for it to be paid 10 weeks after the signing of that agreement.
BSI Says Presence of Labour Commissioner Wasn’t Necessary
Carballo assured Love News that despite the absence of the Labour Commissioner, Ivan Williams, the four year agreement will be adhered to and the company workers have no need to fear.
BELIZARIO CARBALLO
“There is provision under the labor law that governs collective bargaining agreements, there are a number of unions across the country that signs collective bargaining agreements with managements and the same applies to this one, it is no different. Like I said our collective bargaining agreement with the BWU is a mature agreement we have had it in place for some years now and I think it is one of the very progressive CBAs that exist across the country and so the same provisions and protections that are afforded to any worker particularly under CBA arrangements apply in this case.”
Collective Bargaining Agreement In Effect for Tower Hill Workers
In early November 2014, a meeting was held between BSI/ASR and the Belize Workers’ Union to begin negotiations for a salary increase for the permanent workers at the Belize Sugar Industries. The Belize Workers’ Union began negotiations asking for a fifteen percent salary increment and that an agreement be signed for one year with the option of further negotiations from there as the years progress … but BSI/ASR had delayed further meetings following the initial request in November and had not met with the Orange Walk Branch of the Belize Workers’ Union again until February 2015. In that February 24, 2015 meeting, all-day discussion led to BSI agreeing to increase the factory workers’ salary by twelve point five percent and not the fifteen percent as was originally requested. In addition, rather than signing for a one year period, BSI insist that the agreement be signed for a four year period. In an interview conducted some weeks back with the BWU’s Orange Walk Branch Representative, Ramiro Gongora, the union was able to reach further points of agreement as it pertains to certain incentives for employees who work in different stressful environments and shifts. Today, less than a month after the agreement was reached, Gongora and representatives of BSI/ASR met to sign the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the terms agreed upon. Love News spoke with the Chief Finance Officer for BSI/ASR, Belizario Carballo, who explained today’s signing, how it came about and what was agreed upon.
PUP: Party of Inclusion - Including the Old Guards
But while the party is looking to move forward and getting over the embarrassment of the recording with John Briceno that was unleashed recently, Love News presented some of the comments coming in via social media, where supporters were suggesting and commenting that the party be rid of the old guards and that the party is taking a broken house and giving it a paint job instead of doing reconstruction work. Smith says he was not sure what was meant by ‘old heads’ and that everyone will have a chance to voice their concerns.
“There is a thing called fact check. If you actually do a fact check of the People’s United Party you will find that the percentage of young persons in the People’s United Party, new faces is greater than that exists in the United Democratic Party. So the fact of the matter is that this is a party, if you do the actual check, that has gone through its various conventions and have appointed a lot of new people and they’re vigorous, they are young and they are ready to work and I don’t know what you mean by old heads but this is a party of inclusion. There are many of those among us who have been with the party for longer than some of you all have been alive and they have made a great contribution to the People’s United Party.
PUP Goes Into Robust and Frank Self-Examination
Smith went on to tell the media that there is a lot of work set out for the party to do and they will be wasting no time in getting it done.
“The People’s United Party is wasting no time in going into its self-examination and having its robust internal frank discussion within itself in order to ready itself for the General Elections. So, discussions will continue and I don’t believe I am speaking out of turn if I say the body also agreed that we should proceed forthwith before the Easter break to a retreat with an even wider body to continue the discussion to ready ourselves to move forward.”
Opposition Says Leadership Should Not Be Contested
As we mentioned, Fonseca, according to his National Campaign Manager, Godfrey Smith, had the support of all members present and with that, the party will move forward with Fonseca at the head for the next general elections.
“The leadership of the party comprised of the National Executive, Standard Bearers and Parliamentary Caucus discussed, debated the issue and while the view was expressed that there should be a going back to the people in a robust convention to get them ready for the General Election, to a man and woman, none of the leaders felt that there should be a leadership contest. So, it was put squarely to those people and that is the response that they gave.”
Yesterday, one of the reports we were getting was that the meeting would include the revision of the resolution passed some time ago stating that the elected Area Representatives or the Party Leader cannot be challenged in a convention. One of the questions brought to the National Executive by the media was the matter of the resolutions and its constitutionality as it pertains to the PUP’s Constitution.
PUP Holds Meeting Cementing Fonseca As Leader
Last night we told you of the National Executive meeting for the People’s United Party that was slated for today at Independence Hall. Well, tonight, we can tell you that there are no major changes as was anticipated as the Opposition Leader, Francis Fonseca did manage to hold on to his seat. We will get further into that issue but first we hear from Godfrey Smith, the party’s National Communications Director, who explained the purpose of today’s meeting.
“This morning around 10am we convened a joint meeting of the Standard Bearers of the People’s United Party, the National Executive of the People’s United Party as well as the Parliamentary Caucus of the People’s United Party. The primary purpose of the meeting was to prepare for the budget debates scheduled to begin next week Thursday and Friday, as you know. We have taken a brief break in the working session which will continue in the session afterwards to give a brief report on what transpired this morning. In the first half of the meeting the Party Leader, the Honorable Francis Fonseca, in essence laid on the table the question of his leadership and the question of a leadership convention; expressed his commitment and dedication to continuing forward to lead the PUP to the next General Election but would do so only if all members of the National Executive, all Standard Bearers and the Parliamentary Caucus freely express their view on this position. The floor was then opened and every person in the room, essentially some 38 persons, comprising those three bodies spoke and gave unanimous support for the leadership of Francis Fonseca moving forward.”
Ambassador Nestor Mendez Elected as OAS Assistant Secretary General
Earlier this week we told you about Ambassador Nestor Mendez and his candidacy in the election for the Assistant Secretary General for the OAS. The election was held today in Washington, USA and concluded in favor of Ambassador Mendez who garnered twenty four of the thirty four votes from the OAS Member countries. Mendez went up against Guyana’s Ambassador Bayney Karran who currently serves as the Permanent Representative of Guyana to the OAS. Mendez’ victory at the OAS is a milestone for Belize, as this is the first time that a Belizean has been elected to such a senior office in the Organization of American States. Mendez’ term is for five years and he will serve with the Foreign Minister of Uruguay, Luis Almagro, who was today voted in by acclamation as the Secretary General of the OAS.
PlusTV
Traffic Accident in within San Joaquin Village
Police in the north are also investigating a traffic accident which involved 27 year old Aquilino Moh of Calcutta Village...
Salvador Hit Salvadoran, didn’t survive
According authorities at about 9:26 pm on Friday March 13th, Independence Police responded to a traffic accident on the Southern Highway in the Bella Vista Village, Stann Creek District...
Fonseca Will Not Be Challenged
In a PUP press conference on March 5th, the day after the blow out defeat in the municipal elections, the PUP party leader had stated that there needs to be a lot of self examination within the party but maintained that he is not ready to step down as the leader and that he enjoys the confidence of ...
Proposed budget for fiscal year 2015-2016.
As we told you earlier in our news cast the House of Representatives met today in Belmopan where the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Hon. Dean Barrow, presented government’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2015-2016 titled “Continuing the Transformation...
Julius: Briceño Should be Disciplined
The People’s United party discussed and are dealing with the matter internally; that is what Party Leader Francis Fonseca told the media on Wednesday earlier this week regarding statements made by Hon John Briceno in a recording that has seen much air time...
Will Musa Sue Briceño?
Today the parliamentarians met at the House of Representatives to present a draft of the financial budget for this upcoming fiscal year and approve several write offs and loan motions- one of which was for US $28 million of Alba Petrocaribe aided monies...
Patrick Jones
Businessman charged for family’s death in accident
Nearly a year on from the fatal accident that cost the lives of his common-law wife Lissa Li and their 3-year old son, Raul III, businessman Raul Magana II was read charges of two counts of manslaughter by negligence and two counts of causing death by careless conduct. […]
Supreme Court rules for BISL, Belize Bank
In separate rulings issued recently, the Supreme Court advanced the case of Belize International Services Limited (BISL) against the Government of Belize over the takeover of the International Business Companies Registry (IBC) and International Merchant Marine Registry (IMMARBE) in June of 2013 and released the Belize Bank Limited […]
CCJ hearings end in the case of Maurice Tomlinson
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has reserved its decision in the original jurisdiction case of Maurice Tomlinson, a Jamaican homosexual activist, who is suing Belize and Trinidad and Tobago over his right to free movement which he contends is being violated under the Treaty of Chaguaramas which […]
PUP leaders reaffirm faith in Francis Fonseca
The troubles of the nation’s oldest political movement have been grist for the public mill for several weeks, if not months now, as is to be expected after thumping back-to-back defeats in a by-election in a seat which it held comfortably and municipal elections which were theoretically expected […]
Boy, 11, critical in hospital after knockdown
11 year old Austin Olivera, Jr., of Ladyville, Belize District, is reported in critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after being knocked down by a vehicle while trying to catch the bus to school in Belize City. Olivera, a student of Stella Maris School, sustained head […]
Inmates charged for drug trafficking
Prison officials generally do a good job of keeping cannabis out of the prison, but it does occasionally get in and today five inmates on remand for murder are being accused of possession of marijuana for distribution. 31 year old Kenrick Parham; 20 year old Khalil Ponce; 20 […]
Tried to smuggle marijuana into Belize City
A construction worker has been accused of attempting to bring marijuana into Belize City through the Port of Belize on Caesar Ridge Road. 35 year old Walter Jimenez of Caye Caulker, Belize District, was caught with a black bag containing 517 grams of suspected cannabis at the Port’s […]
Resort owner charged for illegal lobster
Lobster season is closed but authorities busted the owner of Popeye’s Resort in Caye Caulker, Belize District with lobster tails caught out of season on February 19. The case was brought to court today before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stuart and 61 year old Belizean-American Godfrey Cooper Smith pleaded […]
Belizean diplomat elected to the second highest office at the OAS
Belize’s ambassador to the United States Nestor Mendez has been elected as the next Deputy Secretary General of the Organization of American States, OAS. Ambassador Mendez was elected today to a five year term starting on May 26, 2015, replacing Albert Ramdin of Suriname. Ambassador Mendez and Guyana’s Bayney Karran […]
History book details public spaces in San Ignacio and Santa Elena
The Institute for Social and Cultural Research today launched a publication titled “A Walk Through El Cayo.” The 48-page paperback book gives a concise history of many of the public spaces around San Ignacio and Santa Elena or what was known in the early days of the settlement as El […]
Our Trip to Belize Pt. 2
I can’t believe it has already been two weeks since Adam, Aden and I were in Belize. The landscape was so beautiful, and the relaxation, much needed. Plus, any way I can spend more time with the family is welcome. During the first part of our trip we relaxed on the beach to truly unwind, but the country’s rich history grabbed us during a visit to the jungle.
A few days into the trip we explored the Mayan ruins of Belize. The ruins have been around since about 2000 BCE and were stunning. The air was crisp, there was a waterfall, and the ruins were well preserved. We spent the entire day climbing stairs and showing Aden the faces and designs carved into the stones. It was a pretty incredible experience. Here are a few pictures from the day.
Ambassador Moreno met with Sharon Matola at the Belize Zoo and a two-month old baby jaguar named Hero
Hero was rescued by the Belize Zoo. Isn’t he the cutest baby jaguar ever?
The Jaguar is the largest and most powerful cat in the Western Hemisphere, and the third largest of the roaring cats (Panthera). They are found throughout Belize in the lowland forests and along the coasts. Adult jaguars are solitary and only come together for a short time to breed. The size of a jaguars territory depends on food availability. In a forest such as the Cockscomb Basin, a jaguar will roam over a territory of about 20 square kilometers.
Jaguars hunt mainly on the ground and mainly at night. Its food consists of everything from mice to birds to tapir. Across it's range in the Americas, the Jaguar has been known to hunt 87 species of prey, sometimes including tapirs and crocodiles! Its favorite prey items in Belize include armadillos, pacas, and peccaries. Unlike other wildcats, the Jaguars prefer to kill prey with a single bite to the skull; they posses the most powerful jaws of all the big cats.
Pat the Cat's 17th birthday!
TBZ sends warm, tropical well-wishes to Pat the Cat on his 17th birthday! Pat is one of the greatest success stories of our Problem Jaguar Rehabilitation Program. After repeatedly attacking cattle, Pat was saved by the Zoo for his own safety and for the safety of the community he was hunting in. After receiving much needed care and attention, the Milwaukee County Zoo "adopted" our beloved Pat. Many years later, Pat is still happy, healthy, and a proud father of 3 cubs! His story has inspired an incredible book written by children of Belize and Wisconsin USA, called "Pat the Great Cat" that was made available to Standard 4 and 4th Grade classrooms in Belize and Wisconsin respectively. Pat truly is living proof of how deep the connections between people and wildlife can go, even thousands of miles away. Happy Birthday, Pat!!
Great things happen when we work together!
The exciting events organized as a part of Reef Week 2015 are a perfect example of this. Reef Week 2015 was organized under the theme: "Celebrate our heritage! Protect our Future. Belief in the Reef!"
Want To Move To Belize? 10 Things To Know
Belize is one of the most popular getaway spot for vacationers but it makes an even more picturesque oasis to live. Before moving to Belize, you have to make sure that you do your research. Listed below are 10 things you should be aware of before you move to Belize.
1. Why Settle in Belize?
2. Decide Where You Want To Live
3. Decide Your Price Limit
4. Know Your Benefits
5. Understand The Population Of The Country Is Like A Big City
6. Be Ready To Shop Somewhere Other Than Wal-Mart
7. There is No language barriers
8. Know The Rules For Bringing Items Into The Country
9. The Currency is Very Easy
10. Friendly, welcoming people
International Sources
The 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season: A Below Average Number Of Storms, But An Above Average Threat For Significant In-Close Development & Impact
The latest data, including sea surface temperatures, the long, long range forecast guidance and overall instability indicates that a below average number of tropical storms/hurricanes can be expected. Now, with that said, I have significant concerns that the warmer than average ocean water temperatures in the central Gulf of Mexico could lead to a significant to even major hurricane impact on the US Gulf Coast. Now, let’s take a closer look.
The latest sea surface temperature and surface pressure forecasts from the European model reveals a pattern that supports a low amount of activity in the deep tropics and the most amount of activity in-close to the United States.
The European model surface pressure map for July, August and September shows a forecast of lower than average pressures over the Pacific and northwestern South America and higher than average pressures across much of the Atlantic from the Caribbean eastward to the coast of Africa. This look of the model tells me to expect a lower than average amount of activity across much of the Main Development Region from the coast of Africa to the eastern Caribbean.
Inside the Mayans' bone-ridden 'Midnight Terror Cave' where scientists believe children were trafficked from hundreds of miles away to be sacrificed to the gods
An underworld network of caves in Belize may have been used to traffic Mayan children as young as six for sacrifice.
Teeth discovered among the thousands of human bones lying in the so-called Midnight Terror Cave have been found to all belong to children aged between six and 14.
And chemical analysis suggests they were not originally from the Cayo District, where the cave is located, meaning they may have been brought to the area en masse. Midnight Terror Cave is located to the south of Belmopan near the Mennonite Community of Springfield in the Cayo District of Belize.
It was discovered in 2006 and reported to the Institute of Anthropology due to the large number of human remains found in the cave.
The California State University then completed a three-year survey of the cave, which ended in 2010.
Student Samantha Lorenz is part of a team of experts studying the chemical composition of these remains, including the teeth, in an attempt to learn more about who they belonged to.
She told Ben Marks at Collector’s Weekly: 'No one’s from Belize, so that means we have this population of children that was brought in from somewhere else for the purpose of sacrifice.
CHECK the label before you serve that Mac & Cheese for lunch!
On Tuesday Kraft Foods Group announced that it is voluntarily recalling approximately 242,000 cases of it's Original flavor of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner due to "the possibility that some boxes may contain small pieces of metal."
The release states: "The recalled product was shipped by Kraft to customers nationwide in the U.S. The product was also distributed to Puerto Rico and some Caribbean and South American countries -- but not to Canada." More information here.
EXPEDITION BELIZE: Search for Botanical Treasure, Descent into the Unknown
An historic expedition of a 425’ sinkhole located in the Chiquibul National Park of Belize may prove to reveal rare and possibly never-before-seen plants from the heart of the ancient Mayan civilization. The area’s scientific, historic, and cultural significance makes it a likely candidate for a UNESCO World Heritage site designation. Selby Gardens’ Director of Botany Bruce Holst joined an international team for the first of several planned descents into the Nohoch Ch’en Sinkhole, one of the most biologically diverse and difficult to access natural environments in Belize. The 10-day expedition marked the first step in a year-long process to gather and document botanical and ecological specimens.
The sinkhole sits atop the estimated 540,000 square-foot Chiquibul Cave System, the largest in Belize and the longest in Central America. The entire region is a veritable treasure chest of botanical, geological, and archeological wonders. The area has been a recent source of political tensions and conflict with neighboring Guatemala due to trespassing activity that threatens the region - specifically habitat degradation, fire damage, illegal logging, hunting, and gold extraction.
IMF official examines drop in oil price on PetroCaribe and the Caribbean
A senior official of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the impact of the drop in oil prices globally will affect member countries of the PetroCaribe grouping differently even though Haiti could be among those most affected.
Adrienne Cheasty, the Deputy Director in the Western Hemisphere Department of the IMF, said if PetroCaribe were to cease, the impact would differ across member countries.
“Governments receiving large flows and without alternative financing sources, like in Nicaragua and Haiti, would be most affected, although less so than they would have been in a world of higher oil prices.”
She said governments that have built buffers, like Guyana, or that have alternative financing sources, like the Dominican Republic and Jamaica should be affected less.
“Belize would be particularly affected as the lower oil prices negatively impact the value of its exports of crude oil,” Cheasty said, noting that so far, Venezuela has assured PetroCaribe members that the aid will continue.
Videos
Scouting Belize for an Off-Road event, 5min.
2011 Belize Altun Ha, 5min.
2011 Belize Hairbreading, 1.5min.
Belize!, 3.5min.
A visit from the Hon. Patrick Faber - School Children's Promise for a Violence Free Belize, 3min.
OYE TOPIC: BELIZE'S OFFSHORE THROUGH EYES OF CHILDREN, 16min.
OYE: YOUNG WOMEN MAKING THEIR MAKE IN BELIZE PART 1, 26min.
OYE: YOUNG WOMEN MAKING THEIR MAKE IN BELIZE PART 2, 32min.
Snorkeling in Belize - 2015, 4min. Some footage I shot while snorkeling the reefs off the coast of Belize this March (2015). I went down as part of a research trip/field course with the University of New Brunswick, and had the time of my life. Sorry for the shakiness of some of the shots, it was harder to keep it steady while swimming than I anticipated.
Some of the species shown in the video: french grunt, blue striped grunt, black hamlet, southern stingray, lionfish, upside-down jellyfish, bottlenose dolphin, nurse shark, blue tang, stoplight parrotfish, queen parrotfish, cowfish, slippery dick, sergeant major, grey angelfish, four eyed butterfly fish, and triggerfish (they are in no chronological order here, and I'm sure I missed a few).
belize city 300, 2.5min. A short tour of Belize city
Belize Mission Trip, 7min.
Belize Fishing, 2min.
Playing in the Jungle in Belize, 3min. We went on the DTOURZ Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve Tour AGAIN! Just as good as the first time, if not better! Definitely a must for anyone travelling to Placencia. Hiking, eating, tubing, sliding and chilling in a waterfall? Sounds like the perfect day for the Tejanis.
March 18, 2015
FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE
Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report. Specials and Events
Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials
The San Pedro Sun
The artful eats of Caribbean Colors Art Cafe
Caye Caulker has so much to offer, including delicious eats! I got to enjoy Caribbean Colors Art Café’s bounty on my last visit, and let me tell you, it was so good! The Art Gallery/ Café certainly takes the phrase ‘food is art’ to heart – much as artists devotes time and patience to perfecting their craft, so do Lee and her sous chefs in their cozy island kitchen.
Located in the heart of the island, and decorated with colorful pieces by owner Lee Vanderwalker herself, Caribbean Colors specialize in fresh and natural cuisine.
Even so, with all the great eats I had, I’m already looking forward to my next trip to Caye Caulker. I have got to try some of the other dishes on the menu- maybe the spicy shrimp salad?! If you want to give Caribbean Colors Art Café a try, they are located on Avenida Hicaco, and are open from Monday to Sunday from 6:30AM to 8PM. They are closed on Thursday, when the fabulous geniuses ‘cook up’ more treats ideas to tempt our taste buds!
