June 9, 2015

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Making Maya Medicine
I have always enjoyed perusing the aisles of well stocked grocery stores. I love finding ingredients I’ve never seen before and imagining their tasty possibilities. Some may think it a tad crazy, but I consider it a wonderful way to kill a couple of hours…you never know what you will come across! So, you can imagine the level of my enthusiasm when I had the opportunity to go rain forest “shopping” with Aurora Garcia-Saqui, who knew the sylvan aisles like the back of her hand. But we weren’t browsing for a delicious meal…our shopping listing was comprised of exotic healing flora like yhax leh, piper and gomo che! Just as I would in a grocery store where I pick up and examine an item before throwing it into my basket, Ms Aurora took her time to select the specific plants she needed to create her special Pain Away remedy. Explaining the name of each leaf she picked, as well as the healing powers it possessed, she collected a handful of leaves that would soon end up as a soothing, healing ointment.

Two New Justices Join the Court of Appeal
Two new Justices of Appeal were sworn-in today by the Governor General, His Excellency Sir Colville Young, at the Belize House in Belmopan. They are Justice Murrio Ducille and Justice Franz Parke. Justice Murrio Ducille is an Attorney-at-Law and has been in practice since 1975 when he was admitted to the Jamaica Bar. He was also admitted to bar in the Bahamas and Dominica, 1984 and 1993, respectively. He is a member of the bar associations of all three countries. In Jamaica, Justice Ducille served as Clerk of the Court with responsibility for criminal prosecution for the Parish of Portland. He additionally served as State Prosecutor in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions where he was in charge of criminal prosecution and represented the state in the Court of Appeal. He also prepared and presented extradition cases between the United States and Jamaica. Between 1984 and 1997, Justice Ducille acted as Solicitor General, served as Chief Prosecutor and Attorney General in Bahamas; Director of Public Prosecutions in Dominica and Chief Magistrate in Antigua and Barbuda. In 1997, he began his private practice.

It’s official: Courtney and Mark tied the knot!
We are so happy to finally share images of the wonderful union of Courtney Sage and Mark Lekarczyk. 22-Courtney-Wedding-2Courtney and Mark made it official on April 25th when they exchanged vows in front of dear friends and family in Memphis, Tennessee. Even though we could not be there to witness the grand occasion, we are thrilled that one of our own, Marie Parham, and ‘flat Mary’ was able to make it! May you lovebirds have a long and happy marriage!

Beautiful Island Hibiscus
Hibiscus flowers are native to warm temperatures and tropical regions. Belize is beautifully decorated with several species of this lovely plant that grows in an array of different colors! A drive, ride or stroll around any part of Belize is bursting with colors from these pretty plants!

Bowen & Bowen responds to claims of contaminated Crystal water bottles
In Volume 25 Issue 18 of The San Pedro Sun (“How safe is our bottled drinking water”), it was reported that a black viscous matter was found inside one of the 16oz Crystal water bottles. This was brought to our attention by a local establishment who purchases Crystal water bottles by the case. Since then Bowen & Bowen Ltd, producers of Crystal water issued an official statement: “At Bowen & Bowen, maintaining the highest possible standards of service and quality has always been, and always will be, our driving priority. We continually review our processes and engage with our suppliers and customers to ensure that these standards are met. Demonstrating our commitment to quality, all of our beverage production facilities are international certified by ISO, HACCP and FSSC. We take all customer feedback seriously. Any report of a defective or substandard product is reviewed internally, and in cooperation with independent and government agencies. We are committed to taking whatever steps are necessary to guarantee our products are of the highest quality.”

Coral Reef Edventures is back
The Coral Reef experts are returning for the 16th Annual Coral Reef Ed- ventures program. Organized by students from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, USA with assistance from Hol Chan Marine Reserve, the two – week program promotes the conservation of the Belize Barrier Reef to island children. Coral Reef Ed-ventures gives children the opportunity to learn about the coral reef and become an ‘expert’, all while having lots of fun. The program will run with two main categories: The Youth Program, which is for students, ages 7-12, and is slated for June 29th-July 8th at the San Pedro Roman Catholic School. The Advanced Program is for students ages 12 and above, or for students with prior coral Ed-ventures experience. This will take place from June 22ndto June 26th, at 4-6PM at the San Pedro High School. At the end of the programs, there will be a graduation ceremony on July 8th at the Lion’s Den for all the students and family members will be invited to attend.

Letter to the Editor: Public Transportation System with privately owned and operated small electric buses!!
I would like to thank the San Pedro Sun for posting my letter about the need of a public transportation system for our island and for a better future for Ambergris Caye. Please allow me to follow up with some more specifics and my detailed thoughts about a small public transportation system, dearly needed for Ambergris Caye. This week I was approached by a patient of mine, a good friend who is also a taxi cab owner on our island. He also heard that the island would be in urgent need of a better traffic solution. He learned that the hard way from several tourists he had transported in his taxi. They had told him that driving a golf cart is not fun anymore for tourists but rather feels uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous during heavy traffic hours. He also brought up his personal concerns and the concerns shared by other taxi operators, the 200 taxi owners on this island. He thought that a public bus transportation system would possibly cut into their profits and might even put some taxi owners and their families at risk. Here is why I think a small busing system would be even be more beneficial to all current taxi owners than the current rather unsustainable taxi system: As common in many tourist destinations and town and cities throughout the world, small buses would be individually owned by private operators but within a publicly, town organized system.

In Loving Memory: Santiago Vasquez and Kitty Fox
In Loving Memory of Santiago Felipe Vásquez Sr. Sunrise: September 13, 1934 Sunset: May 28, 2015ox El ha escogido tu barca! A pronunciado tu nombre. Jesús te ha dicho ¡No temas Santiago! Seras pescador de hombres… Con el corazón herido hoy le damos un ultimo adios a un esposo, padre, abuelo, bis abuelo, tío, hermano, compadre, amigo y gran pescador de nuestra comunidad San Pedrana. Santiago Felipe Vásquez Sr. nació un 13 de Septiembre de 1934 de sus padres José Turiano Vásquez y Herminia Toloza Vásquez en la hermosa aldea de San Pedro Belice. Junto con sus hermanos Pedro, Héctor y Flavio y sus hermanas Socorro y Florinda Vásquez todos difuntos gozaron de una niñez feliz y placentera. Como cualquier otro joven se dedico a la pesca. Este oficio fue su gran pacion. Unió su vida a su primera esposa Victoria Sansorez; del cual nacieron sus dos hijos mayors Leovijildo Vásquez y Beatriz Vásquez. Las circunstancias de la vida y razones familiars hicieron que esta unión no fuese duradera y eterna.

Wolfe’s Woofer: Mexican Eggs
“A friend of mine works for a company that makes bowling balls,” Bruce said. “Twice a year I contract to pick up a load of bowling balls at the factory and distribute them all over Texas.” “Why would you do that?” I asked. “Because it only takes me two days for a trip and I make a lot of money. Since you’re here on vacation why don’t you take the ride with me?” About twenty-five miles out of McAllen, Texas we came across two Spanish looking guys pedaling along on a bicycle. “These guys must be lost,” Bruce said. “It’s thirty miles to the nearest town. I’ll give them a ride.”

Letter to the Editor: Response to Five Story Buildings
I own a property with a small house in north Ambergris Caye. I am distressed to hear that five story buildings are to be permitted on our island. The solution to people overbuilding on their lots is to have strict building codes that would allow a building’s footprint to cover only a specified percentage of the property, not to allow them to build up. The result of the latter is they will do both i.e. build a five story building that covers the entire property. Ambergris Caye is a fragile environment that cannot handle overpopulation. Already the pollution from septic systems is beginning to pose a threat not only to human health, but to the coral and marine life. We have no good source of fresh water other than rainwater. Rainwater collection is what many existing houses outside San Pedro use, and this could not support a five story building. Plans have been discussed for a desalination plant and sewage system in north Ambergris Coye, but desalination consumes a huge amount of energy which would increase our reliance on oil and cause air pollution. In addition, the brine and chemicals produced by the desalination would have to be disposed of. The current plan is to build deep injection wells.

Doctor Love: Curiosity and Rodents
Dear Doctor Love, My guy and I are quite trusting. We have been together for four years and we both have friends of the opposite sex with no problems. Not long after we got together his ex called him and asked him to lunch. This is something that they have done four or five times a year since they broke up six years ago. Each time he asks me if I wanted to go with them and I turn him down because I do not want to appear jealous or controlling. I am not jealous but after four years I am curious about the lunches and I would like to go to see what they have to discuss. If he asks me again, I am planning to say yes. What do you think? /s/ Curious

Ambergris Today

Flashbacks: Do You Know What is Five A Side?
Ask a ten-year old kid today what is Five A Side and chances are that he will not know because this sport has been absent from our sports fields for quite some time. What is it anyway? Let me try to make it simple. It is football or soccer game played inside a small field bordered with a fence that could be four to five feet high. It is called Five A Side because there are five players per team including the goalie who guards a goal that is eight feet wide by five feet high. The soccer ball is a light ball and can only be kicked five feet high. If a player kicks the ball out of the playing field, he is penalized with a minute or two at the bench. It is high action game and a lot of fun for both the players and the fans. Five A Side was introduced in San Pedro by Omar Guerrero when he was a member of the San Pedro Town Council. The playing arena was fabricated at Central Park and games attracted hundreds of fans every weekend during the Five A Side season. A lot of names of great players come to mind but it would be unfair to mention only those in this Flashback. Let us suggest that friends and fans or perhaps team players post photos of their teams. Thank you and hope to see Five A Side soon in San Pedro.

25 Years Ago - Alternative for Shampoo by Using Wood Ash
There is an old Spanish saying that says: “Ojos que no ven, corazon que no siente.” This means “What the eyes do not see, the heart does not desire.” This is so very true about the lives of San Pedranos in days long gone. There were many things that did not exist back then, and they certainly did not miss them. However, that is not to say that they did not find their way to make the best of any situation. We have seen that when they did not have ovens, they fabricated homemade ovens with the bottoms of metal drums. And when they did not have electric clothes irons, they used the metal ones that were heated on a comal or over the charcoal. Well here is my story for this week. It has to do with shampoo that did not exist twenty five years ago in San Pedro or better say in the 1940’s and 50’s. I want you to remember that our source of water was from shallow wells and well water is considered very hard water, if you know what I mean. If you were to wash your hair with well water and using regular soap, it would turn out stiff and dry. Your hair would in no way be soft and silky and shiny. No señor!

Julisa and Richie Tzib's Wedding
Another lovely couple tied the knot in beautiful Ambergris Caye, Belize, on Saturday, June 6, 2015. Julisa and Richie Tzib celebrated their love at the Living Word Church followed by a heart-warming reception where they were accompanied by their family and friends. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Tzib on their new journey together.

American Airlines Launches Non-Stop Flight Between Belize City and Los Angeles
On Saturday, June 6, 2015, American Airlines launched its new route between Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) in Belize City and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), further expanding the airlines’ route network in Latin America. With this new flight, American Airlines’ customers in Belize will have access to the airline’s extensive route network out of LAX, which includes more than 200 daily flights to more than 50 destinations throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Schedule for BZE-LAX flight (local times) *Operates Saturdays and Sundays LAX-BZE Flight 2194 Leaves LAX at 12:15 p.m. Arrives in BZE at 6:17 a.m. BZE-LAX Flight 2194 Leaves BZE at 8:55 a.m. Arrives in LAX at 1:03 p.m. American’s new service between BZE and LAX will be operated on Saturdays and Sundays with an Airbus 319 featuring eight Business Class seats and 120 seats in the Main cabin.

Training Seminar Empowers Women in San Pedro
In an emotional certificate-handing ceremony, about 45 women celebrated having completed a three-week program that had them improving on their self-confidence and empowering them with life tools in an effort to assist them in personal development; the program even allows for the women to receive a small grant to help them on their goals. The San Pedro Town Council made available the Project BA 1 which is a training seminar targeting victims of domestic violence and human trafficking in order to assist them in bettering their lives. Single mothers were prime participants of the seminar that included courses for the women to learn necessary life planning skills and personal development. The project seeks the reduction of violence against women and trafficking. During the final gathering, as the women gathered to receive their certificate of completion, most were bursting with smiles while others were holding back strong emotions as they felt accomplished, proud and gifted with skills that will help them make better choices in their lives. In addition to lectures to prepare them for social integration, the seminar also equipped the women with business skills. Some of the participants will qualify for a grant to expand an existing business or develop a new one from the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA).

Misc Belizean Sources

Member of the House of Representatives Resigns
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Michael Peyrefitte, officially accepts Ivan Ramos' resignation as Member for Dangriga with immediate effect.

"Women in Need" Art Show
The San Pedro House of Culture is currently hosting a Benefit Artist Show & Sale by the Island Watercolor Group that is donating sales to assist "women in need" on Ambergirs Caye. Please stop by to admire the artwork and purchase some of you can to help a worthy cause.

OPEN CALL FOR PAPERS… USD5,000!!! Productivity, Technology and Innovation
In order to increase the region’s understanding about private sector development and firm level performance in the Caribbean, Compete Caribbean is inviting interested researchers to produce original analytical pieces using PROTEqIN and LACES datasets. Six proposals will be selected to be developed into full-fledged papers and will form part of an edited volume on private sector development in the Caribbean. Selected applicants will receive USD5,000 plus travel and accommodation to attend two workshops in Barbados. PROTEqIN and LACES are complete, comprehensive and internationally comparable firm-level datasets covering 14 Caribbean territories. The datasets record firm level behavior related to a variety of aspects such as: Sales, supplies, foreign trade and competition, innovation, conflict resolution, crime prevention, business environment and government relations, labour and skills, financing and performance among others.