Minister Heredia and Mayor Guerrero receive death threats
At the Swearing in Ceremony of the recently elected town council members on Monday March 16th, the Minister made reference to the safety of the Mayor and himself and indicated that they will not give in to any threats made against them. “We are making sure that our community can be safe and our community can sleep well, because we deserve it. It doesn’t matter how many threats I or the Mayor will get, we will continue to work for you all. If we have to die for you all, we will do so,” stated Heredia in his remarks.
Since Thursday March 12th, a fully armed team of police officers and at various intervals, members of the Belize Defense Force, have been seen escorting Minister Heredia around town. That immediately called the attention of the local residents since the veteran politician is known to move around town freely and unescorted throughout his political career. A visible presence of law enforcement officers have also been seen at functions attended by Mayor Guerrero.
SPHS and SPACE host 2015 Business Fair
On Saturday, March 14th, San Pedro High School (SPHS) and San Pedro Adult Continuing Education (SPACE) held a joint Business Fair at the Angel Nuñez Auditorium. The annual fair showcases students’ entrepreneurial skills learned throughout the year. The junior and senior students of each institution were tasked to develop a business venture that can be profitable in San Pedro.
The students developed innovative products and services that are not commonly seen in San Pedro, and, and elaborate booths were set up to promote the product/ service offered. In order to prove the business’ profitability in the economy, each group developed a profit/ loss analysis. The students also had to identify a location for the business, means of securing capital, marketing strategies and prepare a business plan. The students definitely let their creativity flow in their projects which were all very unique.
Ambergris Today
Pic of the Week- Hermit Crab Parties in a Bottle of Belikin
Well we would not necessarily call it partying, because we see here that this hermit crab decided to make this broken bottle of Belikin Beer its home. As humans invade the natural habitats of these and many wild creatures, they tend to ‘adapt’ to their new environment. It’s just very funny how this hermit crap feels right at home in this ingenious ‘shell’. - Photo taken by Ivan Guemez at Rojo Beach Bar
San Pedro Town Council Announces Councilor Portfolios
In a short ceremony to officially swear in the new members of the San Pedro Town Council, the announcement was made of the different portfolios each of the councilors, deputy mayor and mayor would carry and be responsible off.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at Central Park on Monday, March 16, 2015, where each councilor reiterated their dedication to the town of San Pedro and promised to work hard in the betterment for life on La Isla Bonita. Below are the portfolios of each member of the San Pedro Town Council:
Oceana Confirms Deep Water Submersible Damaged Reef off Ambergris Caye
Based on requests from residents of Ambergris Caye and the media for more information about the grounding of a deep water submersible on the Belize Barrier Reef, on Friday, March 13th 2015, Oceana Belize and personnel from the Hol Chan Marine Reserve conducted a site assessment of the incident.
Misc Belizean Sources
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOUR MARKET STUDIES IN THE CARIBBEAN
nadian Hunger Foundation (CHF) is currently implementing a project in the Caribbean called Promotion of Regional Opportunities for Produce through Enterprises and Linkages (PROPEL) project.
Funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) and CHF, the aim is to increase the value of Caribbean fresh produce accessing high-value markets (HVM) in the Caribbean and internationally by CAD100 million 6 over six years.
CHF is requesting proposals from consultants to undertake four market studies: Barbados; OECS; Suriname; and Belize. The methodology for each study is similar, in order for PROPEL to analyze information across all studies. Individual Terms of Reference (ToR) for each have been prepared and are posted on the CHF website.
DEADLINE: MARCH 22, 2015
Belize Special Olympics Athletes to Participate in the Special Olympics World Games 2015 in Los Angeles
Members of the Belize Special Olympics team will be travelling from
Belize to participate in the Special Olympics Games of 2015 to be held in Los Angeles from July 25 –
August 2, 2015.
The four (4) Belizean athletes who will be participating in the sport of Bocce are, Jasmine Flores, Anna
Emmanuel, Jayna Locke and Llda Romero. Heading up the delegation is Elodia Bautista along with
Assistant Head of Delegation, Dr. Nelson Marin and Head Coach Kady Kerr.
"The Golden Age" photographic exhibition
In celebration of Women's month, the San Pedro House of Culture invites you to join us on March 26th for the opening of "The Golden Age" photographic exhibition as we honour the senior citizens of San Pedro. Highlighting the work of Photographer Karen Brodie.
ABC Pre School Easter Show
ABC Pre School Presents Easter Presentation Show! Fun for the entire family.
Home Grown Fiery Sensation
Caribbean islands are known for having a harmless but heated rivalry over the production of hot sauce. The diverse condiment, often called pepper sauce, can range from a chutney-like mash to a smooth, liquid fire, depending on each island’s tastes and traditions. In Belize, Marie Sharp is synonymous with the fiery sauce, and with over 30 years in business, she is considered a homegrown sensation.
Before starting her company, Marie worked as an executive within the financial sector. In her spare time, she grew and sold peppers from her farm to a local distributor. However, what started as a hobby, quickly blossomed into something more.
Women in Art Exhibition
This is a wonderful exhibition at Bliss. These amazing art works are done by women. Do not miss it ~~
Maya Day 2015
The Spectacular Deer Dance, San Jose Nuevo Palmar and Yo Creek Dance Group Banquitas House of Culture (NICH), The Chitik Tzul Ta'q'a'a Dance Group, Maya Competitions and Most of all " Special Recognition to the only Living Music King Mr. Florencio Mes and his Harp." See you there.
Cindey Rivero wins award in accordance with International Women's Month!
The Orange Walk East Upliftment Committee would like to recognize Ms. Cindey Rivero. She holds an associate’s Degree in Biology and Environmental Science from Muffles Junior College. Cindey’s academic life prepared her to face the challenges of the world around her. Her first formal job was as Assistant Coordinator at Banquitas House of Culture (NICH). A very intuitive yet clear-minded young lady Cindey’s winning charm and genuine smile reflects her open heart and engaging personality. She exudes undoubted honesty, integrity, confidentiality and good work ethics, promoting respect for race and diversity not only in her capacity at the House of Culture but everywhere she goes. Her very cheerful demeanor attracts positive results and everyone around her agrees. Just ask them.
Laboratory raising of at risk macaw chicks
FCD’s research team undertaking training on laboratory raising of at risk macaw chicks. Thanks to the Forest Department support, and with training from the Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic we are prepared for this new venture, pending funding.
Channel 7
Raul Magana Jr Charged For Causing Traffic Fatality of Wife & Child
On April 28, 2014 - Raul Magana Jr was behind the wheel when the Toyota Prado he was driving ran off the Phillip Goldson Highway at mile 27 and flipped. The accident killed both passengers who were his infant son and his wife. And while living with the grief of that loss might seem to be punishment enough - today Magana got more heaped upon him when he was charged with 2 counts of manslaughter by negligence, 1 for the death of his wife, 28 year-old Lissa Li, and the other for the death of his 3 year-old son, Raul Lee Magana. He was also charged with 2 counts of causing death by careless conduct, and he was arraigned on all 4 of these charges in the Magistrate's Court.
He was pleaded not guilty, and was granted bail of $1,500, which he was able to meet. He and his attorney spoke with reporters outside of court about the decision by police to charge him at this time:
Bryan Neal - Attorney for Raul Magana Jr.
"This morning Raul Magana was charged with the death of his wife and his son, which occurred on April 28, 2014 almost a year after the incident. I don't know what lead the police so much time to bring these charges now, but it seems that in this country now, we are losing way, we are losing our heart and our soul. If the father of the victims of this accident is now face in the criminal courts and face prison time - It's a very sad day in Belize."
Child Critical After Airport Junction Knock Down
Many times on this newscast, we've reported on the very dangerous intersection at the airport junction. It's at mile eight on the Phillip Goldson Highway and it's been the site of countless accidents. This morning at 8:20 am - a small boy was the latest victim. 11 year old Stella Maris Student Austin Olivera - is in the KHMH in a critical condition tonight after he was knocked down while trying to catch a bus. Courtney Weatherburne was on the scene shortly after the accident:..
Courtney Weatherburne reporting
It's another chaotic morning at the heavily trafficked airport junction in Ladyville. Vehicles speeding by and darting in and out from different directions.
That hustle may have led to this morning's accident where 11 year old Austin was run over by a van at this junction.
More Pain For PUP: Harrison Puts On A Hurting
Richard Harrison - just 75 days ago he was a national candidate for the PUP, the subjects of ads on this newscast, and glowing endorsements from his party leader Francis Fonseca. But in quick time after his historic defeat he has faded into obscurity; Harrison disappeared from public view before the votes were finished counting in the Cayo North bye-election.
But he has re-appeared quite suddenly with a searing political commentary called "A Post Election View From Under The Bus." It appeared last night on the Breaking Belize News website out of Cayo.
Harrison starts by saying that the party leadership, quote "threw him under the bus" when it endorsed his replacement Michel Chebat without his knowledge. Harrison takes this as an affront after all he gave in the failed bye-election effort and he concludes, angrily, quote: "This is the kind of rogue dictatorship that a party which voluntarily suspends its own constitution will provide for...taking away the right of its supporters... to democratically choose their representatives in free, open and fair intra-party conventions."
Getting the Climate Change Message Out To The Community
For the past few years, climate change has become a hot-button subject at both the policy and people level. It's a very serious issue, especially for any investment in infrastructure, because the effects of climate change can, for example, cause a newly upgraded street or highway to break up or become inundated, forcing early obsolescence.
But, is it being taken seriously at the community level? That's exactly the target audience that the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development are hoping to reach with their latest project. It's called the Belize Marine Conservation and Climate Adaptation Project or MCCAP for short, and it has a budget of US 5.53 million dollars, which is an approved grant by the World Bank. The project seeks to strengthen the Belize Barrier Reef System's resilience to climate change by targeting conservation efforts at the Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, The Turneffe Marine Reserve, and Southwater Caye Marine Reserve.
Of course, there are communities, such as Corozal Town in the north and Placencia Village in the south, that live near these reserves, and a major part of the program is to engage and educate persons like the fishermen who operate near these protected areas, and to reduce their dependence on that type of livelihood.
What's Next For The Termaji?
The MCCAP project should have measurable effects on the barrier reef in the next 3 years, but what about right now? What's happening with that 40-foot French sailboat, "Termaji" stuck on the reef in front of Caye Caulker? Well, it's been there from since December 30, and it still has not been moved.
It is believed that the French National who owned the boat has already left the country, but the damage caused to the reef cannot be assessed, and the natural rehabilitation cannot begin. It's now over 2 months that the vessel has been there, and when we asked about it today, Ministry CEO Adele Catzim-Sanchez told us it will be on the reef at least a while longer. Here's how she explained why:
GOB Will Have To Move Submersible Stuck On Reef
There's that vessel grounding that the Ministry has to deal with, but what about the submersible which was found grounded on the reef 6 miles north of San Pedro? It was found last week, and OCEANA Belize has done an investigation which reveals that the vessel is a Quantum-9, deep-water submersible, believed to have been contracted to an oil company which does research and exploration for gas and oil companies.
It was reported "lost" in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2014, but it has found it's way on the Belizean Barrier Reef, and the conservationists say that it must be removed as soon as possible. We asked CEO Adele Catzim-Sanchez about it today, and she told us that Ministry officials have already been approved to take emergency actions:
Ambassador Mendez Goes For OAS Asst. SG Tomorrow
Belize's Permanent Representative to the OAS - Ambassador Nestor Mendez is tonight preparing for one of the biggest days of his life as a career diplomat: he's seeking to become the OAS Assistant Secretary General in elections which will be held tomorrow. It is one of only two elected posts inside the OAS - and he is the first Belizean seeking such high office. He is going up against his Guyanaese counterpart, Bayney Karran,
Tonight, we spoke via telephone with Mendez from Washington where he told us he is optimistic about the support he has been promised by different member states but that there are no sure things, and it won't be over until the last vote is counted.
The election for Assistant Secretary General takes place at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon and it will be streamed live on the OAS website. We'll have the result in tomorrow's newscast.
How To Export To The US - It's Not Easy
There are many opportunities for small businesses in Belize to sell their products in the US - but only a few of those opportunities are epxloited. Today Beltraide held a "How to Export to the US" workshop at the Radisson to educate entrepreneurs on the trade regulations and requirements to get into the US market. It is not an easy task though, according to Trade Counselor Bernard Geenen, you need to meet the right investors and producers and you need to be willing to invest a lot of cash. Geenen explains why exporting to the US is not for everyone.
Bernard Geenen, Trade Counselor, Embassy of Belgium
"We've invited small and medium sized companies, of course the big ones don't need us. What we try to brush is a large portrait of the US market; what it takes to enter the market, to try to penetrate it in an efficient way, not waste any time or money and at the end of the day, hopefully the companies will be able to evaluate and ready for the US market or the US market is for me or not, based on the information we are giving.
32 Year Old Security Guard Died On Duty
Early this morning at the Ready Call compound - a security guard dropped dead. Evan Emrick Nolberto wa sonly 32 years old - and so there was some question as to whether foul play was involved. Polcie told us what they found and why they don't think it's foul play:..
Insp. Frederick Gordon - Rural Executive Officer
"This morning sometime about 5:40am, Ladyville police received information that a security guard was seen motionless inside the Ready Call compound by the Boom junction, whereby the police responded to the area, where we saw the body of a male security, later on identified to be one Evan Nolberto. He was seen motionless. His body was removed and transported to the Karl Heusner, where we await a post-mortem. Police do not suspect foul play at this time."
Ladyville Shooters Charged
Last night, we told you about the men who were charged for the shooting of 29 year-old Ladyville resident Kenroy Arnold. Well tonight, 30 year-old Alrick Smith, seen here on the left, and 29 year-old Ronald Michael, the man on the right, are at the Belize Central Prison after being taken to court today.
They were both arraigned today before Magistrate Herbert Panton, where Michael was read charges of attempted murder, dangerous harm, and use of deadly means of harm. Both men were read the charge of conspiracy to commit murder, and due to the nature of the offences, they couldn't be granted bail. They were remanded into custody until April 28.
Fantasy Five By Quick Pick
As we told you on Friday, someone won the over $200,000 prize from Fantasy 5. Well, today winner Nohemy Villafuerte went to claim her prize. Nohemy is originally from Honduras and has lived in Belize for about 19 years. The Coney Drive resident told us today that she was going to buy her usual numbers at the Moon Grocery Store on Coney drive but got discouraged because of the long line, so she settled for a quick pick ticket. And that turned out to be the lucky one! Nohemy told us today what she plans on doing with the money.
Nohemy VillaFuerte (translated)
"And the plan is well to get out of our debt and buy our house, God willing …and save and fix up my mother's house. After we pay off our debt and buy our house we will save the rest and continue with the lifestyle we always had."
Former KKK Wizard To San Pedro Resort Owner Says He's Still Segregationist
Over a year ago, in January of 2014, we told you about Bill Wilkinson, the American resort owner on San Pedro who was a former Grand Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan. Wilkinson headed the Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan from 1975 to 1983 and is the owner of the Seven Seas Resort on San Pedro. When we found out who he was we called him at his resort and he said all that KKK stuff was, quote, a "bunch of baloney."
But that's not what he told a British newspaper who came to Belize prying into his past. The Daily Mail Online got Wilkinson to break his 30-year silence - and he gave them a revealing interview in which he said he is still a segregationist:
He is quoted as telling the newspaper, quote, "'I don't hate blacks...Ain't that something?'" He added that, quote, 'I have not changed. I wouldn't let one marry my children or my grandchildren.'
Not Just Crafts, But Culture For Cruise Visitors
As tourists exit the terminal gates at the tourist village, they are bombarded by vendors trying to sell them handicrafts or get them to sit down for a braid. Now, tourists will have "something else" to look forward to when they arrive in Belize and that's the Cohune Walk Festival at the Memorial Park. It has been in its pilot stage for about 2 weeks but it is just the first phase of a festival tourism project. When we passed by today, the music was booming and the dancers were jamming to the beat but there were no tourists around. Organizer of the festival James Sanker told us they will start pouring in when it's officially launched.
James Sanker, Manager, Belize Music Agency
"It's a cohune walk festival. It's a festival geared towards the cruise tourism market. It's part of a festival tourism project and the project is starting with this particular festival and this festival will happen every day when the cruise ships comes. It will give everybody that comes to our shores a snapshot of our culture, our varied cultures that we have, so there are dances and performances from all our cultures. For a long time our culture wasn't being displayed as part of our cultural mix and so Belize Music Agency, MIAB and some of the other music organizations, said this is the time that we should embrace the whole tourism structure and start to infuse our culture and our music and our arts and crafts into the tourism."
Councilor Dean Does Deputy Mayor
He won a fourth term in City Hall - and Belize City Councilor Dean Samuels has been rewarded for his seniority by being elected Deputy Mayor from amongst his councilor colleagues.
He last served as Deputy Mayor previously under former Mayor Zenaida Moya. We are told that there was no jostling for the post and he had unanimous support. That's likely because the ambitious councilors who would replace Darrell Bradley when he may leave city hall to seek higher office are waiting at least a year before they position themselves in the number two spot.
The St. Patrick stride On Albert Street
When many of you think about St. Patrick the first thing that comes to mind is a leprechaun - the short guy dressed in green. That's certainly what some Belizeans were calling Canadian Kevin Lucitt when he walked down Albert Street in his green suit today. Although he doesn't quite fit that description - he told us why he is dressed in all green today and what it means for his heritage.
Kevin was here for a 1 day trip and left on the cruise ship back to Canada.
Channel 5
11 year old Stella Maris Student Knocked Down In Ladyville, Remains Comatose at K.H.M.H.
A young boy lies in critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital tonight. The eleven year old student of the Stella Maris School was hit by a vehicle this [...]
Killer Bees Swarm Cotton Tree, Dogs Stung to Death
And on the George Price Highway, residents of the quiet community of Cotton Tree just outside of Belmopan were panicked by a swarm of bees which quickly killed several dogs [...]
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of BISL, Legal Challenge Set for July
Two decisions were recently delivered by the Supreme Court. In the first case, the Supreme Court once again ruled in favor of Belize International Services Limited which was appropriated by [...]
Belize Bank Victorious in Court Against G.O.B.
In another matter recently before the Supreme Court, Justice Courtney Abel also ruled in favor of the Belize Bank. He struck out a section of the Income Tax and Business [...]
Do you think the government will call early elections?
And our question for tonight is: Do you think the government will call early elections? Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to 8686 or post your vote [...]
Raul Magana Jr. Charged with Manslaughter in Death of Wife and Child
Thirty year old businessman, Raul Magana Junior on April twentieth, 2014, allegedly experienced a tire blow out that caused his vehicle to overturn on the Phillip Goldson Highway between Miles [...]
Acting Immigration Director Maria Marin Testifies in Tomlinson’s CCJ Case
Gay rights activist Maurice Tomlinson, who is challenging the existing immigration laws of Belize and Trinidad & Tobago, was back before the Caribbean Court of Justice today. Tomlinson is suing [...]
Nestor Mendez Bids for Post of O.A.S. Deputy Secretary General
This Wednesday, at the Organization of American States in Washington, Ambassador Nestor Mendez will be vying for election to the position of Deputy Secretary General of the O.A.S. Guyana is [...]
Judiciary to Receive Small Slice of 2015 Budget
In two weeks the Opposition will go to the House to debate the Prime Minister’s budget for 2015-2016. It’s a complex document, at least to the layman, but it’s important [...]
Is Unprecedented Spending on Short-term Jobs a Good Thing?
Over the next few weeks we’ll be taking a closer look at the budget, but one area demands immediate attention. It’s difficult to ignore the scope of the infrastructure works [...]
Former Cayo North Standard Bearer Airs Out P.U.P.
The People’s United Party National Executive has been convened to independence hall this Wednesday, a week after it last met. All day today, there have purportedly been reports that the [...]
Fisheries C.E.O. on Vessel Grounding on Reef
A French captain back on December thirty-first, 2014 crashed his thirty-five-foot steel hull vessel into the reef near some coral rubble when he missed the channel near Caye Caulker. Since [...]
Will Charges Be Brought Against Boat Captain Whose Vessel Ran Aground on Reef?
As to the French national who captained the vessel, he has not been seen or heard from since. So will there be any charges laid against him for the damage [...]