By-election, Dangriga, Hope Creek and Sarawee Electoral Division
His Excellency, the Governor General, Sir Colville Young, has issued a Writ of Election for holding a By-Election in the Dangriga, Hope Creek and Sarawee Electoral Division to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of the Area Representative, Hon. Ivan Ramos. The nomination day will be Monday, June 22nd, 2015 and the place of nomination of candidates will be the Dangriga Town Hall. The By-Election will be held on Wednesday, July 8th, 2015. Formal notices to this effect are being published in this week’s issue of the Gazette and national newspapers. Further information may be obtained from the Elections and Boundaries Department, Belize City.

BOLEDO DRAWING for Monday, June 8, 2015: 87

Gabriel Hope of Bernice Yorke tops 2015 Primary School Examinations

Caye Caulker Residents Protesting
A resident of Caye Caulker, a teen, 17 year old Wilbert Sots was detained by police and died in their custody. His body was taken to the clinic where it was pronounced dead. The cops have detained him for questioning in relation to theft. More well armed police officers from San Pedro and the Belize Coastguard have been deployed on the island to quiet the residents. The businesses have locked down early because of the unrest that has developed against the officers of the law. The station has also been locked down.

May 31st – June 6th, 2015 Belize Fishing Report
4 grand slams in one week – I believe it is a lodge record. Greta weather, great anglers and fantastic luck!

PLANTATION: BREDDA DAVID & BELIZEAN CUNGO MUSIC!
The legendary Belizean musical artist, bredda David, has rose to become one of Belize's most consistent national artist that has represented the country of Belize worldwide as a cultural ambassador for Belize. He is the innovator of the popular Belizean musical art form called Cungo Music, which is a combination of Belizean Creole Brukdong, and Garifuna Paranda rhythm. The legendary artist once made his home in Los Angeles after his migration from Belize in the 1960's, and later returned home to Belize in the 1980's becoming an intricate part of Belize's musical and cultural forums that aim to promote and develop Belize's musical and cultural institutions. Also a passionate activist for the promotion of the African Belizean culture called Creole, bredda David has worked for the advancement of the recognition of Belizean national heroes like Isiah Morter, Cleopatra White, and the former British slave enclave in Belize City, called Ibo Town.

Illegal Wildlife Trade seminar
FCD thanks WCS for their support in the conduction of the Illegal Wildlife Trade seminar held in Belize City last week. Our gratitude also goes to Conservation Scientist and Senior Wildlife Trafficking Analyst, Dr. Timothy Wittig and Wildlife Crimes Unit Program Manager, Mr. Dwi Adhiasto of Indonesia for sharing their technical advice as we prepare our strategy to address wildlife trafficking.

Channel 7

Bye-Election In July! PUP Hon. Ivan Ramos Steps Down As Representative
There will be another bye-election - this time it is in Dangriga on July eighth after the PUP representative Ivan Ramos resigned from the House of Representatives effective today. Ramos wrote to the Speaker of the House in a letter dated today, but he made his announcement yesterday in Dangriga Town, at a fathers and mother's day event sponsored by Petrocaribe funds. Here's what he told the gathering of supporters at about 5:30 pm:.. Ivan Ramos, Resigned - PUP Rep. For Dangriga "I want to say to you, I want to say to you, that I have also made up my mind, this is Ivan Ramos speaking, that I, and if I will disappoint anybody, I am sorry. But, there are times when you have to go separate ways. That I am resigning from the national assembly as your representative to give you an opportunity to elect the person you want to carry out those other decisions, be it the ICJ, Petrocaribe or whatever else to reflect what you want. And so, I will do that tomorrow formally. I will do that tomorrow formally. So, that is my position, that is my position and I am comfortable making that position so that I can go on with my life, and that the party can also go on with the business of winning election or whatever else it will take." "I will say to you also that I am not interested, I am not interested in becoming a UDP or supporting the UDP (applause). So, I am In effect saying to you I am retiring from politics, I am retiring from politics. I hope that this will not, I hope that this will not make me a bad person but I have a life to live also. I must go on with my life."

Ramos Won't Help Successor
The father and mother's day event was held at an open lot adjoining Ramos's house. We say that because he was basically at home - amongst his supporters and feeling comfortable. Here's what he told us minutes after he made the announcement... Jules Vasquez "Mr. Ivan, you said it. How do you feel right now?" Ivan Ramos, Resigned - PUP Rep. For Dangriga "Well I feel myself." Jules Vasquez "You feel unencumbered?" Ivan Ramos, Resigned - PUP Rep. For Dangriga "No, yes, I feel unencumbered." Jules Vasquez "These people here, they are hugging you, they are still supporting you...what will you tell them to do in the next election? You told them up there you wish them luck with the grand old party. But will you tell them..."

Writ of Election Issued, PM Barrow Seizing On PUP Problems
As you can tell from that cutting remark - there are more than a few hard feelings between Ramos and his party, the PUP - and you'll hear all about that tonight. But first to what matters most: the bye-election to elect a new area representative for Dangriga. The seat for Dangriga, Hope Creek and Sarawee is vacant tonight - and the Barrow Administration will waste no time in filling it. The maximum time that can be allowed to hold such an election is three months, but government will do it in just one month. Governor General Sir Colville Young today signed the writ setting the nomination day as June 22nd and the election as July eighth. Yesterday at the endorsement convention for Darrell Bradley, Prime Minister Dean Barrow - who was apparently pre-briefed on the Ramos resignation told the gathering that his intention is to move ahead with the by-election in Dangriga as soon as is possible:

PUP Not Ready For By-election
Of course, it is strategic for the government to move ahead immediately because, again, the opposition has been, caught off guard. Their candidate, Anthony Sabal has not even been endorsed as Standard bearer - and the party will have to scramble to take on the UDP's Frank "Pawpa" Mena who has been in place for some years. Additionally, government can be expected to pour resources into Dangriga - just like they did in Cayo North in January - while the PUP remains cash strapped. Today the Leader of the opposition said the government is trying to "bleed them to death":.. Hon. Francis Fonseca, Opposition Leader "Politics under this United Democratic Party government is the lowest and dirtiest I have even seen it practiced in Belize and I believe all right thinking Belizeans should be concerned. We have a party in government that appears to be prepared to do any and everything to stay in power. Clearly a bi-election is not in our party's interest at this time. We are focused on preparations for the general elections."

PUP Says Ivan Took Money
But the first person the PUP seems to be interested in bringing to his knees is Ivan Ramos. The party sent out an internal note directly stating that he took money - and sent out an official press release implying the same. Today here's how Fonseca put it - and here's what Ramos had to say about it yesterday:... Hon. Francis Fonseca, Opposition Leader "I like Ivan Ramos and I care about him. I believe he is a good man who has made a terribly bad decision and I can tell you that the most frequent question I have gotten in the last 20 hours is it true that Ivan Ramos was paid to resign his seat. This is obviously just speculation, just and allegation, but it is a serious one." Ivan Ramos, Resigned - PUP Rep. For Dangriga (Laughing) "Oh boy, Jules I will just say that, you know I have learnt that when you want to justify your wrong, you arose to things like this. I don't know of myself as a greedy person. As I've said before, personally nobody can say to you that I have ask them for anything for me or cut a deal with anybody and things of this sort."