D.O.E. to Investigate Grounded Submersible
It’s been almost a week since a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) reported “lost” in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2014. The submersible was found last Wednesday in the waters [...]
Marine Conservation and Climate Change Adaptation Project Launched in Belize
A community-based project that looks at the impact of climate change on the ecosystem from a development standpoint was launched today by the Fisheries Department. The marine Conservation and Climate [...]
YWCA Celebrates 59 Years in Belize
The YWCA is celebrating a milestone in Belize- its fifty-ninth anniversary. Fulfilling a threefold mission since it started, the Belize Chapter of the Y offers instructional and training programmes that [...]
Vehicle Vendors Up In Arms in Sugar City
Vehicle vendors in Orange Walk are up in arms after the Orange Walk Town Council moved forcefully to remove them from where they are parked near the Central Park. It’s [...]
Cancer Society Receives Grant Funding from Abroad
The Belize Cancer Society is the recipient of a nine thousand five hundred U.S. dollar grant that was awarded by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition with funding from the American Cancer [...]
CTV3
Suppliers Of Maya Cement Hold Protest At The Northern Border
This morning at the Belizean side of the border, about 20 distributers and truck drivers of Maya Cement to Belize from Chetumal halted operations and demanded to speak with their Mexican employer. Their gripe? From what we have been able to gather from one of the persons directly affected, they have been buying Maya Cement from their Mexican Counterparts to sell in Belize but a sharp increase in price and method of loading implemented recently have caused a major decrease in profits. Some of the drivers and suppliers we spoke to stated that they are hardly making their ends meet, and for such reason they have written electronically to the Mexican agency to come up with a compromise. We spoke via telephone to a businessman who requested his identity withheld.
Police Indicates No Foul Play On Trapps Death
Tonight Corozal Police has determined that 79 year old Belizean unemployed of Libertad Village Corozal District, George Trapp, died as a result of Massive Cardio Pulmonary Thrombosis due to Chronic Fibrosis obstructive lung disease.
While many speculated that Trapp was murdered from yesterday Corozal Police indicated that no foul play was suspected and that suspicion was made concrete by an autopsy performed yesterday on Trapp’s body.
Trapp’s body was discovered on Saturday afternoon about 50 feet behind his house beside some bushes.
Fish Kill In Orange Walk
Fish begin to float on the New River. This phenomenon has been happening for years and there have been assumption that the cause may be as a result of some sort of chemical deposited into the river by a company along the river bank. It happens usually in and around the Easter season and people report seeing dead fish floating in the river and being washed to the river bank. Today, we got a call from San Estevan Village where we were told fishes are dying. We visited the area but by the time we got there, there was not much to see. Still, upon closer inspection and after we visited at least three different areas along the river that have been cleared, we came across at least ten fishes, big and small washed up to the river bank. It is a worrisome situation. One, despite the yearly occurrence, the cause has not been ascertained and two, persons living in communities along the river bank pick the fishes for their consumption, oblivious to the health dangers that may come with it.
Family Experiences Dispute Over Land Grab
A couple in San Jose Village are in the middle of a land dispute and they claim that politics is at the center of their plight. Sebastaiana Escalante visited out studio today to file a complaint in which she says that the land on which she and her husband Carmelo Escalante have lived on for over 20 years is being taken away by other family members. The couple has decided to fight their rights to the land and have taken necessary procedures to contest the rights to the property. However, Escalante claims that the family has been at the losing end thanks to politics. She first explained how they acquired the land.
“Hace 21 ano nos casamos yo y Carmelo y no teníamos casa donde vivir, yo quedaba en una casa de un tio, entonces cuando dio un tiempo mi suegro nos fue a buscar a San Pablo diciéndonos que él quiere que compremos una casa que está a lado de su casa de él, entonces mi esposo le dijo que no tenemos dinero, entonces el mismo se ofreció a llevarnos a Belize Bank a prestar para comprar la casa que es de si hermano Graciano Escalante...
LOVE FM
Bradley Addresses Manifesto for 2015-2018 and Speaks on Previous Term in Office
As we mentioned earlier, Mayor Darrell Bradley has begun his second consecutive term in office at City Hall. His first and recent term saw an abundance of infrastructural works being done across the city. Today we asked Bradley if he had managed to live up to the commitments in the last manifesto and what his priorities for this new term will be.
“Well the manifesto for the last cycle, this would have been from 2012 to 2015 focused a lot on the interest of infrastructure and governance. Those are two of the key areas where there is a lot of specific tangible deliverable that are mentioned in the manifesto and many of those things were accomplished. I would say that we’ve accomplished about ninety percent of what’s contained in that manifesto. The manifesto in terms of areas of the major areas that they talked about are things that we have kept true to. We talk a lot also about e-governance, we did the driver’s license online. We’re going to launch very shortly in the next couple of weeks that you can pay property taxes online, that will be a huge benefit for people who live abroad so that you don’t have to send your money to Belize or you don’t have to come in to Belize to make any kinds of payments so that we’re doing a lot more things with e-governance.”
From Deplorable to Comfortable; Elderly Women Receives Assistance
Last week we brought to you the story of a 69-year-old woman, Doris Lynch Flowers and the deplorable conditions she was living under on Victoria Street in Belize City. Immediate assistance was rendered to her after we spoke with UDP’s Standard Bearer for the Fort George Division, Roger Espejo and today, we went to see what progress had been made. According to Miss Doris, she is relieved and happy with the assistance given.
“It is okay, it is alright the apartment is a bit small but it holds my things but I am glad that the big rain that came other day didn’t meet me in my old house or else I would have been washed away but this one I didn’t get wet in here. It doesn’t have a lot of things in there but I didn’t get wet here. My family sent money for me, a little bit and that worked. When I don’t have any usually my friends support me. I am just 69 I don’t think I belong in Help Age all those old ladies will get me crazy if I go there.”
According to Espejo this plan is a six-month plan and during that time a more long term arrangement will be made.
MCCAP Project Implemented in Three Target Areas
The Belize Marine Conservation and Climate Adaptation Project was launched today at the best Western Biltmore Hotel in Belize City. The grant was issued to the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development in collaboration with the World Bank and it is valued at five point five three millions US dollars. The project will be focused on the Belize Barrier Reef System and will be implemented in three target area. Love News was at the launched and we spoke to the CEO in the Ministry, Adele Catzim-Sanchez and the Project Coordinator, Sandra Grant.
“What we are trying to do is trying to ensure that our marine protected areas are sustainable so we will put a lot of effort into strengthening our marine protected areas and also to encourage alternative livelihoods and to financially support these livelihoods initially and hope that they will be sustainable over time. We are going to look at the marine protected areas but at the same time we are going to start the livelihood activities because sometimes if you don’t show people the alternatives they will not buy into what you are trying to do. So although it is three different components it is going to be done all together simultaneously. We are going to be focusing on three major protected areas, three sites, the South Water Caye Marine Reserve, the Turneffe Atoll Marine reserve and the Corozal Bay Wildlife sanctuary so we will only focus on three because we still have a lot more marine protected areas a lot of areas in the south with TIDE but we are going to focus on the Northern and Central.”
Mother Seeks Assistance to Receive Justice For Her Son
Yesterday, you heard the Officer Commanding Ladyville Police, Inspector Fredrick Gordon; speak of 18 year old Otto Palma. Palma is the young man who was found hanging inside a cell at the Ladyville Police Station. Palma’s mother, Lorna Bardalez, believes that police officers killed her son and after hearing the comments made by Gordon in last night’s newscast, his thoughts are still the same. Bardalez showed us a picture of her dead son in which it appears that he was hit to the mouth. She is calling for a proper and intensive investigation on the matter.
“Well when my son went in the Wednesday he didn’t have any marks on his lip, no kind of mark. I explained that to Mr. Grinage this afternoon and he said that it could be from where he bit down and his teeth busted his lip from where he was hanging himself, that is what they are saying. He is still saying that no one beat him in the cell and on my behalf I am saying that they did beat him. He told me that if I am not satisfied when he is finished talking to me that I can go to the ombudsman. I am trying to gather the funds to get a lawyer and I need $1500 to re-open my sons case. They are saying that this case is continuing by their investigations because if the case is being investigated how haven’t they come to tell me anything. I am the one who has to go to them to find out about my son when my son died in their hands.”
PUP Arrange Special Meeting to Revisit Their Resolution
The People’s United Party, Belize’s main opposition took a beating at the municipal polls about two weeks ago. That loss came on the heels of losing the Cayo North seat in the House of Representatives following the resignation of the former Area Representative, Joseph Mahmud which in-turn led to a bi-election in early January. In an interview conducted with the Party Leader, Francis Fonseca, just after the bi-election, he made a confident statement saying that due to the lack in funds and the short time given to campaign in the Cayo North division but that they would come hard with sufficient funding for the municipal elections and that they would gain some seats around the country. Well …. The elections came and went and that victory never happened. As a matter of fact, of the sixty seven seats they were vying for, they only gained six.
Mayor Bradley Addresses Belize City Council Financial Status
While the idea of revenues coming in from a toll booth is one that is currently being explored, Love News spoke to Mayor Bradley on the current financial status of the Belize City Council as he begins his new term. According to Bradley, the municipal bond that was floated was paid last December and there are currently investors who are willing to re-invest in order to continue the works of the City Council.
“The municipal bond was structured in the way it was structured in tranches so we had a two year tranche, a five year tranche and a ten year tranche and its going to be paid back at those cycles; two years, five years, ten years. The two year tranche expired on the 24 of December last year so we’ve already paid back that first tranche of the municipal bond. WE only have the five years and ten years to be paid back. Every single two years you can roll it over. We haven’t rolled over the first money that we paid off, we’ve had interests in rolling it over. We have institutional investors who are still calling us to ask, they want to buy more bonds because it is a good investment and we paid it back so that if you were able to do that and we have been able to do the sinking fund to meet their repayment capabilities so that the sinking fund has a surplus.
Bradley Speaks on Ways to Generate Revenue and Eliminate Property Tax
In the last term under the stewardship of Mayor Darrell Bradley, there was an increase in the collection of property taxes and trade licenses after the Belize City Council put into place, a system that restricts those in arrears from accessing any services from the council, including driver’s licenses, vehicle licenses, among others. It was a system that brought on complaints and inconveniences from various corners but one that turned out beneficial for the council and its revenue stream. As Mayor Darrell Bradley begins his second consecutive term in office, he told Love News that he is toying with the idea of setting up a toll booth at the entrance of Belize City that may just lead to the elimination of property taxes as it would generate substantial revenue for the old capital.
“One of the things that we’ve put out there by way of revenue generation is the toll of the Northern Highway. We did a study and in twenty five years that toll will make ninety five million dollars. If we do that toll we can cancel property taxes and we can fund trade license because that toll will fund the city. The toll is so much in terms of revenue generation so that where you see municipalities going in the future is that they are going towards user fees. You’re trying to go less emphasis on property taxes, trade license and if you use a service, if you drive on the road then you pay the fee, if you use parking then you pay the fee so that tends to be more equitable, that tends to be more of a predictable source of revenue because we know that the amount of vehicles.
Minor Involve in Ladyville Road Accident
An 11-year-old student, Austin Olivia, of the Stella Maris Primary School in Belize City was knocked down just after eight o’clock this morning. The incident occurred in Ladyville Village at the junction of the Philip Goldson International Airport, just across from the Skyy City Supermarket on the Philip Goldson Highway. Love News spoke to two eyewitnesses, who says that the child seemed seriously injured.
DEBORAH GRINAGE
“When I was at the bus stop I heard another little boy from Stella Maris asking about the boy so by the time I got here I saw the little boy coming so I was watching him until he started crossing the street. When he started crossing the street I took my eyes of him because I was doing something then I heard the bang. When I turned around I saw the little boy land there and then the vehicle ran over him and the little boy rolled on the side of the road then the man stopped there and he came out and some people from over there started shouting not to touch him, so I just stood here and I watched the little boy and them some guys from the cable place took him and put him in a pickup truck and took him to BATSUB.”
Amandala
Dangriga and PG voters “win” in 2015-2016 budget
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dean Barrow presented his 8th budget to Parliament a little after 11:00 this morning in a budget presentation that was intentionally the shortest of his administration, delegating much of the economic data and information to annexes presented with the published version of his budget speech.
In a proposal that called for no new taxes, Barrow connected the national budget proposal with his administration’s “transformation” agenda – a central theme upon which his party, the ruling United Democratic Party, campaigned in the run-up to the municipal elections held 9 days ago.
At the conclusion of last week’s municipal election vote, the UDP had garnered 62 of 67 seats nationally, leaving the PUP with only 5 in Orange Walk Town.
“That victory, in turn, represents a massive reaffirmation of confidence in the programs, policies and economic and political stewardship of this administration. In that context, it is a joy to bring to the House and the nation a 2015/2016 budget that will ultimately be the implementation vehicle for those now imperishably popular national watchwords: the transformation continues!” Barrow said.
“Paddlers with a Purpose” donates $10,000 to Dara’s Feeding Program
Funds which were solicited through the efforts of a trio of philanthropic high-school students who took part in the 2015 Belikin La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge were today donated to a well-known feeding program that benefits over 40 underprivileged primary school students in Belize City.
Despite a lack of experience and limited preparation, the team of ambitious amateur paddlers daringly set out to compete in the grueling 175-mile yearly race, which started on the banks of the Macal River in San Ignacio Town, Cayo, last Friday, March 6, and ended at the Belcan Bridge in Belize City on March 9.
While most teams entered the popular 4-day canoe race to battle for the prizes and bragging rights, the mission of the “Paddlers with a Purpose” – as they were dubbed – was to garner much-needed financial assistance to aid Joel “Dara” Robinson in his battle against the starvation that is pervasive amongst schoolchildren in his community.
Fonseca dares Barrow to “put up or shut up”
The main business item on the agenda for today’s House meeting was the presentation of the proposed national budget for the fiscal year 2015 to 2016, but before that budget presentation got underway, Prime Minister and leader of the ruling United Democratic Party, Dean Barrow, called on Opposition Leader Francis Fonseca to address “immediately, fully and publicly, the comprehensive wholesale indictment of the [People’s United Party – PUP] by its immediate past leader,” Orange Walk Central area representative Johnny Briceño, who spoke of members of the former PUP administration “stealing” tens of millions of dollars from Belizeans during their tenure in office, which ended in 2008.
Fonseca and then Prime Minister during that tenure, Said Musa, told the media Friday that Barrow was trying to divert attention from the corruption which they allege is rampant in his own administration by rehashing allegations that have been around for as many as 10 years.
“I say to the Prime Minister: he has been the Prime Minister of Belize for almost 8 years; he is completing, I believe, 7 years. If there is any evidence of corruption, bring it to the Belizean people or shut your mouth. That is my response to him,” Fonseca told the press.
Straight from KHMH to Kolbe!
On Wednesday night, March 4, Jervis Valencia Diamond, 32, was admitted to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) in a critical condition and placed on a life support ventilator after being shot by police after he allegedly shot two men in a yard on Mayflower Street, one fatally.
Today, however, Diamond, still in obvious need of medical attention, was reportedly released from the hospital. He had been under police guard in the hospital, and he was immediately brought to court to be charged after he was released.
Diamond, who is more popularly known as Jervis Valencia, was in obvious pain and could barely move without assistance as he slowly made his way into the courtroom of the Chief Magistrate, at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court, where he was arraigned for murder and other indictable offences.
CCJ commences hearing LGBT challenge to Belize and Trinidad
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has set aside the next two days, Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18, to hear the case of LGBT activist Maurice Tomlinson against the states of Belize and Trinidad, in a challenge to the immigration laws of both countries, which Tomlinson claims violate his right to hassle-free movement across CARICOM, under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC), which establishes the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.
The CCJ says that it will hear submissions in the matters of JAOJ2013/001 Maurice Tomlinson v Belize and JAOJ2013/002 Maurice Tomlinson v Trinidad and Tobago, which had been consolidated into one by a CCJ order dating back to 2013.
GOB seeks Parliamentary approval for BZ$145 mil in financing
In his 2015 budget speech, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dean Barrow announced new infrastructure projects that are to be started in the 2015-2016 fiscal year, including the rehabilitation of the Hummingbird Highway, the George Price Highway (from Belmopan to Benque Viejo Town), and the Philip Goldson Highway, from Belize City to Sandhill—projects which he said would be donor-financed by means of either grants or concessional loan terms.
On the same occasion, Barrow presented a loan motion for one of those projects, which he said would be partially financed by Kuwait. He noted that the entire cost of the project to rehabilitate the Hummingbird Highway is BZ$75.1 mil, and the loan motion presented today sought Parliament’s approval to borrow 4 million Kuwait dinars, roughly US$13.5 million, from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development for financing of this project. He said that this would finance 40% of civil works and 100% of the technical assistance required. Another US$12 million will come from an OFID (OPEC Fund for International Development] loan to the Government of Belize to cover a further 32% of the total project costs, and the Government will cover the remaining cost of the project costs through counterpart resources.
American Guy East of Santino’s wins 2015 SMART Belmopan Cycling Classic
The 34th running of the Annual SMART Belmopan Cycling Classic ended yesterday, like last year, with a foreign rider taking top honors. Last year it was 20 year old Mexican Ignacio Bravo riding for the Benny’s Megabytes team; this year, the Santino’s Ride for Victory team returned to top level competition, and their foreign rider, American Guy East had too much going for his Belizean competitors in the last few miles of the race, as he broke away from a lead bunch of 7 riders, and rode in alone, followed a few seconds later in second place by 2012 Cross Country champion Geovanni Choto, now riding for the C-Ray Road Addikzx team. His teammate Brandon Cattouse was third. Fourth was Marlon Castillo of Santino’s Ride for Victory, and fifth was Jose Robles of Western Spirit.
Team acquisitions in NEBL before All Star Break
In its second annual season, yesterday at a manager’s meeting, the NEBL instituted a change in its by-laws for in-season player acquisitions. Teams are allowed to add two new players to their rosters and the dates for such transactions are from March 16 – March 31. With the addition of this clause, teams will now be afforded the opportunity to add the missing pieces to their team roster, as they make a final push for playoff contention. It was decided that all Friday and Saturday night games will start at 9:00 p.m. Fans are reminded that all games have a live web cast, where the play-by-play, along with box scores, are available for all games. Fans can follow every game live on the internet, as scores are in real time. The games can be accessed from our website at nebl.sportingpulse.net
San Pedro Tiger Sharks vs Belize City No Limit remains undecided.
Belmopan Red Taigaz extends winning streak to five games.
Cayo Western Ballaz continued in their winning ways in Sugar City.
Dangriga Warriors bounced back with a win against Toledo Diplomats.
People or money: money or people?
The massive discomfiture of the Opposition PUP’s Orange Walk Central area representative, Hon. Johnny Briceño, continued and increased in the House of Representatives meeting on Friday afternoon when the PUP’s Fort George area representative and former Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Said Musa, spoke critically of him on the adjournment after UDP Prime Minister had read his 2015/2016 budget speech.
In an interview with Channel 5 following that House meeting, Briceño appeared to be encouraging the idea of a PUP national convention. He claimed that the PUP had not held a national convention since 2010, a convention in Dangriga at which Mr. Briceño was unanimously endorsed as PUP Leader, a position to which he had been elected in March of 2008.
As the PUP’s most powerful politician in the Orange Walk District, Mr. Briceño can rightfully claim credit for the fact that the party managed to retain control of the Orange Walk Town Council, the PUP’s only victory in the March 4 national municipal elections wherein the ruling UDP had won eight of the nine municipalities.
From the Publisher
In the beginning of the People’s United Party (PUP) in 1950, built as it was on the foundation of the General Workers Union (GWU), a lot of the difference between PUP supporters and anti-PUP Belizeans in the then capital city of Belize, manifestly involved class. All waterfront workers and bicycle cart men, for instance, were PUP, while almost all the public officers (who were called “civil servants” in those days) opposed the PUP, first through the National Party (NP) and then through the National Independence Party (NIP).
Early on, the PUP was centered in Belize City, but after Hon. George Price became the Leader of the party in 1956, he did a lot of traveling to the District towns and villages. He, in effect, enfranchised rural Belizeans politically; he personally involved them in the business of building the new nation of Belize.
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the physicists say, and Mr. Price’s revolutionary politics was branded “Latinization” by his opponents. It cost him some support in Belize City. There was a Belize City Council election in 1958 where the PUP barely won, with five seats out of the nine, if I remember correctly.
Divining the Lord
The breakfast meeting in February at the Radisson between Lord Ashcroft and Audrey Matura-Shepherd has been the subject of much speculation. The photo of the couple taken by Kim Simplis-Barrow, the wife of the Prime Minister who just happened to be present at the same time, went viral immediately and added to the interest. What on earth could these two high profile individuals have been discussing?
Audrey Matura-Shepherd subsequently explained in Amandala why she had accepted the invitation (sent via Amalia Mai, the CEO of Channel 5 whose proprietor is Michael Ashcroft). Her article outlined the questions to which she wanted answers and to what extent she was satisfied with what she heard. However, she did not explain what Ashcroft hoped to get out of the meeting.
It has now become much clearer what Ashcroft’s interest might have been. In a subsequent interview with Marleni Cuellar at Channel 5, he spoke about the British political system and noted the rise of third parties. He considers this a positive development provided that the third party has a strong individual at the helm capable of exercising national leadership.
Ambassador Mendez up for election for high-level OAS post Wednesday
Elections will be held this Wednesday at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC, to find replacements for the outgoing Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General of the hemispheric organization.
Belize’s Ambassador to the US, Permanent Representative to the OAS and High Commissioner for Belize in Canada, H.E. Nestor Mendez, and Permanent Representative of Guyana, Bayney Karran, are competing for the job. Meanwhile, Luis Almagro, Minister of Foreign Relations of Uruguay, is seeking the post of Secretary-General. The Guatemalan candidate who would have challenged Almagro, Eduardo Stein Barillas, the former vice president of that country, has withdrawn his name due to health reasons.
Under OAS rules, new applicants have up to the day of the election to submit their names for consideration.
Belize assumes 5th governorship of Rotary in July
On July 1, 2015, Rene Villanueva, Sr., 64, becomes the 5th Belizean to hold the governorship of the Rotary Club for District 4250 constituted by Belize, Honduras and Guatemala.
At the end of February, Villanueva, a veteran broadcaster in Belize and proprietor of Love FM, was installed as governor-elect at a three-day convention held in Guatemala City, which he attended with a sizeable Belize delegation. Villanueva is to succeed current district president, Jose Mauricio Rodriguez Weaver of Guatemala, for a one-year term.
“As Rotarians we want better villages, better countries and a better world. We give [of] ourselves, our time, our resources and yes, we give even our lives towards making this world a better place than we found it. We do it through the greatest humanitarian organisation in the world – Rotary. But we must do it together because in unity there is strength. In my mind, the secret to taking our great [district] 4250 to indeed a higher level lies in all of us in Honduras, Belize, and Guatemala. Working together, learning of each other, appreciating each other, loving each other,” Villanueva said in his acceptance speech.
Court of Appeal denies Lloyd Elijio’s appeal; sentence and conviction affirmed
A panel of three Court of Appeal justices denied the appeal of Lloyd Elijio, 23, who is serving a 12-year prison sentence following his October 28, 2014 conviction for attempted murder.
The court affirmed his conviction and sentence on Tuesday when he appeared unrepresented before Appeal justices Minet Hafiz-Betram, Christopher Blackman and president of the court, Hon. Justice Manuel Sosa.
Elijio told the court that someone at the prison had assisted him in preparing the grounds for his appeal.
Elijio based his first ground of appeal on the question of identity. He contended that the virtual complainant, Mark Lord, had identified him as Lawrence Elijio, but his real name is Lloyd Elijio. Lord had also identified him in court as Lawrence Elijio.
Elijio’s second ground of appeal was that no identification parade was held.
Patrick Jones
Domestic dispute results in alleged stabbing
A woman who allegedly started a fight with her former partner late on Monday evening is accused of grievous harm and use of deadly means of harm after she allegedly stabbed him with a knife.
20 year old Shanice Waller, a mother of two, pleaded not guilty to the charges before Magistrate Dale Cayetano and met bail of $3,000.
According to 22 year old Luis Kerr, who was previously in a relationship with Waller, she went to his residence while he was there with another woman.
Kerr he said he tried to deny her entry to his house and being unsuccessful, grabbed her around the neck to try to restrain her.
Two men charged for attempted murder
Police have laid attempted murder charges against 23 year old Ronald Michael.
Michael is also charged along with 30 year old Alrick Smith for conspiracy to commit murder for allegedly attempting to kill 29 year old Kenroy Arnold in a shooting incident on the night of March 12 in Ladyville village.
Arnold was said to be socializing with friends when a vehicle pulled up with two men inside, one of whom exited the vehicle and opened fire on him.
He was shot to the back and right hand and was treated.
Family members say he was not the intended target of the shooters.
Toledo man to be retried for carnal knowledge
The Court of Appeal on Monday afternoon allowed the appeal of Saturino Pop from Toledo District, who was convicted of three counts of carnal knowledge and is serving a 12-year concurrent sentence.
Pop will be retried in the Supreme Court after the judges found that he was not afforded a fair trial and that the trial judge failed to assist him in his defense as he did not have legal representation at trial.
Pop is now being represented by Oscar Selgado while Crown Counsel Linsbert Willis appeared for the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Live In Caribbean Belize For $60 A Day Or Less
Lots of expats are already living their dream Caribbean lifestyle… Taking leisurely walks along the coast, cooled by the enticing Caribbean breeze…swimming and snorkeling in the living aquarium of the Caribbean Sea…feasting on fresh fruits, seafood and lobster…indulging in afternoon catnaps in a comfy hammock…meeting friends for a fresh catch lunch at a seaside café…
Here’s the good news—this idyllic Caribbean lifestyle is still possible for those with a decent Social Security income—if they know where to settle, and how to cut corners… Financially savvy expats are enjoying this enviable lifestyle on $60 a day, or less. Many expats choose to spend more…but plenty get by on less. It’s a matter of making lifestyle choices that fit within your individual budget.
Belize has garnered significant tourism attention during the last few years, especially for the highly popular cayes. It is, of course, more costly to live in the most desirable regions frequented by tourists—the cayes and the Placencia Peninsula. (The cost of living on the Placencia Peninsula is now comparable to the cost of living on Ambergris Caye.) And yet there are expats who insist they have been living a comfortable, quality lifestyle in these popular regions, but on an affordable budget…
Halls Cough Drops: Candy or Medicine in Belize?
Just the other day, I was buying cough drops for a friend with a…get this…a COUGH! Imagine that? In the US, Halls are usually displayed front and center at drug stores during the winter months when everyone is getting sick. And then during the rest of the year? They are hidden back by the pharmacy…unneeded…unwanted.
Not in Belize. At only $1bzd a pack, they are often displayed with the candy as opposed to medicines and in a HUGE range of flavors. As well as some of the craziest. At least in my book…
Chela y Limon. Beer and Lime. COUGH DROPS!
And multi-colors…like they are M&Ms;…or Skittles…or…candy?
IMG_1906
Halls are always front and center at local markets…and not just during cold season. All the time.
They are sold by the street vendors who display colorful, vast quantities of sugar to kids outside the primary schools during breaks.
Which one of these things doesn’t belong??
A Happy Belizean St Patrick’s Day from Chaa Creek!
Are your Irish eyes smiling? They’re positively giggling in Belize as the country joins in the annual St Patrick day celebrations
Maybe Belize and St Patrick don’t naturally go together in most people’s minds, but those lucky enough to visit or live in this very green little country know better.
Just like most places on earth during March 17, a fair portion of the population attach a bit of green to their attire, assert a certain Irish-ness, and maybe even indulge in lifting a glass (or two, or three…) to that venerable saint.
It only makes sense… after the Maya, the next significant numbers of people to settle in Belize were the famous Baymen, a hardy group of mostly Anglo-Celtic descent who were attracted by the nascent timber industry and, like so many people since, liked what they saw and stayed, many mixing with African slaves to form the vibrant Creole population of Belize.
How to make the best of your time on Caye Caulker, Belize
All in all Belize is not the easiest country to travel through as a backpacker. There is no such thing as a backpacking trail. Accommodations are really expensive in comparison with its neighbouring countries. And busses are not very comfortable.
But there is one place which is different. The atmosphere is chilled out. There are no concreted streets. Vehicles are mostly limited to bikes and golf carts. People are super friendly. The sea is in front of your accommodation. And it absolutely expresses some hippie feeling.
I’m talking about the island Caye Caulker.
Caye Caulker is situated very close to the Mexican border. You can either take a ferry from Belize City or Chetumal (Mexico). From Mexico, the ferry firstly heads to Caye Ambergris, the neighbouring island of Caye Caulker. There you have to get through migration and pay a small fee (have some USD or BZD handy) to get into the country.
You change boats and then directly head to Caye Caulker. The first journey takes about 1.5 hours and the second one 30 minutes. But migration can take the same amount of time as well.
How does a beach vacation in Belize compare to one in Mexico?
It is overwhelming to pick a vacation spot if you like the beach...if you are staying in the Western Hemisphere, there are the southern US states, all over the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America to pick from. Most people get a week off so flying distance is an issue. Once you narrow it down to say 5 hours or less to get there, there are still a mountain of choices.
For those who have it narrowed down to Mexico or Belize, on the Caribbean side (note: the Caribbean islands are all awesome. Let's say you decided you wanted to do a place that was not an island, but on the mainland---why the mainland? Authentic character, easier/cheaper to get to, and the places in this blog are awesome!). Three great places to choose from are Playa del Carmen and Tulum in Mexico, and Placencia, Belize. See my post HERE for a comparison between Placencia and Ambergris Caye, Belize, and Roatan, Honduras (the latter two being islands).
International Sources
Notorious KKK Grand Wizard And Patriarch of Racial Segregation Bill Wilkinson Resurfaces After 30 Years
The KKK Grand Wizard, Bill Wilkinson, who disappeared without trace in 1984 from the U.S., has resurfaced in San Pedro, Belize after 30 years.
The notorious Grand Wizard of Ku Klax Klan, an organization with hardcore white supremacy beliefs and racial segregation, said he still believes in racial segregation but he is not a racist.
In a surprising twist of the tale, the hardcore leader is found to have a posh hotel resort in a location that is full of people he once wanted to segregate. The notorious leader denied the claims that he had turned to an FBI snitch.
"I spoke with the FBI yes, but I wasn't an informant," Wilkinson said.
Speaking from the luxurious hotel resort he owns and telling his views to Daily Mail Online, Wilkinson said, "Don't call me racist, I don't hate blacks."
Meanwhile, contrary to popular belief, Wilkinson mentioned that he had not "changed" since his "hardcore" KKK days. He said he still believes in racial segregation.
"I'm just a Bible-crashing segregationist. I still believe in segregation, that's how it should be," Wilkinson said.
The 72-year-old was the Imperial Wizard of the Invisible Empire of the Knights of the KKK from 1975 to 1984. The organization believed in white supremacy and was involved in several hate crimes, including the murder of Viola Liuzzio in 1965, who they said was "promoting racial mixing".
Denham Springs man who led violent Ku Klux Klan group before resigning, vanishing in 1984 resurfaces as owner of luxury resort in Belize
A former Ku Klux Klan imperial wizard from Denham Springs, who led the white supremacy group from 1975 to 1984 before suddenly resigning and seemingly vanishing, has surfaced at a luxury resort he owns on a paradise island in Belize with a tiny white minority population, according to the Daily Mail, a British national daily newspaper.
Bill Wilkinson, 72, had established a breakaway group of David Duke’s Knights of the Ku Klux Klan to
rival the original, and grew a reputation with the FBI as the most ‘violent’ and ‘dangerous’ KKK movement. He was highly visible in Baton Rouge and maintained the group’s headquarters in Bogalusa.
St. John’s School class raises funds to build home in Belize
St. John’s Knights of Columbus Grand Knight Craig Judd presents a donation of $250 to the eighth-grade class at St. John’s School to help the class meet its fundraising goal of $5,200 to fund the construction of a home in Belize. The home is for a low-income family and the house, while small, will have all the basic necessities. This is the same class that raised $10,000 and donated it to Mother Teresa’s charity to feed the hungry in India last year.
Historic case challenges anti-gay laws in Belize and Trinidad & Tabago
Prominent gay-rights activist Maurice Tomlinson is in court on Tuesday and Wednesday, challenging anti-gay laws that prevent LGBT people and other "undesirable people" from entering the countries of Belize and Trinidad & Tabago.
Tomlinson, who lives in Toronto, Canada, is from Jamaica. His homeland is considered one of the most homophobic places on Earth, and recently reports surfaced that a gay man was stoned to death there.
Belize is a small nation in Central America south of Mexico and east of Guatemala, while Trinidad & Tobago is an island nation off the coast of Venezuela. Both countries have the Caribbean Sea in common along with a Colonial history of anti-gay laws.
In 2003, Belize criminalized homosexuality with up to 10 years in prison upon conviction.
Caribbean Community Climate-Smarting Fisheries, But Slowly
Caribbean nations have begun work on a plan to ‘climate smart’ the region’s fisheries as part of overall efforts to secure food supplies.
The concept is in keeping with plans by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) to improve the “integration of agriculture and climate readiness” as the region prepares to deal with the impacts of climate change and the increasing demand for food. Olu Ajayi, CTA’s senior programme coordinator, told IPS in an email that climate-smarting the region’s aquatic resources will “enable the sector to continue to contribute to sustainable development, while reducing the vulnerability associated with the negative impacts of climate change”.
“Climate-smart fisheries require improving efficiency in the use of natural resources to produce fish, maintaining the resilience of aquatic systems and the communities that rely on them,” he noted.
‘No restrictions on Caricom gays’
DESPITE there being legislation in place under local immigration laws to prevent members of the gay community from entering Trinidad and Tobago, acting Chief Immigration Officer Gerry Downes yesterday said there is policy in place to allow those individuals who are members of Caricom nations free movement in and out of this country.
There are no restrictions on those individuals simply because of their sexual orientation, but restrictions are placed on people who are not members of Caricom states and are seeking to enter Trinidad and Tobago, he said.
Downes made the statement yesterday while testifying during a hearing at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in Port of Spain, in which Jamaican gay rights activist Maurice Tomlinson is challenging local immigration laws, which he contends are homophobic and inconsistent with Caricom policy on free movement between citizens of member states.
Which stars own these stunning hotels around the world?
Celebrities are dabbling in the hospitality business, and some of them own some pretty impressive hotels.
If the rumours are true, then Reese Witherspoon is planning to add the title of hotelier into her resume. The Oscar-nominated actress would be joining a long list of celebrities who already own boutique hotels around the world.
Take a look at the stunning hotels below and see if you can tell which celebrity owns it.
Driving Change in Aquaculture Discussed at Seafood Expo North America
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) brought together a distinguished panel for this year’s Seafood Expo North America to join in the discussion on what drives environmental and social responsibility in aquaculture.
On the second day of the show the ASC session was opened by CEO Chris Ninnes who demonstrated some of the big commitments made to the programme, bringing the session to life with a preview of a new ASC film showing how 30 farms in the State of Rio de Janeiro are dedicated to gaining ASC certification in readiness to supply the Rio 2016 Olympics.
“It’s these types of commitments that have the power to really drive improvements in aquaculture,” Mr Ninnes explained, referring to pledges from the Global Salmon Initiative and the Rio 2016 Organising Committee.
Videos
Deep Water Submersible Damages Belize Reef, 1min. Oceana Belize and Hol Chan Marine Reserve in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize attempt to remove grounded deep water submersible that washed into the Great Barrier Reef of Belize near San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The submersible that drifted from Trinidad and Tobago and has now damaged a section of live coral reef.
2015 Preschool Festival of Arts Kicks Off at the Bliss, 3min.
Are Jaguars Preying on Livestock in Crooked Tree?, 5min.
BELZE, 11min. Belize Manzara Ve Resimleri. Great slideshow
Baker Stanley 2015 ASB Belize with 4theworld.org, 2min. Baker, a student from NCSU shares some of his favorite experiences from his most recent ASB trip to Belize with the non profit organization 4 the World.
KKK Wizard, 4min. The Daily Mail Online got Wilkinson to break his 30-year silence - and he gave them a revealing interview in which he said he is still a segregationist:
He is quoted as telling the newspaper, quote, "'I don't hate blacks...Ain't that something?'" He added that, quote, 'I have not changed. I wouldn't let one marry my children or my grandchildren.'
Exclusive KKK 'violent' Imperial Wizard on living life in Belize, 10min. Exclusive KKK 'violent' Imperial Wizard on living life in Belize In the news KKK's Imperial Wizard Bill Wilkinson pictured in Belize for first time since 1984 Daily Mail
Playmates Travel To Belize, 3min. Playboy sexy , hot , bikini , beautiful , beauti , beach models .
saltwater crocodile belize, 2min.
2015 Belize Study Abroad: Overall Highlights, 12min.
Cave swimming in Belize, 4min. Swimming at the Xibalda caves in Belize.
Jaime Awe - Maya Cities & Sacred Caves of Belize, 87min. Dr. Jaime Awe gives a presentation on the archaeology of Belize in preparation for the VVAC's annual Central America trip.
Belize-Give a kid a GoPro, 2min. First Presbyterian of Midland, Texas, traveled to Belize over spring break with a team of children, youth, and adults. We hosted a "field day" on "Barron Bliss Day" (like presidents day) as kids were out of school. We had a blast and GoPro cameras captured the fun!
What you see is what happens when you put the GoPro in the hands of the kids!
March 17, 2015
FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE
Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report. Specials and Events
Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials
The San Pedro Sun
Those elusive whale sharks
The opportunity to get up close and personal with one of the world’s largest fish, the whale shark, is one that many dream of. As we’ve told you before, we’ve tried our very best to catch them in action, but they’ve neglected to show up at the appointed time. That doesn’t stop us from wanting to check them out in their natural habitat – no sirree!
The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is by far the largest living non-mammal to ever inhabit the Earth. As the world’s largest fish, it has a recorded length of 41.50 feet and a weight of more than 47,000 pounds! Those statistics sure gives new dimension to those tall fish tales, huh?! Despite all of those big numbers and their sheer size and volume, whale sharks are appropriately known as gentle giants – docile and frankly, aren’t bothered by your swimming/snorkeling/diving nearby. We always caution that you shouldn’t come too close – touching wildlife is a big no-no in our books. Besides, despite knowing their gentle nature, size can always keep us at bay!!
Letter to the Editor: Vision Inspired by the People
The VIP San Pedro Team wishes to bring to your attention a matter of grave concern to the residents of San Pedro. We are urgently calling on the proper authorities of this department to investigate the matter of the state of the environment in this community due to the improper dumping of toxic garbage. We are alarmed by the fact that the Mayor announced publicly that he will “continue using trash for landfill and roads”, despite our public denouncement of this practice.
This irresponsible practice of using garbage for landfill to fill lots and build streets in the wetlands of San Pedro has been going on for many years; it has created extremely toxic conditions which are polluting our marine and mangrove systems and also endangers the health of our residents. The garbage being dumped includes all types of garbage, from large and small appliances, tires, fibre glass, and nonbiodegradable products and contaminants. Scientific studies of the water, soil and marine life conducted by various teams for a number of years have found major red flags that we are being exposed to lead, arsenic, mercury and other heavy metals from the infiltration of these toxins into the water.
The media looks at CSME’s opportunities for all Belizeans
Representatives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) urge media practitioners from around the region to break new grounds in their coverage of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). In Belize, the media was asked to play their part in providing increasing timely and simple information on how Belizean nationals can access their legally guaranteed right to work, travel and do business in 12 other CARICOM nations without barriers. This legally guaranteed right is within the scope of the Treaty of Chaguaramas, to which 14 million CARICOM nationals have the right to move, work and do business as long as they meet set requirements. Information was shared during a CARICOM Single Market Media Workshop held at the Best Western Hotel in Belize City on February 26th.
Addressing the media at the opening ceremony was Executive Officer of the Ministry of Trade, Investment, Promotion, Private Sector Development and Consumer Protection, Michael Singh. He said that Belizeans must adopt a new boldness to explore their opportunities in their Caribbean neighborhood. According to Singh, to be bold, it must be ensured that everyone in Belize knows their place, their rights and their privileges within the CSME. He urged media workers to not only report on regional meetings and events as news fillers, but to explain the implications of decisions made by CARICOM leaders and their impact on our people.
Disposal of Raw Sewage- What are the protocols?