PM Tempted by PUP Woes to Call Early Election
And while the PUP is spending much of its time - publicly at least - finger pointing and casting aspersions on Ramos and his intentions - the UDP is watching the political shot clock. The ruling party has already gained one seat in Cayo North with a bye election in January. And now, the UDP is confident it can claim another - of course, with a heavy lotioning of petrocaribe funds. The Prime Minister says that with these body blows to the Opposition, it's getting more tempting to just call the elections early: Hon. Dean Barrow, UDP Leader "Tomorrow we will formally give you the timeline for the next bi-election in the constituency of Dangriga when the United Democratic Party will blow away the new candidate of the PUP and cement this stronghold almost that we are developing electorally in terms of the politics of this country. That will strike another blow, put an exclamation point behind this unstoppable UDP march to its 3rd term. So in a sense that announcement by the Honorable Ramos and of course we have already gotten hold of a message that Francis Fonseca has sent out to his standard bearers, they accuse Ivan of all kinds of things.

Does PUP Prioritize By-Election?
And while Prime Minister Dean Barrow is getting into chest beating mode - the opposition seemed to shy away from the moment just a little. A press release gave a perfunctory promise of victory, but today the opposition leader said that they are interested in a general elections, not so much a bye - election:... Reporter "Is it that you are saying that the PUP will not go all out in a bi-election?" Hon. Francis Fonseca, Opposition Leader "No, I'm not saying that at all. I am saying that we are going to have a meeting tomorrow of the national executive and the standard bearers. We are in fact today having discussions in Dangriga with our executive committee and through our national campaign manager's office. And that report will be tabled tomorrow - status report if you like and we will have a full open discussion on how we proceed." Reporter "If the PUP were to lose that upcoming bi-election, you will not consider it as a sign that you need to step down?"

Teenager Killed On Caye Caulker, Chaos Erupts
Just before News time this evening, residents of Caye Caulker Village were out on the street in front of the island's Health Center where the doctors and police officers were handling the body of 18 year-old Hilberto Sotz. Speculation at this time is that he died in the police station but the officers in the High Command at Eastern Division were unable to confirm that. What they have confirmed is that Sotz was detained pending investigations for a burglary on the island, and while he was in police custody, he passed away. Now, at this time, there is confirm of where exactly Sotz died, and if police officers were present, but the villagers are suspicious of the peculiar circumstances. We've spoke with Sotz's mother, who was at the Health Center, and she told us that the officers are telling her that her son died of some breathing problem. She told us that her son has no such medical history, and so, she is suspects that she isn't being given the entire story.

Cruel Killing Of Former Fireman
A man was shot and burnt inside his vehicle this morning in Dangriga. When police got to the scene on Commerce Bight Road this afternoon at around 12:13, they only found the charred remains of the body of former Fire Chief 51 year old Ralston Pattnet. The vehicle was parked right in front of a house he maintained for his American friend. When we spoke to police this evening they told us that based on what they saw at the scene, it seems that Pattnet was just about to get out of the car when he was shot and set on fire. It is quite disturbing and when we spoke to Pattnet's sister this evening she told us that it might be as a result of a land dispute. Police are treating this case as a murder and are following a few leads. Pattnet was transferred as Fire Chief from Orange Walk to Stann Creek and filed for early retirement.

Two Weeks After Shooting, Gentle Dies
A week ago, we told you how police arrested and charged Maurice Felix for allegedly shooting up Pamela Cumberbatch's house, injuring her son Mark Gentle, and her husband Calvin Cumberbatch. Well, Gentle passed away at the KHMH on Friday night. Gentle was critically injured, and doctors could not save him. Maurice Felix was arraigned last Monday on attempted murder in relation to the gunshot injuries that Felix initially suffered. It is expected that at some point Felix will be rearrested and that charge will be upgraded to murder - for which there is no bail.

Cops Caught Major Weapons
And while police fear the Gentle death may trigger a whole new wave of gang warfare - because he is associated with the SSG gang, city COPS did some good work this weekend seizing four weapons. The first incident happened on Saturday afternoon at around 1:25 p.m. on Freetown Road. An undertaker was inside his yard socializing when a dark complexioned man walked into the yard. He immediately pulled out a handgun, cranked it, and pointed it at the man's head. Fearing for his life, the undertaker ran inside his house, and called police. They responded quickly, detained 3 persons and recovered a 9mm pistol. 10 hours later, at around 11:30 p.m., the police responded to a robbery in progress at the UNO Gas Station at mile 1 on the Phillip Goldson Highway. The officers spoke with the cashier who told them that she was inside the gas station's snack shop when 2 men, one armed with a knife, and another with a gun, barged in and robbed them of cash and cellular phones to a total value of $1,147. The officers responded and managed to retrieve a silver Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol.

PSE's (Near) Perfect "Pikni"
The PSE results were issued two hours ago. They show grades in the four main subjects trending down slightly. In English 73% of the students scored at the Adequate Level of Performance or better. This about the same as in 2014, when 74% scored at the Adequate Level. In Math, approximately 37% (compared to 36% last year) of students scored a Satisfactory Level of Performance or better. But more disturbingly approximately 49% of students scored E's (49 and below) in the Inadequate Grade Range - meaning half the test takers failed to pass math. In Social Studies, 63% of students earned a Satisfactory Level of Performance (Grade C) or better. This is up from 58% last year. In Science, seventy-two percent (72%) of the students earned a grade C (Satisfactory Level of Performance) or better. The list of top students shows Bernice Yorke at the top again - and we spoke to the top finisher Gabrial Hope from Bernice Yorke. He told us how he did it:.. Gabriel Hope - 13, Bernice York School "Well, when I got the news I was actually sleeping and then my sister woke me and she told me that my mom was on the phone and she told me that I came in first and of course I was shocked. Up to know I'm still shocked."

Pedestrian Knocked Down and Killed In Sandhill
A Nazarene Pastor was knocked down on Saturday evening in Sand Hill. Burrell Boom resident 47 year old Oscar Chacon was crossing the road at the Maskall Junction in Sand Hill when he suddenly stopped and tried to turn back. That is when a Chevy heading to Orange Walk hit Chacon and killed him. His body was transported to the KHMH. Today we spoke to his employer - who says Chacon had just left him and his wife in Burrell Boom who was waiting patiently for her husband to come home for the evening mass. Orlando Mai, employer "Well actually now and again I get a job from here, not all the time and then he came by Saturday evening about 4 o'clock and told me let us straighten up." Courtney Weatherburne "Basic instructions" Orlando Mai "Yes, so that paid me off and then he went looking for a home. Then just about half an hour after that I got a call. Somebody told me get he got knocked down. I said I was surprised. He just left from in front of me and I asked the person if he had a bicycle. He said, no. All the time I know he comes with a bicycle from Boom. Every day he came riding and that day something just was supposed to happen. I was in Gardenia with a friend. That's when I got a call saying Mr. Mai, your helper got knockdown. I was so shocked and surprised. I said it couldn't be and when I left from Gardenia I went to the scene it was Mr. Chacon."

Teacher Accused of Sex With Minor In Placencia
Tonight, there is news from Placencia that a Teacher from that village has been accused of having unlawful sexual relations with a 15 year-old. The minor and her mother visited the Placencia Police Station last week Thursday and reported to police that sometime in the Month of April, 30 year-old Desmond Ramirez, who is a teacher in the village, took her to a wooden house in a nearby community and had intercourse with her. Police have since investigated the report and Ramirez has been charged with the crime of unlawful sexual intercourse.

American Airlines Direct Flight To LAX
In December of 2013, Delta Airlines became the first airline to offer travelers a direct flight from Los Angeles to Belize. Well on Saturday Morning, the country's second direct flight to that North American City was launched by American Airlines. In terms of air lift capacity, it's an important event for the Tourism Ministry, and our News Team was there when the passengers of that flight left the PGIA. Daniel Ortiz reports: American Airlines is offering this flight to passengers on Saturdays and Sundays. The flight leaves LAX at 12:15 p.m. local time, and arrives in Belize at 6:17 a.m. It then leaves the PGIA at 8:55 a.m., and arrives at LAX at 1:03 p.m.

Prison, Both Sides Now
On Friday, we showed you how the former Inmate Robinson Michael condemned the Kolbe Foundation Belize Central Prison for corruption and human rights violations against the inmate population in the facility. We also showed you how the Acting CEO of the Prison responded to each and every one of his allegations. Well, at that opportunity to speak with the CEO, he gave us a tour of the facility to show that not only is the prison not taking advantage of the inmates, the administration is trying to help them become productive individuals when they finally leave the prison. Daniel Ortiz has that story: Of course, former inmate Michael has a different take on the industrial zone. He referred to on the map he drew us up as the "Hitler Zone", and he says that it's not so much about rehabilitation as much as it is a money making venture. Here's how he explained it:

Did Godfrey Railroad Ramos?
And now, back to the biggest political news of the week - and probably the next month: Ivan Ramos has stepped down as Area Representative for Dangriga, Hope Creek and Sarawee - and that has triggered a bye election in the next months between Anthony Sabal for the PUP and Frank Mena for the UDP. But, we're not there yet. Right now, Ramos's departure is what's taking up all the news space - and that's because he stepped down very publicly - not like Joseph Mahmud the former PUP Representative for Cayo North who stepped down in silence last year. Yesterday in Dangriga, Ramos told his supporters and the media that his resignation as area representative was the culmination of a process which started with his own party pushing him out as the Standard Bearer. He says they stacked his committee against him, and then, the National Campaign Manager called and read him the riot act. Here are two sides of that story:.. Ivan Ramos, Resigned - PUP Rep. For Dangriga "I was called by the National Campaign Manager, Godfrey Smith and said things to the effect that while he doesn't have the authority to force me to make a decision or to resign, but for me to remember that he is the person that is charged with raising finance and that I in effect then would not be a good investment. In other words, don't expect that we will be financing your campaign."

Ramos: Et Tu Rodwell?
PUP Stann Creek West Representative Rodwell Ferguson is one more person who told Ramos to step aside. Ramos told his former constituents that he felt Ferguson had no authority to do so. Again, here are the two sides of that story:..

PUP Claims It Had Intelligence, But Didn't Act
So while the party was actively engaged in trying eject Ramos as Standard bearer because they say his committee had no confidence in him - what did the party do with Ramos after he stepped down controversially? Well, a PUP press release says, quote, "the PUP has been receiving frequent intelligence reports of Mr. Ramos' discussions with high-level UDP operatives to trigger a by-election in exchange for Petrocaribe dollars." But the party says it is also not in a position for a bye-election. So then why was there no action on the intelligence? That's what we asked today:.. Jules Vasquez "When this intelligence was received why then did the PUP not act. What concerns me is that I see a party which has a consistent trend of knowing things are falling into abeyance and then nobody doing anything, if such intelligence was received. Why is not acted on upon to try and save the seat? Do seats matter?" Hon. Francis Fonseca, PUP Leader "What you have given is a long editorial that is based on an absolutely false premise, Jules." Jules Vasquez "You said you've received intelligence."

After Press Conference Fiasco Only Rt. Hon Musa Called Ivan
And not only did the PUP not act on the intelligence it says it received, no one from the party even reached out to Ramos after the disastrous press conference. OR at least that's what he says. Here are two sides of that story:... Ivan Ramos, Resigned - PUP Rep. For Dangriga "I went to Belize City and yes, I submitted to the party leader, after all was said and done, that I will step aside that it doesn't have to be me because obviously I would not have the support, I would not have the full participation of those that I believe should lead the charge. So, yes I had a conversation with the party leader and he accepted. Well, even if he didn't accept then obviously the writing was on the wall as far as I'm concerned. Those remarks were not well received but those were the truth and that's how I saw it and that's what I said, but those were not well received. Thereafter, nobody really called me with the exception of the Honorable Mike Espat." Hon. Francis Fonseca, Opposition Leader "We have been in touch with, not only me but our Campaign Manager's team, the Southern Caucus over the weekend. So many efforts and attempts were made and I am satisfied as I said. I am satisfied that the entire process was handled with dignity, it was handled with respect. We did everything possible to try to ensure that the Honorable Ivan Ramos was satisfied and that he could in fact continue to represent the people of Dangriga for the remainder of his term."

Will PUP's Stay Home In Dangriga?
And so with Ivan Ramos departing under such cloudy and contentious circumstances, what will happen with the PUP in Dangriga in 31 days? That's July 8th, date of the bye-election - and we asked Party Leader Fonseca if he fears the PUP faithful will stay away:.. Jules Vasquez "After the Mahmud Cayo North election, the conclusion was that the people stayed home and so the poles reflected that because of the disproportional size of the victory. Are you concerned, Mister Ivan Ramos had 268 people at the event yesterday, these are 268 of his supporters who are PUP's, they were still chanting PUP? Are you concerned that these people will also stay home as they did in the case of Joseph Mahmud, these good PUP's? Is that a concern of you Sir?" Hon. Francis Fonseca, PUP Leader "Sure, yeah obviously of course. We are always concerned about any potential PUP voters who decide to stay at home." Jules Vasquez "So then but the no strategy was effectively executed in the Mahmud case and in so far as Mister Mahmud did not come out and help the PUP. Mister Ainsley Lesly did not come out and help the PUP - the 2 former PUP representatives in that area. Will you all be able to bring out those people as you are unable to do in Cayo North?"