The Department of Environment (DOE) was identified as the regulatory body for sewage disposal in Belize. According to DOE, BWSL is the only authorized agent in San Pedro to dispose of sewage. Any other business that offers septic cleaning/sewage disposal services needs to be registered with the DOE. This is to ensure that the sewage is being disposed in a proper and controlled manner. DOE states that untreated sewage cannot be dumped into the environment directly and that is why the BWSL ponds play a vital role in the community.
Mayor Daniel Guerrero also indicated that the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) is completely against the dumping of raw sewage in to the open environment. “It is totally wrong what that person did by dumping sewage on the roadside. The SPTC will not tolerate anyone damaging the environment. I have spoken to the culprit and cautioned him about his offences. He has indicated that it will not happen again, but this incident serves as a warning that we need to monitor these activities more closely,” said Guerrero. SPTC will be working along with Health Inspector Tillett to ensure that sewage collected from septic tanks is being properly disposed.
No maritime and hardship allowances for island police
According to the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of National Security, Retired Colonel George Lovell, the cut in allowances was as a result of amendments made to regularize the compendium of allowances to public officers. That regularization took place in January following a list of allowances that were approved in October of 2014 for the Belize Public Service by Ministry of the Public Service and the Ministry of Finance. “That circular that was sent out dated the 1st of October, and there is a revised edition that was done in January of 2015, and that compendium of allowances speaks to the allowances that public officers in general are entitled to. That was done as a result of a comprehensive consultation within the public service from across the entire ministry. That then speaks to the new allowances that were approved for the public officers and that is the basis under which allowances that people were probably once enjoying, that was not regularized, have now become regularized under this new compendium of allowances,’ said Lovell.
Misc Belizean Sources
Beltraide Costing and Pricing Workshop
The overall objective of this training is to equip our clients with knowledge, skills, and capabilities necessary to determine all costs related to the production of their goods or services and
es all the costs and allows them to make a profit while still being feasible for customers.
to consequently apply an adequate price that encompass. Presented By:
Mr Omar Castillo
Sr. Business Adviser, SBDCBelize, BELTRAIDE. Cost of Workshop: $25.00. Workshop Date: March 19th, 2015
Time: 9 am to 12 noon
WORKSHOP LOCATION:
ITVet Campus - Freetown Road (BTEC Building), Belize City, Belize
Tel: 223-3195 or email: [email protected]
Commentary: Former PUP leader in Belize is crying for help to revive his party but will he get it?
By Wellington C. Ramos.
When I went to Orange Walk Town in 1975 to be stationed as a police officer, John Briceno was a young boy at the age of 15 years of age. I know his father Joe Briceno, his uncles Polo Briceno, Dallie Briceno, Charro Briceno and all his other family members well. Renan, who is Polo’s son, and I played football together for the Orange Walk Selection and used to travel in his uncle Joe’s white Bronco to play football throughout the entire country of Belize. In those days Orange Walk was a town where money was flowing all over the place. John Briceno was a young man who gave me a lot of respect when I visited his father’s home. PC Daniel Cacho and myself were also responsible for the newly formed Police Boys Club.
I have not met John Briceno since I left Orange Walk Town in 1977 to be transferred to Belize City. However, whenever I go to Belize I make it my business to go and visit all my friends in Orange Walk Town. John Briceno is speaking the truth because he is at a point in his life where he feels that he has done and is doing enough for his People’s United Party (PUP) and they should treat him better. He is also concerned about the future of his party because at the rate they are going it does not look good to him and many other diehard PUPs.
Belize Electricity Limited Hosts CARILEC Human Resources and Public Relations Conference
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) is this week hosting the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) 2015 Human Resources and Public Relations Conference under the theme “Achieving the Synergies: Corporate Leadership, PR and HR”.
CARILEC is an association of electric utilities, suppliers, manufactures and other stakeholders operating in the electricity industry in the Caribbean[1]. The aim of the conference is to allow for the information sharing and networking of Human Resources, Public Relations and Corporate Communications professionals from the region.
BEL is thoroughly embracing the opportunity to network with CARILEC members and local participants of the conference.
MERICAN CITIZEN SERVICES: Do you know who your warden is?
Recently, the U.S. Embassy hosted a luncheon for the Wardens in Belize. A Warden is a private U.S. citizen who volunteers to assist the American Citizen Services section at the U.S. Embassy in communicating with Americans living in Belize, preparing for disasters and alerting Americans to emergency situations.
Wardens also provide updates on ongoing events to Americans in their district and organizations and assist in the enrollment of newcomers in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) program. In emergencies, Wardens may be called upon to help locate missing Americans, or visit an American citizen in a jail or hospital.
DEEP WATER SUBMERSIBLE GROUNDS ON REEF OFF AMBERGRIS CAYE
OCEANA BELIZE AND HOL CHAN MARINE RESERVE PERSONNEL CONDUCT SITE ASSESSMENT.
Based on requests from residents of Ambergris Caye and the media for more information about the
grounding of a deep water submersible on the Belize Barrier Reef, on Friday, March 13th 2015, Oceana
Belize and personnel from the Hol Chan Marine Reserve conducted a site assessment of the incident.
The team reports the following:
Swearing in ceremony of the newly elected members of the San Pedro Town Council
Mayor Daniel Guerrero is flanked by his council members and the Area Representative Hon Manuel Heredia Jr. Deputy Mayor of San Pedro Town is Gary Greif.
Croc confiscated from an illegal owner
Our patients usually come without a history, but every now and then the x-rays will tell us their story. This croc was confiscated from an illegal owner and was showing many abrasions on snout, arm, back and tail. These abrasions were typical of the abuse crocodiles receive from humans tying their mouths and feet. What had me puzzled was the size of this croc: he was much bigger then the others we have seen, and his body condition is still very reasonable. This means he was recently caught, at a good size and suspected in good health.
We took the x-ray to assess his left arm. Whenever possible we will take a larger image to see more of the animal... His arms are beautifully unbroken, but the x-ray showed us how humans were able to catch him (may be he was accidental by-catch?) and that most likely he will require surgery. Fingers crossed and I am sure you all saw it already?
Public Announcement - Water Abstraction
he Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture takes this opportunity to inform the general public of the issue of Water Abstraction Licences and other necessary
permissions needed.
Under the Water Industry Act Cap 222 of the Laws of Belize, Part V, Chapter II, Subsection 61: “Subject to the provisions of Sections
27 and 60 of this Act, no person shall abstract and use water,
and construct works thereof in respect of a controlled area or
a controlled use or a controlled class of uses of water except
under and in accordance with a license for the purpose
granted to him by the Minister under this Part”.
The Hydrology Unit of the Ministry of Natural Resources and
Agriculture, under the authority of the Water Industry Act, CAP
222, Part III, Section 14 Subsections (2) and (3), requires all entities to apply for a Water Abstraction Licence where the water source is limited to a natural water body: surface or groundwater.
Protection of the Seabed and Protection of 66 Feet Reserve
The Lands Department, through the
Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture, advises the general
public that in Pursuant to Section 2 of the National Lands Act,
National Land includes the seabed and the 66 feet reserve, which
may include riparian forests, beaches, littoral forests and shoals.
Therefore, occupation within the above mentioned spaces without
permission from the Minister of Natural Resources and Agriculture
constitutes an offense of unlawful occupation of National Land.
The general public is advised that Groynes, over the water
structures such as; piers or wharfs, and any use of the seabed and the 66 feet reserve is illegal and requires permission from the
Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture.
Kindly be advised that the application for the use of reserves that
include mangrove also requires clearance from the Department of
Environment and a mangrove alteration permit through the Forest
Department.
The general public is informed that there is an official process for
obtaining permission to utilize the seabed or 66 feet reserve in
Belize, and takes this opportunity to invite the general public to
visit the Lands and Surveys Department Headquarters in Belmopan for more information.
From the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys
Four Ambassadors Presented their Credentials to the Governor General of Belize
Channel 7
Hobbled Jervis Still Charged For Murder
32-year-old Jervis Valencia - he was shot on election night by police officers responding to a shooting incident. Well, he was taken to court today in a hobbled state, to be charged for murder.
After 12 days at the KHMH under police guard, Valencia was helped up the court stairs by his girlfriend Shelly Meighan. He was taken before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith where he was read a charge for the murder of 36 year-old Moses "Malachai" Gonguez. Gonguez and Triston Gordon were shot on municipal elections night, March 4, while ballots were bring counted.
Valencia was also charged for 1 count of attempted murder, dangerous harm, and use of deadly means of harm for Tristan Gordon; 2 counts of aggravated assault, which he allegedly committed against Police Corporal Harold Grinage and Constable Freeman Staine; keeping an unlicensed firearm, and keeping unlicensed ammunition. Due to the nature of the offences, no bail was offered and he was remanded into custody until May 6.
Man Says He Got Off Murder Charge For A Gun
Legendary cyclist Ernest Jawmaine Meighan - he was killed 7 months ago - and though it happened in broad daylight - police have made no arrest. But, today, a man says he was charged for the murder - and then police withdrew the charge.
23 year old Jeffery McDougal says he was charged with Jawmaine's murder, put on the prison bus by police officers and then taken off. He says he was then given 24 hours to hand in a gun in order for them to drop his murder charge. Quite a story and he came to tell it to us himself this afternoon:..
Voice of: Jeffery McDougal - Charged with Murder
"The officers took back the charge me and say that I have to give them a gun tomorrow, or else they will give back the charge on me. They had already charged me, but they told me that they need a gun and then they will not charge me. I was supposed to go on the jail bus, but he told the officer controlling the jail bus, not to worry about that, so they just release me like that and they told me that I have until tomorrow to give them a gun or else they will slap that charge back on me."
Dobson Clear Of Staine Murder
And while he claims to have gotten off a murder charge in a few hours time, it was not so easy for Kenneth Dobson who had to wait almost 4 years to get off his murder.
Tonight, 30 year-old Kenneth Dobson, aka "Fudgie", is at home after spending 3 years and 8 months on remand while he awaited trial for the murder of Erwin Staine. That trial concluded today before Justice Troadio John Gonzalez, and he was acquitted by a jury of 12 this evening.
Police investigation at the time was that at around 10:30 on June 1, 2011, Erwin Staine was socializing with a friend in front of his house on North Creek Street when a man rode up on bike and shot him in the left side of his chest, his left foot, and right side of his abdomen. He died on the spot, while his other friend reportedly ran for cover.
Well, the prosecution, represented by Crown Counsel Leroy Banner, called the victim's sister as the main witness against Dobson. She testified that she saw the shooter, which she identified as Dobson in court.
Fuel Ship Late, Rations In Effect
The fuel shipment which comes into the country every three weeks is four days late this month - and some service stations are saying they'll run out of gas before it arrives. Diesel and Premium fuels are already being rationed but the UNO fuel company says that a good many of its 11 service stations countrywide will be out of those fuels by the time the shipment comes. That fuel will start to run out tomorrow, most likely, in San Ignacio.
The man we call Belize's Fuel Czar, John Mencias, who is the Deputy Chairman of Alba Petrocaribe Belize Energy Limited oversees the importation of fuel into Belize. He concedes that the shipment is late but he doesn't expect that it should force a shortage. A number of fuel station owners we spoke to said it is a matter of management. They told us that rationing is happening but fuel station owners should plan in advance and keep their reserves topped up. So far, we know that at least 2 fuel stations: one in Punta Gorda and the other in Belmopan have run out of premium and diesel. UNO says it is only being rationed about 20% of its daily fuel needs and so has had to turn back large customers. Of course, its significant that PUMA, the importer of fuels is also the one controlling the rationing - and PUMA also has fuel stations - which some say is a rather obvious conflict of interest.
Cagey One From Cameroon
45 year-old Emmanuel Ngue-mowuo (N-GWEH-MOWOU), a native of the Central African country of Republic Cameroon, arrived today at the Phillip Goldson International Airport with a forged passport of a deceased Honduran National.
According to Immigration Officials, he arrived in Belize at around 11 a.m. from a flight from Honduras. When he arrived at the immigration desk, the alert officer on duty received his passport, and noticed something peculiar about the document. The officer did a background check and it was discovered that this passport belonged to the deceased Honduran National David Emmanuel Fabio Matute. Ngue-mowuo was immediately detained and charged with the offence of using a document he was not entitled to.
Woman Stabbed Stalker
Tonight, 24 year-old Shannon Smith, a mother of 3 who lives in Mahogany Heights, is out on bail after she was taken to court for allegedly stabbing 42 year-old Earlin Butler, who also resides in Mahogany Heights.
The incident occurred last week Friday afternoon, March 13. Police reports are that Erlin Butler Sr. went to Smith's home, and a fight ensued between them. It was during incident that Butler was stabbed in his chest.
Shannon Smith was arraigned today on the charge of grievous harm when she appeared today before the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith. She pleaded not guilty to the charge, and was released on a bail of $1,000. Her case was adjourned until May 15.
Fatal Accident On Southern
A man was run over and killed on Friday night on the Southern Highway. 40-year-old Salvador Ack was driving his SUV from Bella Vista towards Trio Village when he hit 47 year old Faustino Orellana off his bike near mile 45. It happened at 9:30 when both were heading in the same direction. Ack says Orellana's bike veered directly in front of him on the right-hand side of the road. Orellana died on the spot. Ack was served with a notice of intended prosecution.
Man Claims GSU Beatdown On Pedro
A 42 year old man is claiming police brutality after he said he was badly beaten in the island town of San Pedro. Brian Castillo, a watchman of -Una Cantina Mas- located up the Coast of San Pedro Town told 7news that on Thursday morning sometime after 3am, GSU officers visited the resort and demanded that he handed over drugs. Castillo said he had no idea what the officers were talking about and that was when they began brutalizing him. Today we caught up with Castillo at the Medical Associates where he showed us X-rays of his broken ribs and cuts and bruises all over his body.
Pol Say They Tried To Kill Kenroy
On Friday night's news you heard from the family of Kenroy Arnold - who was shot in Ladyville. They say it was a case of mistaken identity. Well, Ladyville police say they aren't making any mistake with the charge against 30 year old Alrick Smith and Ronald Michael who have been jointly for "Conspiracy to commit Murder" and 22 year old Ronald Michael who was additionally charged for "Attempt Murder","Deadly means of Harm" and "Dangerous Harm" upon Kenroy Arnold.
Carilec Cometh
Representatives of 35 power companies from throughout the Caribbean are in Belize this week for a regional meeting.
It's the Association of Electric Utilities in the Caribbean - CARILEC - which is holding its Human Resources and Public Relations conference at the Radisson this week. The theme of the conference is "Achieving the Synergies: Corporate Leadership, PR and HR" and the association plans on achieving that synergy through improved communication and leadership within and among member companies. Now you may ask, what does PR and HR have to do with you? Well according to BEL's CEO Jeffrey Locke, improving these departments will lead to increased customer satisfaction.
Hon. Dean Asks After Rt. Hon Said's Health
At Friday's House Meeting, Prime Minister Dean Barrow remarked about the health of his colleague across the floor, Said Musa. Here is how Barrow put it and what Musa had to say in response:..
Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"People who saw the Former Prime Minister on Wednesday, during the newscast were shocked by his appearance to the extent that he might be ill. There is a difference between ill and sick. We know he is sick in his head, but to the extent that he might be ill, nobody will treat that lightly. Nobody will take that as any laughing matter."
Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Fort George
"Well, the Prime Minister should take comfort from the fact that he believes I am not well, but I am sorry to disabuse him of it, I am very much alive and well - even at 71 in a week."
The Petrocaribe Bottom Line
And while the Right Honorable Musa is expected to prove his battle readiness when the budget goes for a debate next week, one subject he is sure to bring up is Petrocaribe. AT Friday's budget presentation, the Prime Minister disclosed how much had been spent under the programme and on what by tabling a Motion and a Supplementary. Since late 2012 up to February 2015, ALBA PetroCaribe Belize Ltd has imported US$238 million worth of fuel from Venezuela.
This money is under a 1.0 percent interest rate with a Repayment Term of 25 years including a two-year Grace Period. The Grace Period is still in effect, so government has not yet had to make any debt payments neither principal nor interest on these loans. But, starting this year, interest and repayment will begin to fall due. Government has allotted $4 million dollars for this in the budget.
Diver's Life Lost In Blue Hole
Police have confirmed that they are investigating the death of an American Tourist which happened on last week Tuesday at the Blue Hole.
66 year-old Roger Piper, a tourist from Texas was reportedly on an expedition with his family, and they had employed Amigos Del Mar Dive Shop to be the expedition's leaders. The San Pedro Sun Newspaper reports that the trip was going according to plan until Piper reached a depth of 50 feet below the water surface. There he reportedly started experiencing breathing problems, and he alerted the crew. They took steps to bring him back to the surface, but by that time he was already unconscious. The crew tried to resuscitate Piper, but those attempts failed, so, they contacted the Belize Coast Guard to assist them in any way possible.
One of the Coast Guard's boats arrived transported him from that location to the KHMH for immediate attention. Unfortunately, when they arrived at the hospital, Piper was pronounced dead, and it is believed that a heart attack was a contributing factor in his sudden demise. Nevertheless, police will continue to investigate the nature of the Piper's sudden demise.
Coastal Zone Get Advice From Wake Forest
A new coastal zone plan for Belize is expected to go into effect later this year - but the Coastal Zone Management Institute and Authority is getting advice on how to make it better, even before they put it into effect. A team from Wake Forest University is here to advise them on his to make the police as fluid as the coastline. We found out more today:..
Another Reef Wrecker
But as adaptive as it might be the plan could never foresee events like this one. Another vessel is causing serious damage to the reef off Ambergris Caye - and that's a 12-foot, deep-water-submersible. It was found on Wednesday March 11th about 6 miles north of San Pedro in an area known as Mexico Rocks. According to a release by OCEANA, "the submersible has already caused damage to the coral species at the site and the damage from the reef to where the submersible finally grounded is clearly visible." Efforts at removing the vessel have proven unsuccessful because of high wave action. OCEANA's release continues "the vessel has been identified by the manufacturer as an ROV reported lost in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2014. It has been traced to a company called Impersub International, which does research and exploration for gas and oil companies". OCEANA ends the release by saying "OCEANA Belize supports the recommendation that the submersible be removed as soon as possible to avoid further degradation to the site.....The damage already caused by the ROV and the complexity of it's removal from the Belize Barrier Reef as well as the recent sailboat stranding off Caye Caulker, highlights the lack of the necessary resources to respond properly and timely to incidents at sea."
Who Is Fastest From Belize To Belmopan
The Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic is only weeks away, and the 34th Annual SMART Belmopan Cycling Classic is seen as the last warm-up before the big race. So, Sunday morning was the last time to test legs and strength and 7news was there:..
The top finisher in the elite category received 2,000.00 dollars sponsored by SMART plus a trophy and Recliner from Tropigas.
12 Year Sentence Set Aside
Convicted sex offender, Saturino Pop, who was convicted of 3 counts of carnal knowledge, received some good news today when the Court of Appeal announced that they were going to set aside his 12 year prison sentence and order a new trial. That's after his appeal was heard and allowed.
His attorney, Oscar Selgado, argued on his behalf and presented several grounds of appeal, but the Court of Appeal accepted the ground that he was not afforded a fair trial. That happened because he was unrepresented at the Supreme Court trial, and the judge failed to assist him in his defence.
Dr. Carla "Eena It" Officially
Dr. Carla Barnett made it official yesterday when she had her Freetown endorsement convention at the park in Belama Phase 1. Even though it rained, Barnett had an all start case of UDP political personalities including the Prime Minister.
And while Barnett the newcomer is considered a decided underdog against the leader of the opposition, Francis Fonseca in a Freetown Seat he was won three times - she is likely to be encouraged by the fact that the UDP slate had a strong showing in Freetown in the municipal election, with mayoral candidate Darrell Bradley actually beating out Yolanda Schakron. In the case of councilors, there was only a small margin for the PUP in the solid votes.
Channel 5
Puma Energy Rations Fuel Amid Increase in Demand at the Pump
There is a report tonight that fuel stocks are running low at gas depots countrywide. As a result, the main fuel importer, Puma Energy, has been rationing stocks, in particular [...]
Mahogany Heights Man Stabbed in the Heart by Scorned Woman
A Mahogany Heights resident is tonight fortunate to be alive after he was stabbed to the chest on Friday afternoon in what has been described as a domestic dispute. Forty-two [...]
…But Was It a Case of Self Defense?
According to Hattieville Police, under whose jurisdiction the Mahogany Heights Community falls, they were called out sometime around two-thirty on Friday afternoon. By that time, Butler had already been rushed [...]