Under Fonseca Nine candidates have either been pushed out, stepped down or been replaced
And while Ramos remained cool - he is one more PUP Canddiate that has gone. In the past three and a half years under Fonseca's leadership as many as nine candidates have either been pushed out, stepped down or been replaced. An unprecedented three of those were sitting opposition representatives. We asked Fonseca if this is a trend: Jules Vasquez "Arthur Saldivar, Marco Tulio Mendez. Joseph Mahmud, Anthony Mahler, Mark Espat, Collet Montejo, Richard Harrison, Ivan Ramos and I will include John Briceno who walked away from leadership. These are all people who have walked away. I won't include Micah Goodin. These are all candidates who either left or were made to leave under your leadership since 2011. None of them left under John Briceno's leadership. Why have these 10 persons left and is there a trend in the party that is somehow a reflection on your leadership?" Hon. Francis Fonseca, Opposition Leader "You would have to ask them why. These matters have been exhaustedly discussed Jules. In each case we've discussed each of them. The ones before the last general election, those are matters that have been extensively discussed. In each and every case what I can say I feel absolutely comfortable with the process that is taking place. I have at all times acted I think properly, acted with respect, treated the individuals with dignity. But I will not allow anybody to coarse me to take any course of action that I do not want to take and certainly the good old days of solving problems with money are no longer as far as I am concern and I made it clear to everybody, even if the PUP had the money, they would not get it if they are trying to force me to do things that I do not believe are in the best interest of the party or the country."

Caye Caulker Chaos
Earlier on in our Newscast, we told you about how 18 year-old Hilberto Sotz died while in police custody. Well, as we told you, the family and the villagers are furious at the circumstances, they don't believe that he died of natural causes - they believe police killed him. And that has led to civil unrest on the island. Right now, as this video shows, a crowd of persons has started a riot on the island. We're told by persons on the ground that the Gang Suppression Unit has been called in to quell the unrest. It's unprecedented and a very volatile situation, which we'll keep following. You'll be able to see a full report tomorrow.

Another Galvez Loses Life, This Time In PG
The Galvez family is again mourning the loss of another family member tonight. 73 year old Isidoro Galvez AKA Charlie Card died in an accident yesterday on the Southern Highway. Galvez was heading to a family function in Big Falls Village from Indian Creek when his Mazda pickup flipped several times about 20 miles on the highway. He was flung from the windshield and received massive head and body injuries. He died on the spot. His wife 46 year old Margarita Cal was also along with him. Cal's right leg was stuck in the vehicle and had to be amputated. When we spoke to Galvez's son this evening he told us that Cal told him that Galvez was uneasy and very emotional on the road before the accident - saying that Galvez was shouting out his daughters name: Rosalie Galvez - Rosalie, was shot and killed a month ago at the Belmopan Junction. The family is not sure exactly what happened on the road but police continue to investigate. A post mortem is scheduled for tomorrow so that should shed some more light on this case.

PM Volleys Bouquets At Bradley
And the UDP has also replaced its Caribbean Shores Candidate. Santiago Castillo stepped down from his elected seat giving way to Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley. He held his endorsement convention yesterday and Castillo was not there - his people told us he had not been invited. But that didn't stop the party leader from heaping praise on Bradley: Until the time that the next general elections are called, Bradley will keep his elected post as Mayor of the Belize City Council.

Ramos Explains Why He Said Yes To Petrocaribe
And we close tonight with two more stories on that new favorite buzzword in political and social parlance: Petrocaribe. As we showed you earlier Ivan Ramos exited public life at a petrocaribe funded event. To accept the money he went against his party's policy. He told supporters why he did it:.. Ivan Ramos, Resigned - PUP Rep. For Dangriga "There are many people here, I don't want to call their names, that even before told me, 'take the money it's our money, we will pay it back anyhow,' and yes the party leader made a declaration during the debate in the house that the PUP will no longer participate in anything that has to do with Petrocaribe. Yes, but let me say to you then that when we went into the members' room, many of the representatives were very concerned and they expressed their concerned that, 'hey, if this is the case, what will we do?' All our participation in the Petrocaribe fund in the Christmas cheer went back to many of you here and others in the form of groceries which many of you appreciated and things of this sort."

Faber Used Petrocaribe To Take Collett To Corozal
And while that's Ramos' take on Petrocaribe spending, Collet Area Rep., Patrick Faber took his constituency members on a trip to Corozal Town, courtesy petro funds from the Mother's Day/Father's Day cheer program. Here's how he explained it while speaking at Darrell Bradley's Endorsement Convention: Hon. Patrick Faber "We were able in the collet constituency to roll 22 loaded buses to Corozal Town today and we had a wonderful family day courtesy of Petrocaribe and our Prime Minister, the Honorable Dean Barrow. We danced to Jorge Enesto Babb the Caribbean Roots Band. We took a bath in the sea, the beautiful Corozal Bay Sea that looks turquoise and milky and it's beautiful. We ate tacos and we ate pibil and we ate barbeque. we had a feast, but most importantly we bonded as the collet family and we were able as well to share with the constituencies of the North; Corozal North, Corozal Bay, Corozal South East and Corozal South West and it would not have been possible if we did not have the kind of support from our Prime Minister and our Party Leader and also from the Petrocaribe funds."

Channel 5

19-year-old Dies in Police Custody in Caye Caulker
There is breaking news. A Cayo resident has died at the police station in Caye Caulker. Police are not talking about this incident, but Gilbert Zotz died in custody so [...]

Gabriel Hope Tops 2015 Primary School Examinations
A student from the Bernice Yorke Institute of Learning has topped the 2015 Primary School Examinations.  Back in 2013, the institution yielded the top performer and in 2014, the second [...]

Petrocaribe Dollars Fund Collet Family Day in Corozal
There is a lot of political news tonight and we can confirm that a bye election will take place in July for the Dangriga Constituency following the resignation of area [...]

Ivan Ramos Resigns from House of Representatives, PUP Leader Responds
A late evening press release from the government has confirmed that a bi-election for the Dangriga Constituency will be held exactly one month from today, on Wednesday, July eighth. So [...]

Francis Fonseca Says Dangriga Representative Stepped Down on His Own
In mid-May the P.U.P. announced via conference that Ivan Ramos would not be running again, and would make way for Anthony Sabal. At that conference Ramos seemed openly bitter, suggesting [...]

Was Ramos Bribed by U.D.P. to Give Up Job as Dangriga Area Rep?
While Ivan Ramos was making his announcement in Dangriga, Prime Minister Dean Barrow was making it on the podium at Darrell Bradley’s endorsement convention in Belize City. That fact hasn’t [...]

Macca Explains Petrocaribe Funded Father’s Day Cheer
Ivan Ramos didn’t have much favors with the party after he accepted the controversial Petrocaribe Father’s Day Cheer from G.O.B.  Deputy Party Leader Julius Espat went on record to condemn [...]

Resignation Triggers Bye-election in Dangriga
In the aftermath of the resignation, Ivan ‘Macca’ Ramos has no kind words for the P.U.P.; after all he says that the P.U.P. had no kind words for him. According [...]

Charred Remains of Ex-fireman Found in Burnt Vehicle in Dangriga
The body of a veteran fireman was found burnt inside his vehicle in Dangriga. But who would want him dead and why? Well, it seems that the price on his [...]

Maurice Felix Wanted for Murder After Receiving Bail on Friday
Belize City police are tonight looking for well known street figure, thirty-year-old Maurice Felix, who was released on bail last Friday after being charged with the attempted murder of two [...]

Chopping on Long Bank Road
A chopping incident over the weekend left a man hospitalized. Twenty seven year old Rodolfo Perez was chopped multiple times in the Long Bank Road a few miles outside of [...]

Plane Crash Survivor Recounts Harrowing Experience
An official investigation into the cause of an airplane crash near Lighthouse Reef last Tuesday, involving a Tropic Air flight destined for Roatan, Honduras remains ongoing.  The inquiry is being [...]

…Says Coastguard Rescue Details Not Entirely Accurate
Rogiers’ version of the subsequent rescue contrasts starkly with that of the coast guard.  They reported that not only was the operation successful but that their response time was well [...]

Brother Charged with Manslaughter After Sibling’s Body Was Found Inside Vat
Sixty-one year old Lester Yorke’s badly decomposing body was found in a vat in February 2014 at his family’s premises on Guerrero Street in Belize City. This morning, his brother, [...]

Endorsement Convention for Darrell Bradley in Caribbean Shores
On Sunday, Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley was officially endorsed as U.D.P. Standard Bearer. As far as conventions go, it was a low-key political event since Petrocaribe made its entry [...]

PM Barrow Pokes Fun at Opposition Leader’s Political Quandary
And one more piece of political news…This isn’t exactly a great time in the P.U.P.’s long history, or even a particularly good time. So of course, the PM couldn’t resist [...]

Police Officer Shoots Armed Clubgoer in Old Capital
Internal and criminal investigations are currently ongoing at the Police Department in Belize City after a city resident was shot by an on-duty police officer. Thirty-year old Kareem Betancourt is [...]

Fatal RTA Claims Life of Burrell Boom Resident
There were two fatal accidents over the weekend…one in Sand Hill, Belize District and the other in Hicatee Village, Toledo. On Saturday afternoon, fifty-seven year old Oscar Chacon of Burrell [...]

Charlie Card Perishes in Road Traffic Accident in Toledo District
The second fatality took the life of seventy-three year old Isidoro Galvez of Hicatee Village in Toledo District. Around midnight on Saturday, police came across an extensively damaged Mazda pickup [...]

Football and Basketball Dominate Weekend Sporting Activities
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   Friday night saw the opening game in the semi-pro basketball championship which saw the defending champions, San Pedro Tiger [...]

CTV3

Students From Orange Walk And Corozal Among Top PSE Performance
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports issued today the preliminary results of the 2015 Primary School Examination, PSE. When it comes to student population a total of 7,325 candidates registered for the PSE of which 7,223 candidates actually sat all or part of the exam this year. PSE numbers for 2015 record a 3.0% decrease in the number of test candidates registered over 2014 with one hundred and sixteen candidates being absent for all or part of the exam. But what we want to highlight tonight are the top performers. There were 26 this year and among them are students from Orange Walk and Corozal. First place was taken by Gabriel Hope, a student of Bernice Yorke in Belize City with a score of 386. Ranking in second with a score of 380 is Carrel Moralez from San Narciso Corozal. Ranking fourth with a score of 376 is Junyan He of Corozal Methodist. Ranking 22nd with a score of 369 is Ellin Ling of Saint Francis Xavier. Hector Lopez of La Inmaculada ranked 24th with a score of 368 while Nathalya Marin of Mary Hill R.C ranked 26th with a score of 367.

Two New Justice Of appeal Sworn In By Governor General
Today two new Justices of Appeal were sworn-in by the Governor General, His Excellency Sir Colville Young, at the Belize House in Belmopan. Justice Murrio Ducille is an Attorney at Law and has been in practice since 1975 when he was admitted to the Jamaica Bar. In Jamaica, Justice Ducille served as Clerk of the Court with responsibility for criminal prosecution for the Parish of Portland. He additionally served as State Prosecutor in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions where he was in charge of criminal prosecution and represented the state in the Court of Appeal. He also prepared and presented extradition cases between the United States and Jamaica. Between 1984 and 1997, Justice Ducille acted as Solicitor General, served as Chief Prosecutor and Attorney General in Bahamas; Director of Public Prosecutions in Dominica and Chief Magistrate in Antigua and Barbuda. In 1997, he began his private practice.

LOVE FM

Gabriel Hope of Bernice Yorke Institute Leads in PSE Results
The Primary School Examination Preliminary Results 2015 were released this evening by the Ministry of Education. Gabriel Hope, is the Top Performer. He scored 386 points and hails from Bernice York Institute of Learning. Love News spoke to Hope to get his reaction to finishing in the top position. Coming in second was Carrell Moralez […]

AA Introduces Direct Flight to Los Angeles, USA
A direct flight between Belize and Los Angeles was introduced on Saturday, June 6 by the American Airlines carrier to coincide with their 25th anniversary. The flight from Los Angeles landed this past Saturday at the Philip Goldson International Airport just before six o’clock while the first flight direct to Los Angeles, USA departed the […]

City Mayor Moves Up to National Politics
2014 saw the Belize City Mayor, Darrell Bradley, confusing the media on his political plans on whether he would have been seeking re-election at the Belize City Council or whether he would be going after his desire to be the Standard Bearer for the Caribbean Shores Division. At one point, we thought he was out […]

Fonseca Says Politics Under UDP is Low and Dirty
Fonseca also spoke on Ramos’ decision and his failure to inform the party and on the now pending bi-elections and how prepared the People’s United Party is. FRANCIS FONSECA “Politics under this United Democratic Party Government is the lowest and dirtiest I have ever seen it practiced in Belize and I believe all right thinking Belizeans […]

Opposition Leader Casts Aspersions on Ramos but Concedes to Having No Evidence
Earlier we told you of Ramos’ resignation from the House of Representatives. The letter of resignation has been accepted and the People’s United Party has responded. That response from the party came just after eleven o’clock this morning where the media gathered to hear the Opposition Leader speak on the current situation. According to PUP […]

PUP Alleges Ramos Was Paid by UDP to Resign
The resignation of Ivan Ramos from the House of Representatives has placed the People’s United Party in a position where the strength of the organisation and its leadership is once again up for scrutiny … but the PUP is not taking blame so easily as they are saying that this is a tactic from the […]

Ivan Ramos Resigns and Exits Political Life
Just six months after the People’s United Party lost the Cayo North seat in the House of Representatives, their seat for Dangriga is now vacant as Ivan Ramos has resigned and exited the political arena. With the details, we join Renee Trujillo.