Kenneth Dobson Acquitted of Murder after Three Years in Remand
There has not been a guilty conviction for murder since the beginning of the year and in fact, as recent as last Thursday, three men walked free of the charge. [...]
Jervis Valencia Hobbles to Court, Arraigned for Murder and Battery of Related Charges
A bloodbath on Mayflower Street on the night of March fourth ended in the death of a Belize City resident, left another man injured and the alleged assailant under police [...]
Are Jaguars Preying on Livestock in Crooked Tree?
Livestock farmers in Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary have been losing their cattle, but it is not to rustlers. For some time now, farmers have lost thousands of dollars because jaguars [...]
Sergio Martinez Buried As John Doe After Being Hacked to Death in San Victor
A Mexican national was hacked to death in the Corozal District on March first. The body of a man identified as Sergio Martinez was discovered in his bungalow with multiple [...]
Elderly Man Found Dead in Libertad, Was Foul Play Involved?
On Saturday afternoon, Lenard Logan found his grandfather, George Trapp, dead. Trapp’s body was found behind his house in some bush. He was fully dressed, wearing slippers, with his glasses [...]
Hit & Run Driver Indicted 3 Years After Fatal Accident in Corozal
There were a number of road traffic accidents across the country over the weekend and finally, there was one arrest for a fatal road traffic accident that occurred two years [...]
Belize City Youth Shot on Albert Street
Belize City police are also reporting a shooting incident that occurred on Saturday night in the Old Capital. Just after eight p.m., twenty year old Conrad Pitts was at the [...]
PM Barrow Explains Recurrent Expenditure in 2015 Budget
Prime Minister Dean Barrow presented the 2015-2016 Budget on Friday, and it will be debated in the next two weeks. While he hasn’t officially dubbed it a budget of plenty, [...]
$195 Million Worth of Road Works for 2015
As he has alluded to with some regularity, the Prime Minister has ramped up the allocation to capital two and three projects this year to one hundred and ninety-five million [...]
PM Barrow Says No New Taxes in Five Years
Even in the face of increased spending in every sector, the PM boasts that the government has done it all, and continues to do it, without any increase in taxes. [...]
OCEANA in Belize Issues on Grounded Submersible
A submersible was found last Wednesday in the waters off San Pedro on the Belize Barrier Reef in an area called Mexico Rocks. It has been determined that the object [...]
Former KKK Leader, Bill Wilkinson, Living in San Pedro as Resort Owner
The Daily Mail, an online newspaper out of the UK, has resurrected what it calls an exclusive story; the content which has already been reported sometime in Belize. It involves [...]
NBC Back In Belize to Shoot Investigative Feature on John McAfee
And while the story of Bill Wilkinson has re-surfaced, there is another story that has been attracting attention in Belize. John McAfee, whom you will recall, was wanted locally as [...]
B.E.L. Hosts CARILEC Forum in Belize
Belize Electricity Limited is currently hosting the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation’s 2015 Human Resources and Public Relations Conference in Belize City. The conference and others held frequently across the [...]
2015 Preschool Festival of Arts Kicks Off at the Bliss
An anticipated item on the calendar of school activities is the Festival of Arts involving pre-scholars. This morning the festival opened at the Bliss; teachers and proud parents were on [...]
Football, Softball and Basketball Updates in Sports
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday. Saturday night inside the Isidoro Beaton Stadium saw a crucial matchup as undefeated Belize Defense Force was hosted by [...]
CTV3
Family Experiences Dispute Over Land Grab
A couple in San Jose Village are in the middle of a land dispute and they claim that politics is at the center of their plight. Sebastaiana Escalante visited out studio today to file a complaint in which she says that the land on which she and her husband Carmelo Escalante have lived on for over 20 years is being taken away by other family members. The couple has decided to fight their rights to the land and have taken necessary procedures to contest the rights to the property. However, Escalante claims that the family has been at the losing end thanks to politics. She first explained how they acquired the land.
Sebastiana Escalante – Complainant
“Hace 21 ano nos casamos yo y Carmelo y no teníamos casa donde vivir, yo quedaba en una casa de un tio, entonces cuando dio un tiempo mi suegro nos fue a buscar a San Pablo diciéndonos que él quiere que compremos una casa que está a lado de su casa de él, entonces mi esposo le dijo que no tenemos dinero, entonces el mismo se ofreció a llevarnos a Belize Bank a prestar para comprar la casa que es de si hermano Graciano Escalante...
Belize Experiences Fuel Shortage
Ever since the country of Belize experienced a decrease in fuel prices the consumption has skyrocketed especially here in the North, home of the Sugar Industry. The demand for fuel has seen a drastic increase countrywide and tonight the news is not good as gas stations are rationing their supply in order to meet the demand of consumers.
The problem lies in the fact that currently fuel stocks are running low at the main depot in Belize City owned by PUMA as the tanker from Venezuela has experienced some setbacks and is yet to reach Belizean territory. PUMA, the importer of fuel has been struggling with its stock since last week and they too are controlling the rationing of fuel even at their service stations. In an attempt to supplement its fuel stock PUMA has had to resort to trucking in fuel supply over land from Central America.
Will The P.U.P Hold National Convention To Elect Party Leader
Tonight there is no shying away from the fact that there is political unrest within the People’s United Party. Last week the media was buzzing with the latest that followed the release of what should have been a private conversation between Orange Walk Central Area Representative John Briceno and two other party supporters in which he made unprecedented allegations that incriminates high ranking officials in his party. While Briceno has refrained from commenting on the matter except to say that he had a private conversation and that he in the end supports the party leader Francis Fonseca, Belizeans are skeptical about the party’s reform efforts.
As has been reported nationally, there is doubt surrounding Fonseca’s leadership especially following what some are saying is the historic win by the United Democratic Party for the municipal elections. Last week the party executives reiterated the party’s continued work towards further reform but there has also been talk about a possible convention. When faced by the media, Orange Walk Central Area Representative John Briceno again expressed support for the party leader.
Oceana Investigates Case Of Submersible Equipment
A few days back we reported on a discovery of what was believed to be a submersible equipment of some sort on the reef off San Pedro Ambergris Caye. The discovery was made around three thirty on Wednesday March 11th. Pictures we see were posted on the San Pedro Sun Facebook page. Today, Oceana issued a release on the damages caused to the Belize barrier Reef following an assessment conducted on March 13th in collaboration with Hol Chan Marine Reserve. According to their findings, the deep water submersible was discovered about six miles north of San Pedro Town in an area known as Mexico Rocks, within the recently expanded Hol Chan Marine Reserve.
Their report indicates that the item described as a Quantum 9, heavy work class ROV measures almost 12ft in length by 6.6ft in width and includes four propellers topside, another two in the front and two more in the rear. The device also includes several underwater cameras. It came to a stop in approximately three feet of water and the damage it caused substantial damage to the coral species. Oceana Belize’s Communications Director Alyssa Carnegie is quoted as saying, “The damage already caused by the ROV and the complexity of its removal from the Belize Barrier Reef, as well as the recent sailboat stranding off Caye Caulker, highlights the lack of the necessary resources to respond properly and timely to incidents at sea. How we handle these incidents communicates, nationally and globally, the level of respect we hold for our marine wealth.”
Corozal Bus Terminal Relocated
If you commute to and from Corozal then this morning you may have been informed that the Corozal Bus Terminal has relocated. The move is based on the need to complete road rehabilitation works on 7th Street.
According to the Transport Department, starting today Monday March 16th, 2015 until further notice, the Corozal Bus Terminal will be temporarily relocated to the Santa Elena Road, just on the outskirts of Santa Rita at the building that used to be the “Super Santa Rita Grocery Store”, adjacent to Majil’s Mexican Products.
Authorities says the new bus route will be leaving from the temporary Bus Terminal heading down towards Corozal Town via Santa Rita Road then it will turn right before Magana’s Pharmacy onto the Port Saul road and head up towards College Road. On College Road the bus will turn right and head down College Road until it reaches 7th Avenue where it shall turn right and make its normal route on the Northern Highway heading towards Orange Walk and Belize City.
Man Arrested For Causing Fatal Hit and Run Accident After Three Years
Over the weekend Corozal Police made an arrest into a hit and run accident that left one man dead three years ago. Viewers may recall that on February 2nd 2012, Concepcion Villager, Jairo Isaias Castillo was knocked down and killed as he stood on the left hand side of the highway when the driver of a bus allegedly travelling at high speed lost control and swerved to the left and knocked Castillo down, fatally wounding him. Three years later, on March 13th, Humberto Novelo was arrested and charged for; manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct, driving without due care and attention, failure to report an accident and fail to stop and render aid. Novelo’s arrested was made possible with the assistance of the public.
Four Ambassadors Present Credentials To Governor General
Four ambassadors presented their letters of credence to the Governor General of Belize His Excellency Sir Colville Young today at the Belize House in the City of Belmopan.
The Ambassadors who presented their credentials are Ambassador of Ukraine H.E. Mr. Ruslan Spirin, Ambassador of Denmark H.E. Mr. Henrik Bramsen Hahn, Ambassador of Chile H.E. Mrs. Maria Inez Ruz Zanartu, and Ambassador of Czech Republic H.E. Mr. L’ubomir Hladik.
All four expressed pleasure to be in the country and offered well wishes to Belizeans, says the release. They also conveyed their countries’ commitments to working with Belize towards common goals and further reinforce ties of understanding and cooperation.
Corozal Police Investigate Traffic Accident, One Person Is Injured
And while police successfully closed that case with an arrest, on Saturday Corozal police were investigating yet another traffic mishap. According to authorities, about 7:30 on Saturday night, acting upon information received, Corozal Police visited an area between miles 79 & 80 on the Phillip Goldson Highway within San Joaquin Village where on arrival officers saw a White Truck in a stationary position on the right lane of the highway with its front facing a south direction, when traveling a north to south direction. Officers also observed what appeared to be blood stains on the right lane of the road in front of the white truck. Initial investigations revealed that the white truck was traveling a north to south direction on the highway and was being driven at the time by 55 year old Daniel Perez, Belizean driver of Mamey Street, Trial Farm Village. Upon reaching an area between miles 79 & 80 in San Joaquin Village a Hispanic male namely 27 year old Aquilino Moh, Belizean resident of Calcutta Village ran from an east to west direction across the street, as a result the driver applied his brakes but nevertheless the white truck could not come to a halt in time and ended up running into Moh. The impact caused Moh to fall onto the pavement and sustained injuries to his head and a wound to his left foot.
Man Detained For Drug Possession
On Saturday around 3:20pm, police apprehended a 38-year-old Belizean/Guatemalan labourer of August Pine Ridge who was seen throwing a plastic bag as the police approached him. The individual was taken to the area where the bag was thrown and as it was retrieved police saw that it contained several small parcels of suspected crack/cocaine and another small transparent plastic bag containing a large broken parcel of suspected crack/cocaine. The individual was escorted to Orange Walk Police Station along with the drugs which amounted to a total 6.6grams.
San Pedro Police Investigate Case Of Stolen Golf Cart
In crime news from San Pedro Town, police have detained one Guatemalan mechanic for theft and damage to property. According to the report from 40 year old Yasmin Aminet Cano of Pescador Drive San Pedro Town, sometime on Sunday whilst in the company of her common-law husband on their Club Car Golf cart, they proceeded to Sea Weed Street and parked their cart. After about 5 minutes they were alerted that someone had taken their cart. Cano then proceeded to the police station where she saw the cart which was towed in and noticed that the front portion of the cart was extensively damaged. The value of the cart is $15,000.00. Police have detained a 20-year-old Guatemalan mechanic of San Pedrito area San Pedro Town pending investigation.
Missing Person Found To Be In Good Health
Yesterday we told you about a missing teen who left home last week Thursday following an argument with her guardians over a cell phone. And after the news aired of her mother pleading for her safe return, this morning we spoke to the mother of Angelie Guerrero who informed us that she was found in good health. According to the mother, she was staying with an aunt in Corozal and after hearing the news, turned herself in to the authorities in Corozal.
We also told you about a missing person report of 55 year old Reynaldo Chuck who was last seen in the Honey Camp area near the Fresh Water Creek Forest Reserve. Up to news time, authorities say he is still missing but the search continues. Reynaldo Chuck is of clear complexion, 5’ 1" in height, black hair, brown eyes and has a mustache. He was last seen wearing a yellow shirt, grey pants and a pair of black rubber boots.
Police Continues To Crack Down On Illicit Drugs
Despite the peddler’s creative ways in concealing their precious illicit drugs, the police in Placencia village, Stann Creek District, continue to crack down on drug peddlers on the Peninsula. Their latest operation on Wednesday morning, conducted jointly by Special Branch, K9 Unit, the BDF and Placencia police, resulted in the discovery of 377 grams of marijuana and the arrest of two persons.
Based on a tip, 23 year old Randy Chan and 38 year old Barrington Martin have been jointly charged for the crime of drug trafficking. Chan pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $1,000 plus $5 cost of court. The charge was withdrawn from Martin.
O/W Rotaract Observes International Rotaract Week
The members of the Orange Walk Rotaract Club are holding a week of activities to observe International Rotaract Week. Today we caught up with the team at La Inmaculada where they were promoting maternal and child health care with the toddlers at the preschool at that institution.
Jinell Azaeta– Vice President, OW Rotaract Club
“We came to talk about nutrition to the kids and then play games with them and give them a banana and some orange juice but yesterday we were promoting disease prevention and treatment so we had our zumba party at the park and we had two sessions from 5:30 to 6:30 and then in the evening from 6 to 7. We are celebrating our World Rotaract week which started on Monday and it ends on Sunday, tomorrow is world Rotaract day so we are very excited about that and we will be at Solomon Pre-school little heaven and promoting literacy and on Saturday we will be having our Rotaract fair at the Central Park and we will be out there from 6 to 2 and we will be providing free glucose testing for anyone who wants to come out and check their glucose level and we will be having that from 6 until 10 in the morning and we will be having doctors out there for free consultation.”
Corozal Observes Reef Week At Art In The Park
March 9th to 15th is being celebrated as Reef Week. Much can be said about the beauty of Belize’s barrier reef, from breath-taking views and splendour, to its wondrous and colourful species! It is for this reason Oceana Belize is once again highlighting and celebrating this week by creating activities to draw public awareness to one of our greatest natural wonders and the world’s second largest coral reef system. And while each district has its fair share of events, in Corozal, reef lovers are currently making the finishing touches to their park presentation slated for Saturday. Judy Waight is the Field Coordinator for Oceana in Corozal Town.
JUDY WAIGHT – Czl Field Coordinator, OCEANA
“We will be having a booth at Art in the Park on Saturday and we are bringing awareness to the importance of our Barrier Reef and this years’ theme is celebrate our heritage and protect our future, Believe in the Reef and we know that Corozal is a coastal community and in regards to that we know that tourism is our number one industry and one in every four Belizean is employed in the tourism industry being it tour guide, fisherman so we wanted to bring awareness and also to celebrate our barrier reef.”
OWTC Reminds Residence Of Fine If Caught Littering At Central Park
Civic minded residents of Orange Walk have been voicing their discontent via social media about the littering acts that is being seen across Town. The latest looted areas have been the newly inaugurated Central Park where toiletries, food and drink containers are left on the benches. While there are no garbage bins implemented for the park, authorities at Town Council have confirmed that they will be installing the garbage bins by early next week. The public is reminded that if caught littering, you can face a fine of up to 500 dollars and so it is recommended that we all do our part to keep our municipality clean.
Two High Post Employees Of BSI/ASR Placed On Administrative Leave
Two employees who hold high positions at BSI/ASR have been placed on Administrative Leave effective yesterday afternoon. We understand that a few days ago ASR brought in someone from abroad to investigate the matter of a missing transformer worth some $70,000. After the investigation was complete the company brought in a regional recourses manager and that person placed John Gillette, Factory Manager and Jamil Matar, Engineering Manager on Administrative Leave until further notice. Unconfirmed reports are that John Gillette, who has been with the company for more than 40 years did not take the administrative leave too lightly and tendered his resignation this morning.
He was due for retirement in September. We understand though he may have gotten a contract pass his retirement. Matar on the other hand has not taken any action and reports are that the will see through his suspension.
La Inmaculada Pre-School Observes Child Stimulation Months
Child stimulation month has been observed throughout the country since the beginning of March and children still have about two fun packed weeks of activities left to enjoy. All preschools have organized a series of such activities all in an effort to encourage more active learning and have parents and guardians more involved in their learning process. Today, while at the La Inmaculada Infant Division, we spoke with Agnes Valladarez on the school’s program for the month. Today the children were receiving visits from a number of community workers.
Agnes Valladarez – Teacher
“Today we are doing community workers because it is something important for them to know and we started this morning with the Rotaract group they are part of the community and they work with children, they work with people and they came to school today and we have the Traffic Officers and the Nurse and the Firefighters and the policemen who were also invited to come and talk to the children.”
LOVE FM
Children Involve in Pornography Movie; Gordon Address Concerns
We have been getting reports for weeks now that Ladyville police busted a group of persons filming a pornography movie at a house in Ladyville Village, Belize District. The report that we got was that children were involved; we are yet to ascertain in what capacity those children were involved but we do know that children were in the house at the time of the movie was being made. Today, we asked Inspector Gordon about it and he told us that they did do a preliminary investigation and their findings have been forwarded to the Department of Human Services.
INSPECTOR FREDRICK GORDON
“We in Ladyville had received information and we had looked into the information but we did not get anything substantive about the information so we passed on the information to human services to look into the matter.”
End of Legal War? Elvin Penner Case Dismissed
In the recording John Briceno said in the last general elections, Cayo South area representative Julius Espat was in control of the money and kept it to himself instead of spreading it around, costing the PUP at least two seats in the Cayo District. Opposition Leader said the allegation is untrue; Espat also shared his comments.
LEADER OF OPPOSITION, HON. FRANCIS FONSECA
“You have to understand the history of the relationship with John Briceno and I. I came into the People’s United Party because of John Briceno. I served under him from 2009 until 2012 I was his most loyal soldier, I was his treasurer so he knows how I operate he knows how accountable I am and that is why it was disappointing to me with what he said and I requested an apology from him in private and he hasn’t given it to me and therefore I continue requesting an apology but to me it is over meaning I have made my statement, I stand for what I believe in and if he doesn’t want to apologize that is a manly decision of him on his part.”
Espat Says Briceno Should Be Discpline
In the recording John Briceno said in the last general elections, Cayo South area representative Julius Espat was in control of the money and kept it to himself instead of spreading it around, costing the PUP at least two seats in the Cayo District. Opposition Leader said the allegation is untrue; Espat also shared his comments.
LEADER OF OPPOSITION, HON. FRANCIS FONSECA
“You have to understand the history of the relationship with John Briceno and I. I came into the People’s United Party because of John Briceno. I served under him from 2009 until 2012 I was his most loyal soldier, I was his treasurer so he knows how I operate he knows how accountable I am and that is why it was disappointing to me with what he said and I requested an apology from him in private and he hasn’t given it to me and therefore I continue requesting an apology but to me it is over meaning I have made my statement, I stand for what I believe in and if he doesn’t want to apologize that is a manly decision of him on his part.”
J.B Refuses to Speak on Tape; Fonseca Denies Allegations Against PUP
The drama of the secret recording of Orange Walk Central area representative, John Briceno continued today. Prime Minister Dean Barrow read a statement in which he reiterated his party’s position that the PUP needs to respond to Briceno’s comments in which he speaks of corruption within the PUP Government of which he was a part. Briceno has maintained that the conversation was a private one and should never have been released to the public. He stuck to that position when pressed by the media following today’s meeting.
HON. JOHN BRICENO
“In that discussion in many instances that if when you are talking that you would have framed what you were saying differently from what came across on that tape but I am not going to discuss it. I think what is important is to talk about this budget. I mean when you look at the numbers and this is what is very important.”
Proposed National Budget Forecasts Increases in Production of Exports and Tourism
During his proposed budget presentation, Prime Minister Dean Barrow went into the projections for the new fiscal year.
“As it looks ahead into the rest of 2015 the Central Bank of Belize conservatively expects GDP growth to decelerate to between 2% and 2.5%, they feel that the tail winds that drove the 2014 expansions will moderate. I note however that their native caution has been confounded before, in fact just last year they had forecasted under 3% as I have said we did over a full percentage point better than they had estimated. In any case production of the export crop sugar cane, banana, and citrus should continue to increase though by a smaller magnitude than in 2014. Hydro electricity generation has been trending downward recently due to dryer weather and petroleum extraction has been on its inevitable finite decline.
Belize will Keep Rolling with PetroCaribe Funds
Prime Minister Barrow said his Government will continue to take advantage of the Petrocaribe initiative. He said since late 2012 up to February of this year Government has imported 238 million US dollars worth of refined fuel products from Venezuela.
“Under the terms of the agreement which provides for long term financing of a greater or smaller portion of the costs of these imports depending on the world market prices, the government of Belize has borrowed from Acbell a total of $143 million USD during the same period. The main terms and conditions under which these funds were borrowed I repeat include a rate of interest of only 1% per anum and a repayment term of 25 years inclusive of a 2 year grace period. During this grace period the interest itself is capitalized. Because this grace period is still in effect GOB has not so far had to make any debt payments neither principal or interest on these loans but commencing this year interest and repayment will begin to fall due.
PM Says Infrastructural Overhaul Led to Spending Above Budgeted Figures
Barrow said the development expenditure increased by almost 69 million dollars above the budgeted figures.
“This huge rise in development expenditure was a result of the government’s decided and deliberate policy to invest massively in infrastructure particularly in upgrading streets and drains in Belize City, Belmopan city and all district towns. Also on the social side we considered it an imperative to provide access through the national bank to lower cost financing for mortgage lending, All this as part of our new compact with our citizens the totality of which is aimed at advancing growth, increasing employment and taking Belizeans to a better place. In bulking up the capital spending there was an outlay of $33 million dollars on road rehabilitation countrywide.
2014/2015 - Barrow Says Was A Part of UDP’s Infrastructural Overhaul of Belize
The 2015/2016 budget was presented today. Prime Minister Dean Barrow made the presentation of his eighth budget, this one under the theme of “Continuing the transformation”. The Prime Minister began with a review of the last fiscal year.
“For fiscal year 2014-2015, the Central Government is projecting a primary deficit of $50 million dollar equivalent of 1.5% of GDP and an overall deficit of $141 million dollars or 4.1% of GDP. The projected primary deficit cannot escape the scrutiny provoked by its comparison with the budgeted surplus of 1.1% of GDP and in that same vain the projected overall deficit is almost 2.5% in response greater than the initial estimate of negative 1.6% of GDP. Of course there is a reason for this and that reason simply is that the UDP political directorate is unrelenting in its mission and that mission we are happy to tell the world is to infrastructurally overhaul our country.
Fonseca Says PM Should Bring Evidence or Shut His Mouth
As we mentioned earlier, Prime Minister Dean Barrow insists that the allegations made by John Briceno needs to be addressed by the leadership of the People’s United Party. Opposition leader Francis Fonseca disagrees, saying, the matters addressed in the recording have been well ventilated in the public domain for a number years.
FRANCIS FONSECA
“The issues discussed on that tape have been widely and publicly ventilated for many years; all of those issues you, yourself have asked the former Prime Minister many questions about many of those issues over the years. So, it is all political grandstanding, public political posturing and rhetoric. I have said to the Prime Minster he has been the Prime Minister of Belize for almost eight years he is completing seven years if there is any evidence of corruption bring it to the Belize people or shut your mouth. That is my response to him, deal with the hotbed of corruption that he talks about in his government; the corruption that is taking place in almost every ministerial department in his government; talk about that, deal with that; that is what the Belizean public wants him to deal with.”
PlusTV
Reward for recovery of Rotarian passport
The Rotary Club of Dangriga has reported that the Passports of Wendy Andrew and Joyce Fofonoff who are two of the five members team of Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Edmonton, Canada were stolen from the Pals Guest House on Thursday 12 March 2015...
Custom broker charged with wounding friend
A woman who tried to stop an argument at her house on Thursday wound up with a split lip for her efforts. Today, the man who slapped her appeared in court. Custom broker Jason Bernard of Handyside Street pleaded not guilty to a charge of wounding before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer...
Mother of three charged for weed at police station
A 29 year old mother of three went to the police station on Thursday to report assault by her common-law husband who she said punched her, but she wound up in trouble instead. Gania Robateau removed 3...
Man pleads guilty for drug bust in front of Magistrate’s Court
A senior citizen was busted in Belize City in July of 2012 for drug and traffic offences, and today his case wrapped up with a plea of guilty to a charge of drug trafficking. 52 year old Fred Buckley must pay a fine of $10,000 by June 30 or he will serve three years in prison...
COLA appeal against Elvin Penner dismissed in Supreme Court
Two weeks ago, at the conclusion of the hearing of the appeal of Geovannie Brackett and Nedal McLaren against the decision of Magistrate Aretha Ford to throw out summary charges against Cayo Northeast area representative Elvin Penner related to his facilitating a passport and Belizean nationality fo...
Man shot in the leg by cops
Around the same time in Belize City, another person was shot. According to police reports, they received information of shots fired on Central American Blvd...
Drive by shooting in Ladyville; man in critical condition
Two persons were shot last night, Thursday March 12, one in Ladyville and the other in Belize City...
Patrick Jones
New San Ignacio/Santa Elena town council officially takes office
The new San Ignacio/Santa Elena town council officially took office today, Monday, March 16. Mayor Earl Trapp and his councilors were sworn in during a short ceremony held on Sunday afternoon at the Cayo Welcome Center by Senior Justice of the Peace Elulogio Cano. Prior to the start of the […]
Submersible vessel stuck on the Belize Barrier causing major damage
The Belize Barrier Reef is taking a pounding … literally. A 12 feet long by 6 feet wide deep water submersible was spotted last week about six miles north of San Pedro town in an area known as Mexico Rocks. According to Oceana Belize, late last week it undertook an […]
Visiting African caught with dead man’s passport
A native of Cameroon in West Africa must pay a fine after pleading guilty to illegal use of a document, specifically a Honduran passport whose bearer is dead. 45 year old Emmanuel Nguemowuo arrived at the Philip Goldson International Airport in Ladyville via a flight from Honduras, but […]
Jervis Valencia charged for murder
The March 5 murder of Moses Gonguez on Mayflower Street disrupted the peace of election night. Initially police thought they had killed the man who reportedly shot him, 32 year old Jervis Diamond Valencia, as he was shot in the forehead, arm and chest; but he survived his […]
Woman charged for stabbing “obsessed” assailant
A mother of 3 residing in Mahogany Heights, Belize District, is accused of grievous harm despite claims she defended herself from a man she says was obsessed with her, although they do not have a relationship. 24 year old Shannon Smith was read her charges before Chief Magistrate […]
Belize: A Post Election View From Under The Bus
By Richard Harrison Municipal elections in Belize are held every three years and were scheduled for March 4, 2015. General elections to elect members of the House of Representatives are held every five years and must be held by March 2017, but can be called by the Prime Minister at any time before then, with […]
Jury acquits man of murder charge
A jury of 8 men and 4 women deliberated for a little over 4 hours today in the court of Justice John Gonzalez before it found Kenneth Dobson, aka “Fudgie”, not guilty of the murder of Erwin Staine. Staine was shot multiple times in the left side of […]
One World Running annual Fun Run to be held on Wednesday
Preparations are well underway for this year’s One World Fun Run. The annual event will be held on Wednesday morning starting at 6 o’clock from the Punta Gorda Central Park. Over a thousand students from Primary School to the University of Belize are expected to take part in […]
Dateline NBC Is Back in Belize For An Update on John McAfee – Ugh
“Dateline – Belize: The Real Blacklist” – the commercials/previews are already showing on NBC for the update on John McAfee and his time in Belize. And the NBC crew has been on the island this past weekend to film parts of the updated episode that will be airing this Thursday. For those who missed the first episodes, they aired on NBC and the show “Dateline” just over 2 years ago…
Update on John McAfee: He is still batshit crazy and DYING for attention.
Sigh…I hate to even post on this but I’ve been getting quite a few messages about the commercials that are playing on NBC. I guess we have to wait until then. Thursday night 8pm ET – 6pm in Belize.
The hidden force in global economics: sending money home
Last year there was huge debates about what Belizeans in the Diaspora do for the motherland and the people there. Some asked in news papers "What have you done for me lately?" others pointed to other things, but mostly the concept was insinuating that the Diaspora does not do much for the nation.
There was one ignorant fellow that made the remark in public forum that:
In 2013, the Central Bank of Belize reported that remittances were $72.2 million or about 2.23% of our gross domestic product (GDP). Economists will tell you that any activity generating 2.23% of GDP is not insignificant in-and-of-itself. However, given the nature of remittances, we can discount its overall importance to the economy. In essence, we can take it for granted because remittances are not so susceptible to exogenous shocks.
Basically saying that the money sent home by Diasporans does not make a difference for Belize and Belizeans that receive these funding, and mind you this is only monies that went through the Western Unions, Wire Transfers and other expensive and traceable means, this does not include monies that go directly to pay bills using a diaspora family member’s credit card or monies sent with a trusted friend or wrapped up in a parcel, etc. To add to that you have to think about donations made in the form of items like computers to schools, clothes and food drives held in the Diaspora that get sent for those that need, and other such things.
Puerto Rican Pasteles/Tamales Puertorriqueños
Puerto Rican Pastales are somewhat similar to Belizean Tamales except it's made with green plantains instead of corn. This is a very dense dish, but very delicious. I also show you in 3 minutes or less how to make Belizean Tamales.
On Ambergris Caye: A quiet week, crime-wise — but have you heard about the Cynk stink?
It has been a quiet week in San Pedro, my home town, where the coffee is strong, the barrier reef is good looking and the weather is above average.
My apologies to Garrison Keillor and “Prairie Home Companion.”
But it has been quiet and I think a thank you to the Government of Belize for its quick response to a bad situation might be due. When a drug related turf war flared up and innocent children were caught in the crossfire, enforcement came down on the island like a hammer.
Here is Channel 5’s report on the initial actions taken by police.
I don’t know enough about the local players to comment but this seems significant.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow recently released a statement in which he ordered expanded enforcement support for Ambergris Caye, where loss of tourism could dig a deep hole in the country’s revenue base.
The March 15th, 2015 issue of The STAR (Cayo) is online HERE
This Week's Stories:
- DRUG TRAFFICKER BUSTED:
The Police from the Crimes
Investigation Branch and the Special
Branch are cracking down on drug
peddlers in the twin towns of San
Ignacio and Santa Elena.
Their latest bust was on Tuesday,
10 March, based on the information
they received of a cream Geo Prism
with taxi licenses plate BVO-00289.
Police acted swiftly and intercepted
the vehicle between mile 68 and 69,
right in front of the Inglewood
Camping Grounds.
There were four occupants
including, a male driver and three
women passengers. All occupants
were ordered out of the vehicle with their belongings. Police then
conducted a search on each individual
however nothing incriminating was
found on the occupants except for one
of the female occupants, whom
police found as Merikita Castillo,
28 year old domestic of Belize City.
Castillo had a grey crochet bag in
her hand. Upon searching the bag
police found a dark blue Everest
school bag what contained some
clothes, cosmetics, personal
documents, a clack plastic bag and a
transparent Miltex plastic bag.
Further search of the black plastic
bag, led to the discovery of green leafy
substance suspected to be marijuana.
- Teenager Drowns
In The Mopan River:
A third-form student of Eden
High School in Benque Viejo Del
Carmen drowned in the Mopan
River on Sunday while swimming
with friends.
Family members believe that
seventeen year old Michael
Quintanilla caught a cramp while
attempting to cross the river.
They got the call at around four
Sunday evening, after his friends had
tried unsuccessfully to save him.
Police was call immediately after, and
upon arrival found Quintanilla’s
lifeless body on the bank of the Mopan
River.
The body was transferred to the
San Ignacio Hospital where he was
pronounced dead on arrival.
Father of Deceased, Alfredo
Quintanilla, said that he was told by the father of one of the kids
that they had lunch a couple of
minutes before taking a dip in the
in the Mopan river and upon
swimming across, Michael,
unfortunately did not make it.
- The Belize Natural Energy Charitable Trust Signs An Agreement
With The Belize Enterprise For Sustainable Technology To Serve
As Implementing Agent Of The Trust’s Student Loan Programme:
The BELIZE Natural Energy
Charitable Trust (BNECT) today
signed an Agreement with the Belize
Enterprise for Sustainable Technology
(BEST) to expand the Trust’s
Student Loan Program to the
underserved areas of the Cayo and
Belize Districts. The initial investment
of $350,000 will be made available
to BEST in two tranches of $175,000
each. The overall objective of the
partnership is to create a revolving
fund to provide loans for Belizean
students attending or planning to
attend Belizean educational institutions of secondary, tertiary and
vocational designation, accredited by
the Ministry of Education.
The BELIZE Natural Energy
Charitable Trust shares the same
agenda of our partners and envisions
this collaboration as a joint effort to
empower and uplift Belizeans so
that they can become the conscious
architects of their own future.
- La Ruta Maya River Challenge 2015:
The 2015 La Ruta Maya took
center stage in the Jewel over the
Baron Bliss weekend. At the start of
the 4th and final stage of this canoe
race, were 50 vessels afloat on the
calm of the Belize or Old River at
Henderson Bank in Burrell Boom
Village, the starting signal brings an
outburst of unrestrained energy as the
competition comes to life.
At Lord’s Bank, OCEANA
Wavemakers display their intention to
make it 2 stage wins in a row with the
overall victory mathematically; almost
inaccessibly grabbing the 2nd premie
en route to Belize City. Behind them,
the 2 real challengers for the 2015 title
B.T.L. Cobb’s Arm and NICH
continue to bitter struggle for
supremacy as NICH boasts only a 2
second lead over the Corozal based
team that has displayed a tremendous
improvement in a year’s time.
- Cayo Western Ballaz Survived A
Scare Versus Belize City No Limit:
On Friday night, Cayo Western
Ballaz(5-0) hosted the Belize City No
Limit(1-4) team at the Sacred Heart
College Auditorium in San Ignacio
Town, as they tried to keep their
record unblemished.
However, the visiting team jumped
out to an early 8 - 0 start, taking a 5
point lead into the half.
With 3 minutes to go, Cayo
Western Ballaz was nursing a 6
point lead, but they were able to
pull out the 64 - 57 victory at home,
to remain undefeated. The home
team was led by Richard Troyer
who scored 27 points, and had 4
rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists.
Giovanni Lennan had 9 points
with 12 rebounds, while Akeem
Watters finished with 8 points
and 7 rebounds. Kurt "Chengo"
Burgess scored 7 point and finished with the game high 19
rebounds.
- Inaguration Of The Rotary Park:
The renovated Rotary Park,
complete with new playground
equipment, was officially inaugurated
Today.
Members of the San Ignacio
Rotary Club, with assistance from the
Rotaract Clubs of San Ignacio and
Benque Viejo del Carmen, spent the
long holiday weekend working
alongside members of the Rotary
Club of Jasper, Canada to complete
the installation of the new
equipment.
The installation included see-saw,
swing-set, a circular slide and monkey-bars.
The sound of excited children at
play filled the park on a bright, sunny
afternoon, following the official
speeches and ribbon-cutting.
Guest speaker at the inauguration
was Mayor-designate of San Ignacio/
Santa Elena, Earl Trapp.
- ELECTIONS AND BOUNDARIES DEPARTMENT
MUNICIPAL ELECTION OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Herpes Zoster:
Herpes zoster (or simply zoster),
commonly known as shingles and also
known as zona, is a viral disease
characterized by a painful skin rash
with blisters in a limited area on one
side of the body (left or right), often
in a stripe. The initial infection with
varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes
the acute, short-lived illness
chickenpox which generally occurs in
children and young adults. Once an
episode of chickenpox has resolved,
the virus is not eliminated from the
body and can go on to cause herpes
zoster often many years after the
initial infection. Herpes zoster is not
the same disease as herpes simplex,
despite the name similarity; both the
varicella zoster virus and herpes
simplex virus belong to the same viral
subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae.
After the initial episode of
chickenpox resolves, the varicella
zoster virus remains latent in the nerve
cell bodies and, less frequently, the
non-neuronal satellite cells of the
dorsal root, cranial nerve or
autonomic ganglia, without causing
any symptoms.
- Tourist Killed By Whale Crashing Into Boat Off Mexico:
A grey whale (Eschrichtius
robustus) dives into the Ojo de
Liebre Lagoon in Mexico on 3 March,
2015.
A record number of grey whales has
been spotted off the Mexican coast
this season
A Canadian woman died after a
grey whale crashed into the tourist
boat she was on off Mexico's Pacific
coast.
The woman had been snorkelling
off the north-western resort of Cabo
San Lucas.
The exact circumstances of the
incident are unclear. Firefighters say
the whale jumped up and landed on
the boat, throwing the victim into the
water.
But the tour company said the
woman was injured when the captain
had to make a sudden turn to avoid
the surfacing whale, which hit one side
of the boat.
She later died in hospital. Two other
people were also injured.
A grey whale (Eschrichtius
robustus) emerges from the waters
of the Ojo de Liebre Lagoon on 3
March, 2015.
Grey whales breed and nurse their
calves in the lagoons and bays.
- Mexican Mayoral Candidate Murdered:
The decapitated body of a
politician has been found in one of
Mexico's most violent states,
Guerrero, where she had been
standing for mayor in June's elections.
Aide Nava's body was discovered
on a road near the state capital,
Chilpancingo. She had been
kidnapped on Tuesday.
A note near her body threatened
the same treatment for other
politicians.
Violence in Guerrero has cast doubt
over polls scheduled there for June.
The note near Aide Nava's body
said if politicians did not "fall into
line" they would be executed.
It was signed by Los Rojos, one of
the main criminal groups in the state.
Last year Aide Nava's son was
kidnapped and has never been found.
Her husband, a former mayor, was
also murdered.
- STAR Humor
- Your Weekly Horoscope and Lucky Numbers
- Letters to the Editor
- Public Notices
International Sources
Avanti Destinations Expands Belize Offerings in Response to Demand
Avanti Destinations, a specialist in independent travel programs for Latin American and Europe, expanded its offerings for Belize after seeing a 22 percent increase in bookings to the Central American-Caribbean destination.
“Belize is a natural for romance travel,” said Dalgaard, “and a logical first destination in Central and South America, particularly because of the fact that English is the official language. Clients may come to Belize for a beach vacation to snorkel and dive along the reef, but the Maya ruins, rainforest, and wildlife soon get them hooked on exploring more of Latin America.”
Romance on the Reef is a six-day/five-night package based at Portofino Resort, which has a reputation for having the best restaurant on Ambergris Caye. The package includes a couple’s massage, a candlight dinner and champagne. It starts at $1,729 per person.
The KKK's 'most violent' Imperial Wizard pictured for the first time since he vanished from America in 1984
A former Imperial Wizard of infamous 'white supremacy' group Ku Klux Klan is living on a paradise island in Belize - among the very race of people he fought to segregate, Daily Mail Online can reveal.
Bill Wilkinson owns a multi-million dollar holiday resort in San Pedro town on picturesque Ambergris Caye.
The small island – a former British colony which imported thousands of African slaves in the 18th Century - has a mainly Black and Mayan population. Belize overall has only a few thousand white English speakers.
Wilkinson, 72, from Denham, Louisiana was reviled across America when he served as Imperial Wizard of the Invisible Empire of the Knights of the KKK from 1975 to 1984.
He had established a breakaway group of David Duke's Knights of the Ku Klux Klan to rival the original, and grew a reputation with the FBI as the most 'violent' and 'dangerous' KKK movement.
Dateline NBC television show will feature an update on the John McAfee story
NBC's crew is currently in Belize gathering information & video for their latest segment.
McAfee was named a a person of interest by police in their investigation into the murder of Gregory Faull. According to NBC reps, the segment should air either this week or next.
In 2013, NBC did a 12 part series entitled "Trouble in Paradise" on the McAfee story. You can see those videos here.
Travel the World: Visiting Belize and the rich Mayan culture
Tonight on the CommDiginews Hour Travel the World we continue our tour of Central America with a tour of Belize. Geographically situated south of Mexico with Guatemala to the west and south, Belize is the only country in Central America whose official language is English.
The Mayan civilization dates to about 1500 BC and thrived until about 900 AD before it suddenly disappeared; Modern Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, gained its independence in 1981. The influence of the British on the schools and the world feel of this tiny county combined with the depth of the Mayan culture creates a diverse community with many cultures, including a strong Amish influence.
Feds to Crack Down on Seafood Fraud and Illegal Fishing
Today, the United States federal government announced its final plans to crack down on seafood fraud and illegal fishing at Seafood Expo North America in Boston. The announcement, which came from a presidential task force created in June, reaffirms President Obama’s commitment to stop these crimes that provide profits to pirate fishermen, rip off consumers and hinder ocean conservation.
Since 2011, Oceana has worked to stop seafood fraud and ensure that all seafood sold in the U.S. is safe, legally caught and honestly labeled. In 2014, Oceana released a study revealing that America’s favorite seafood – shrimp – was misrepresented in 30 percent of the 143 products tested. In a similar study in 2013, Oceana found that 33 percent of the more than 1,200 fish samples it tested nationwide were mislabeled, according to Food and Drug Administration guidelines. Seafood fraud not only cheats consumers, but can also impact public health and global ocean conservation by allowing illegally caught fish to be sold in the legal marketplace.
The beautiful bugs of Belize
Thomas Shahan is an Oregon-based artist and macro-photographer who specialises in high-magnification photography. He is the imaging specialist for the Oregon Department of Agriculture's entomology lab.
For the past two years, Thomas has been teaching at macro photography workshops in Belize, and he took these stunning photographs during those trips.
Most tourists visit the country for the clear tropical waters off the coast, but inland Belize includes deep jungle habitats with incredible biodiversity and an enormous amount of arthropod life.
Thomas tells BBC Earth, “I find the seemingly endless diversity and beauty of arthropods fascinating. It's like exploring another world full of alien life forms.
"Arthropods are often feared, misunderstood, or labelled as pests – unjustly – despite the pivotal role they play in the Earth's ecosystems. They are certainly more beneficial to the planet than we are as a species.”
He goes on “By taking portraits and details of their beauty and anthropomorphic qualities - I hope to elevate repulsion to reverence. Bugs are beautiful and people should know.”
Live in Caribbean Belize for $60 a Day or Less
Lots of expats are already living their dream Caribbean lifestyle… Taking leisurely walks along the coast, cooled by the enticing Caribbean breeze…swimming and snorkeling in the living aquarium of the Caribbean Sea…feasting on fresh fruits, seafood and lobster…indulging in afternoon catnaps in a comfy hammock…meeting friends for a fresh catch lunch at a seaside café…
Here’s the good news—this idyllic Caribbean lifestyle is still possible for those with a decent Social Security income—if they know where to settle, and how to cut corners… Financially savvy expats are enjoying this enviable lifestyle on $60 a day, or less. Many expats choose to spend more…but plenty get by on less. It’s a matter of making lifestyle choices that fit within your individual budget.
Belize has garnered significant tourism attention during the last few years, especially for the highly popular cayes. It is, of course, more costly to live in the most desirable regions frequented by tourists—the cayes and the Placencia Peninsula. (The cost of living on the Placencia Peninsula is now comparable to the cost of living on Ambergris Caye.) And yet there are expats who insist they have been living a comfortable, quality lifestyle in these popular regions, but on an affordable budget…
Videos
Different areas to live in Belize if you are looking to move !!, 14min. by Macarena Rose. Belize Real Estate is more than looking for houses in Belize for sale. Belize real estate for sale is about WHERE to move to in Belize,how to retire in Belize, how to rent in Belize, how to find Belize properties for sale and how to find a Certified International REALTOR in Belize. Belize has islands for sale, Belize has condos for sale and yet mainly Belize is the number one choice for retirees as it English speaking and is easy to get to. So Belize is Easy to do.
The Explorers - Lionfish hunting and night diving at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, 3min. Georgia Tech researchers traveled to the Carrie Bow Cay field station in Belize for the coral spawning season. The team's goal was to collect coral larvae for their research. While there, they helped rid the reef of invasive lionfish.
The Explorers - Collecting coral larvae in Belize, 2min. Danielle Dixson, an assistant professor at Georgia Tech, and team collect and study coral larvae at Carrie Bow Cay Field Station
Transiting Through the Barrier Reef Off the Coast of Belize, 1/2min. Transiting through a barrier reef can be stressful even if it has a dredged channel. Can you be sure all the navigational markers are in place and are they lit at night? Watch as a ship with a FarSounder-1000 exits the barrier reef off the coast of Belize. This was a dark night with quite a bit of chop
To Belize and Back 2015, 7.5min.
Healthy People, Beautiful Life: Maya Healers of Belize, 47min.
This is the story of the members of the Maya Healers' Association of Belize, a group of Q'eqchi' and Mopan healers in the Toledo District who have come together to form an association to promote their work and correct the false understanding that many have of their dedication, training and healing knowledge. In this film, the healers speak freely of the challenges they face as they seek to help their people, and they demonstrate various aspects of their medical and spiritual practice.
The film is in the Q'eqchi' and Mopan languages with English subtitles.
Belize Dive Trip 2015 5 (2), 6.5min.
March 16, 2015
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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
Police Report
*On Friday, March 6th, a joint Belize City Police and San Pedro Police operation was conducted at the residence of 51-year-old Peter Moses “Campos” Hernandez in the San Juan Area. Also present during the time of the search were 26-year-old Marciana Susana Campus 26 years, 23-year-old Teresita Jessely Cordova, 48-year-old Guadalupe Gonzalez, 42-year-old Victor Vasquez, 52-year-old John Arana, 30-year-old Michael “Zetaz” Edwards, 27-year-old Juan Gomez, 44-year-old Laura Trapp and 25-year-old Pedro Campus. *On Saturday, March 7th, at about 1:30PM while joint Belize City and San Pedro Police were on Motorcycle patrol on Seagrape Street, they stopped and searched 35-year-old Rudy Rodriguez which led to the discovery of 4.0 grams of suspected Cannabis. He was formally arrested and charged for “Possession of Controlled Drugs”.
Wolfe’s Woofer: Get Rich Quick
Dennis-Wolfe-Wolfes-Woofers“Look at this” I said to Charlie, handing him a broken piece of Mayan pottery.
“What is it?”
“It’s one of those little three legged Mayan dishes. I thought was a copy and I carried it around with the musical equipment for Sherry to use as an ashtray. Last week we were playing at Fido’s and a tourist offered me $600 U.S. for it.”
“It’s real?”
“Sure enough. I didn’t sell it because I thought I might get more for it from another tourist. When we were packing up the equipment that night it slipped out or my hand and cracked right down the middle. Now, it’s worthless.”
San Pedro Lions Make Plans for Annual Pancake Breakfast with the Easter Bunny
On the Saturday before Easter the San Pedro Lions International Club hosts a Pancake Breakfast with the Easter Bunny. The annual family event is enjoyed by locals and tourists alike, who partake in the fun filed morning of food, games, activities and of course the Easter Bunny. The brunch includes pancakes, sausage, a slice of orange and juice. Children especially enjoy the topping table where they can pile their pancakes high with the likes of chocolate syrup, Nuttela, sprinkles, butter, strawberry jam, shredded coconut, cheese and maple syrup. Some kids pick them all! The Easter Bunny is there to entertain and pose for photos. Activities include coloring, bobbing for Easter Eggs, face painting, Egg in Spoon races and a special craft making table. This year the family event will be held on Saturday, April 4th from 9AM until noon at the Lions Den. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under, and children under the age of 2 are free.
Doctor Love: Stepmother
Dear Doctor Love,
My husband has three grown children by his first wife. Since we married ten years ago his children treated me like some kind of fool. I did not like it but I put up with it out of respect for my husband and because they were still young. Now they are in their twenties and they treat me even worse. They invite themselves and their families over for dinner through their father. I never know until the last minute but I am expected to cook for as many as twelve people when they all show up with their children. They never bother to help clean up. They also expect me and their father to baby sit without giving us any notice.
Misc Belizean Sources
Passing of Don Gush
oday's event scheduled on Four Mile Lagoon regarding the Northern Territorial Volunteers has been postponed due to the passing away of "Don Gush" as he was affectionately called. We extend our deepest and sincere condolences to Mrs. Emy Gilharry Ramirez and her family in their moment of grief.
AMBASSADOR ADALBERT 'BERT' TUCKER: BELIZE'S MADEBA, PATRIOT & INTERNATIONAL STATESMAN!
It is only a few Belizeans, or may be none at all, that has held the international stature of Belizean revolutionary Adalbert 'Bert' Tucker. His incredible body of work as an economist with a progressive philosophy for development is hardly shared, not even by the government for which he worked for, in the last days of his life.
As a matter of fact, the United Democratic Party (UDP) government Prime Minister, Dean Barrow, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wlifred 'Sedi' Elrington for which he became their loyal Ambassador of Trade, the Caribbean and Africa, did not even attend his funeral.
But the international recognition of which this man has received, from the shores of the Caribbean and Latin America, to the continent of Africa, because of his work with the United Nations in the 1980's in sustainable development, has brought a deep respect for Belize and Belizeans.
This feature highlights a ceremony honoring a street in his name, in Belize's capital city, Belmopan, by the embassy of the Bolivian Republic of Venezuela to Belize of which Tucker worked tirelessly with, to secure Venezuelan medical, financial, and oil aid to the struggling economy of Belize, and of which he was a personal friend of the late Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez.
National Park rangers are sworn in
Eleven Chiquibul National Park rangers are successfully sworn in as special constables on the 14th of March by officers of the Belize Police Academy. PACT funds made this training possible.
The Reporter
Dale Cayetano is Belize’s new Director of Family Court
Effective April 1, 2015, Magistrate Dale Cayetano will be the Director of the Belize Family Court, after the department has been out of a director for almost two years since the former Director, Margaret Nicholas left the post.
The Judicial Legal Service Commission appointed Cayetano, 49, to the post. He is currently the magistrate for Court #4, working under the directives of Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith.
Magistrate Dale Cayetano was first a messnger and worked his way up to become a Second Class Clerk, then a First Class Clerk, until he made it to the position of Clerk of Court at the Belize Family Court and most recently, a Magistrate at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court.
Dr. Carla Barnett endorsed
Hundreds of United Democratic Party supporters occupied the Guava Park in Belama this afternoon for the endorsement convention of Dr. Carla Barnett.
Barnett, who has been chosen as the party’s standard bearer for the Freetown division of Belize City, was flanked by party leader Dean Barrow, area representative for Collet Patrick Faber, and Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley.
Area representative for Belmopan, John Saldivar also gave a brief speech of endorsement to Barnett.
Barnett, who has no political ventures prior to her endorsement, will run against People’s Unite Party leader and Freetown standard bearer, Francis Fonseca.
Teachers’ pay going up again
Teachers and public officers can expect another pay increase in the upcoming financial year, Prime Minister Dean Barrow said during the presentation of the national budget.
Barrow explained at the meeting of the House of Representatives that under the salary adjustment framework, government has allocated $20 million for pay raise for teachers and public officers; however the figure is subject to change.
“And as a place-holder only, we have allocated the sum of $20 million in the Capital II Program to fund the raise of pay. This translates into at least a 4 percent jump for these GOB employees, and it is on top of last year’s 6 percent. And although it may end up being a little more or a little less depending on the final recurrent figure,” Barrow said.
Puerto Rico takes new approach to child obesity
To address the high prevalence of child obesity, Puerto Rican Senator Gilbert Rodriguez Valle introduced a bill which could have the parents of obesed children fined.
The bill, which was introduced on Wednesday, would subject parents to a fine if their child’s obesity could be determined as a form of parental neglect.
The proposed bill outlined a system where once obesed children are identified and the education authority would educate parents on the consequences.
Afterwards the the health department would work with the parents on a plan for the child to lose weight. If the child’s condition does not improve within six months, child and family services would be contacted, and if the situation persists after their involvement, parents could face a US $800 fine.
Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala stands a good chance to be elected ASG to OAS
Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala, Nestor Mendez is likely to be elected as the next Assistant Secretary General to the Organization of American States (OAS) in a contest between himself and Guyana’s Ambassador to that organization, Bayney Karran.
Ambassador Mendez’ bid for the high office comes with support from Belize’s government and a number of his peers at the OAS, whose members will vote on Wednesday.
In sharp contrast, Guatemala’s former President and representative at the OAS, Eduardo Stein, had submitted his name to run for the post of Secretary General. The Reporter has learned however, that Stein’s counterpart in the bid, Uruguayan Foreign Minister, Luis Almagro, will assume the position by acclamation after Stein’s submission was withdrawn.
Belize’s River of Sand
Imagine lounging on your deck, a book on your lap and a cocktail in your hand. Just steps away, turquoise waters slip gently up onto the coral-grain sand. Overhead palms rustle and pelicans flap their long wings. There is a gentle breeze blowing and all of a sudden you notice a shadow in the water offshore, causing a distinct color difference between masses of water. At first you think it is a cloud over head that is causing the shadow. But you then observe that the sky is clear above you. I experienced this scenario and when I saw the shadow I had to find out what was going on in the waters off the beach. So I launched my 15 foot skiff and motored out to what appeared to be the color changes in the water, about 300 yards (3 football fields) offshore.
What the shadow turned out to be was a stretch of surface seawater that was murky brown with muddy sediments in contrast to the surrounding seawater that was sky blue in color. This murky water spread up and down parallel with the coast and was about 100 yards across with blue water on the inner and outer surface waters surrounding the “plume”. I could not tell how long the plume of sediment water was but it stretched parallel to the coast as far as I could see in both directions. I could only describe it as a “river of sand” in the waters off my beach in Belize.
Moments in San Pedro, Belize Over This Past Week
The weather this week has been pretty gorgeous on Ambergris Caye. The municipal elections are over (phew!), the sargasso algae/seaweed is at an all-time high level and, as usual, there is plenty going on to keep me busy in San Pedro. Here are some pictures from around the island. If you run into me anywhere and I am not taking pictures, something might be wrong.
The weather on Wednesday afternoon from the Rojo Beach Bar dock. No filter. The sky and sea at its bluest.
My friend Bubba who lives on the sidewalk near my home. A wish willy (not an iguana), he’ll eat just about anything. But he enjoy some bananas if I remember to bring one home.
International Sources
Giant stingray caught in Thailand
Jeff Corwin, nature conservationist and host of ABC's Ocean Mysteries, caught a 14- by 8-foot pregnant stingray in Thailand recently.
"It was an incredible moment of adventure and science," Corwin told USA TODAY Network. "Multiple people were on the rod and reel trying to pull this monster in," he said, adding that it took two hours to secure the fish.
The stingray, caught on March 6, weighed between 600 to 800 pounds and may set a world record, he said.
Corwin was on location filming an upcoming episode of Ocean Mysteries along with veterinarian Nantarika Chansue, an expert on stingrays who has been studying them in the region.
Car-Size Stingray May Be World’s Largest Freshwater Fish
Scientists working in Thailand’s Mae Klong River made a big find last week: an enormous stingray that they think is a contender for the largest freshwater fish ever documented by researchers.
The ray was caught and released in about 65 feet (20 meters) of water in the Amphawa District, about an hour outside Bangkok.
Nantarika Chansue, a veterinarian and professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, helped catch and measure what she calls the “big one.” The ray (Himantura polylepis or H. chaophraya) was 7.9 feet (2.4 meters) across and 14 feet (4.3 meters) long and weighed an estimated 700 to 800 pounds (318 to 363 kilograms), she said via e-mail.
The team was unable to get an exact weight because “it's really hard to weigh these things without hurting them, because they are such big, awkward animals,” says Zeb Hogan, a National Geographic fellow and a professor of biology at the University of Nevada, Reno.
FASTEST GROWING CARIBBEAN DESTINATION? TURKS AND CAICOS
Out of all the Caribbean countries Turks & Caicos was, by far, the most prolific of them in terms of visitor arrivals in 2014. The Turks and Caicos Tourist Board (TCTB) reported a growth in arrivals of 31.6 percent compared to the year 2013.
Precise data shows that 971,838 tourists arrived by way of cruise-ship at the Grand Turk Cruise Center while 435,475 visitors landed at the Providenciales International Airport. The two figures put together make for a total of 1,407,313 travelers hosted by the Turks & Caicos in 2014.
In regards to arrivals by way of cruise ship, Turks & Caicos ranked fourth out of 28 Caribbean destinations in 2014 with an increase of 24.8 percent. It trails after Trinidad & Tobago, with a 30.1 percent growth, Belize with 42.6 percent and Martinique with the largest increase of them all, 71.3 percent.
Four Of The Best Caribbean Islands In Central America
Turquoise blue water, white sand, palms swaying in the breeze, and a cold drink in hand…it’s the setting for a new life on one of Central America’s picture perfect Caribbean islands. In a place like this, the cares of the world melt away and you are very much on island time. And while they might be vacation destinations for most, those seeking a laidback retreat for long-term living, especially those into boating, scuba diving, fishing, and other watersports can find their haven as well. Modern conveniences are available even as you enjoy a simpler life.
Ambergris Caye has been Belize’s top tourism destination for decades, with the first visitors, like in Roatán, drawn to the quick boat ride to the Mesoamerican Reef it offered. Expats soon followed. The main population center, San Pedro, has the small airport for flights from the mainland, water taxi landings, and a plethora of hotels, resorts, restaurants, shops, boutiques and more. It’s buzzing with activity.
There’s nothing better than listening to an acoustic guitar virtuoso in the evening at one of the many beach bars that sit at the waterfront…or to sit on the water at the end of a dock and watch the boats go by.
To the south and north of San Pedro you find mostly residential development, including beachfront homes and condos. Expats are drawn here because Belize is English-speaking (thanks to its past as a British colony) and there are plenty of modern amenities, although prices, like with many islands, can be higher due to the cost of bringing over items by barge.
Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants?
In the lexicon of human migration there are still hierarchical words, created with the purpose of putting white people above everyone else. One of those remnants is the word “expat”.
What is an expat? And who is an expat? According to Wikipedia, “an expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person’s upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex (‘out of’) and patria (‘country, fatherland’)”.
Defined that way, you should expect that any person going to work outside of his or her country for a period of time would be an expat, regardless of his skin colour or country. But that is not the case in reality; expat is a term reserved exclusively for western white people going to work abroad.
Africans are immigrants. Arabs are immigrants. Asians are immigrants. However, Europeans are expats because they can’t be at the same level as other ethnicities. They are superior. Immigrants is a term set aside for ‘inferior races’.
Oh, what a night: Test-driving a cabana at Daydreamin’ Bed & Breakfast
Having lived on Ambergris Caye for only a year, there are few building projects that we can say we were there at the birth. Building things here — even houses — takes a very long time — unless you are Ramon’s Village and you want our fire-ravaged resort to reopen by Christmas. In which case, yes, miracles do happen.
We can say with pride that we knew Daydreamin’ Bed & Breakfast when it was just a little hole in the ground.
Daydreamin’ and its satellite coffeeshop Marbucks are the vision of a pair of Canadian ex-pats, Marlene Houghton and Rob Eykelbeysh. Their B&B; consists of four lovingly and thoughtfully decorated cabanas, a central focal-point pool and an authentic coffeeshop with fresh-baked scones and muffins.
The complex is one mile north of the Sir Barry Bowen Bridge; just around the corner is the iconic Palapa Bar & Grill. That’s a short walk north from our own home.
Sunset cruising off Ambergris Caye with spring breakers and a boobie
The boobie came out of nowhere.
First it landed on the stern of Ecologic Divers 50-foot catamaran Impromptu where it hung out briefly as if accessing the situation and finding it lacking in the proper handouts worthy of such an elegantly groomed and aloof bird.
So the boobie flew off.
Only to return after a brief review of the other catamarans out for a sunset cruise last night, and there were at least three.
For what ever reasons or high standards, the boobie returned, only this time it landed on the bow (if bow is the proper terminology for a catamaran) and spread its wings out like a bronze hood ornament. The move was not lost on the dozen or so Texas A&M; medical students aboard who spontaneously broke out into a couple of choruses of “I Believe I Can Fly.”
Then they christened the bird “Bob.”
Videos
Bert Tucker International: The Legend, The Man & His Work for Belize!, 33min. It is only a few Belizeans, or may be none at all, that has held the international stature of Belizean revolutionary Adalbert 'Bert' Tucker. His incredible body of work as an economist with a progressive philosophy for development is hardly shared not even by the government for which he worked for in the last days of his life. As a matter of fact, the United Democratic Party (UDP) government Prime Minister, Dean Barrow, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
The Potter's House Belize 10 Year Anniversary Video, 33min.
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