Family Woke Up to Gunshots Fired at Their Home
A family from Belmopan are concerned after they came under attack on Friday night. Correspondent Fem Cruz has the story. FEM CRUZ “A family of three in the University Heights Phase 1 of Belmopan is devastated after their home and vehicle were shot at several times. According to the family they are trying to put […]

Repeated Home Invasions in New Site Dangriga Have Residents Fearful
A woman was attacked while at her home in Dangriga. Correspondent Harry Arzu reports. HARRY ARZU “A 35-year-old woman of Second New Site in Dangriga was brutally attacked last night while she was in her house sleeping. Reports here are saying that the perpetrator entered the house through a small window located on the […]

PlusTV

Coast Guard Honored for Bravery at Sarstoon
“Civil, calm, but assertive,” those were the words used to describe the stalwart crew of Belizean seafarers who stood defiant against the Guatemalan navy until they were ordered to leave their reconnaissance mission to avoid further confrontation ...

Preventative Diplomacy Only Benefiting Guats?
“Preventative Diplomacy,” is the term used by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to describe the call for Belize’s Coast Guard to retreat from the Sarstoon Island after they were accosted by Guatemalan military...

More Police Officers for Caracol
12 officers of the law were inducted into the ranks of the Tourism Police Unit last week Friday May 29th at the Police Training Academy in Belmopan. All 12 of those constables have since been posted at the Caracol Archeological site located in the Chiquibul Rain Forest...

Fatal traffic accident claims two lives
Two men died in a traffic accident last night. At 8:30p.m. on Thursday June 4, police visited an area between miles 5 and 6 on the Hummingbird Highway where they saw a black motorcycle and a red motorcycle extensively damaged and facing each other...

General Legal Council recommends Marcel Cardona Suspension
Attorney Marcel Cardona, former Area Representative and rejected UDP has been recommended for one year suspension by the General Legal Council...

Trio face major jail time and fines for drug trafficking
Three men, two of whom have previous convictions for drug offences, face a heavy fall in relation to another bust of drug trafficking in the Cayo District for which they were convicted last week.  35 year old Richard Smith,  30 year old Kent Nunez and 29 year old Jason Philips were found with 17, 2...

Found drugs and Drug trafficking in Belmopan area
Police say they have arrested and charged Kurt Hyde with drug trafficking. On June 4, police conducted a search at the residence of 30-year-old Kurt Hyde of mile 43 on the George Price Highway which led to the discovery of a blue kit bag which contained 1,342grams of Cannabis...

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Caye Caulker Chronicles Offering Classified Ads For Free To Both Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye
The Caye Caulker Chronicles is offering classified ads for free to the residents of Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye. This is to facilitate cross island trade between the two communities. In order to place a classified ad just click on the “CLASSIFIEDS” tab on the main navigation bar.

Miss Brianne Rubio Wins Miss Chiquitita
We are sorry that we don’t have a clear photo of the winning Miss Chiquitita but nonetheless we offer our hearty congratulations to Miss Brianny Rubion for winning the pageant.

Mayhem On Caye Caulker As Two Youths Go Into Police Custody Over Theft And Before Long One Is Dead
Several youths living on the island of Caye Caulker were accused of burglary and theft and taken into custody by police, and within hours one was dead. There have been a string of burglaries on the island lately with several homes being broken into and items stolen. Sources on the island say the deceased, Gilbert Sotz, was detained early this evening when he disembarked from a water taxi. He was taken to the station by police where he was beaten while police demanded he tell them where the stolen items were. When he refused to talk, a plastic bag was allegedly placed over his head. When it was not removed in time, he suffocated. Another youth, Manuel Guerra, is said to be badly beaten. Frantic family members are said to be still trying to ascertain his current condition. Around ten persons are currently being detained at the police station over the thefts and burglaries.

The Reporter

San Pedro Tigersharks win 1st NEBL final
There was little joy at the after party in San Ignacio as Cayo basketball fans lamented the top-seeded Cayo Western Ballaz’s 64-77 loss to defending champions, the San Pedro Tigersharks, in the first game of the National Elite Basketball League championship finals at the Sacred Heart College auditorium on Friday night, June 5. It was a tale of four quarters, and the Ballaz dominated the first half, with the NEBL’s Most Valuable Player of the regular season, Richard Troyer, draining in three 3-pointers to lead the Ballaz with 19pts, 17 boards for a 17-16 lead in the first quarter. Elvis Usher Jr followed suite with two 3-pointers for 14 pts, and Giovanni Lennan took the court in the second quarter to add 11pts, four boards; as the Ballaz took command of the ball game: 35-28 at intermission.

Breaking Belize News

Teenager dies in police custody in Caye Caulker
Reports reaching our newsroom are that residents of Caye Caulker are up in rage with Caye Caulker Police after a teenager died early this evening in their custody. Unconfirmed reports are that there are over 100 Caye Caulker residents outside of the police station protesting and police are firing warning […]

Port driver admits striking partner during fight
A driver for the Port of Belize will be sentenced for wounding his common law partner later this week. 50 year old Amon Taylor pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding 24 year old Special Constable Shanice Watler during a fight at their home. According to Watler, around […]

Charged for attempted burglary
Repeat offender Wababa Norales is before the courts again, accused of trying to break into a residence on Barracat Street in Belize City by kicking down the door. Norales entered a not guilty plea to charges of attempted burglary before Chief Magistrate Ann-Marie Smith today. According to resident […]

Congratulations ‘El Bronco’ of Mexico
By Charles Leslie Jr. The Belize Unity Alliance would like to congratulate Mr. Jaime Rodriguez, an independent candidate, on his recent win as Governor of the Mexican State of Nuevo Leon. He has helped to set a precedent and gives hope to the people, that electing independent, free-thinking individuals who are […]

Brother charged for brother’s manslaughter death
They were two brothers who lived together in a house on Guerrero Street in Belize City, but one allegedly pushed the other to his death during a fight. Today, 42 year old Michael Rowland, a laborer from Sandhill village, was read charges of manslaughter before Chief Magistrate Ann […]

Dangriga by-election set for July 8
The Government is moving quickly to take advantage of the sudden resignation of Ivan Ramos, Dangriga representative, calling a by-election for the seat to be held on Wednesday, July 8. The Governor General, Sir Colville Young, has signed a writ for election of a member to the House […]

Attorney denies professional misconduct
Marcel Cardona, accused of perverting the course of justice and bribing and conspiring with judicial officers, faces a reported one-year suspension to be affirmed by the Chief Justice after a report by the General Legal Counsel. But not only does Cardona say he was not aware of any […]

Maurice Felix gets bail but will face murder charge after alleged victim dies
On Friday bail of $15,000 was granted to Maurice Felix, charged with the attempted murder of Mark Gentle Vernon and his father Calvin Cumberbatch at their family home on Caesar Ridge Road. Felix was represented by Oscar Selgado while representative for the office of the Director of Public […]

Belize joined to Guatemala on newspaper’s map
Sharp eyes spotted an advertisement on the website for top Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre recently in advance of Guatemalan general elections in October and November which appears to join Belize to a map of Guatemala. The erroneous image appears in the ad for Decision Libre 2015, the newspaper’s […]

Dangriga police investigates human remains discovered in burning vehicle
This morning at around 12:13a.m, Dangriga police responded to reports of a vehicle on fire. They then dispatched to the Commerce Bight Road leading to the jetty where they saw a vehicle on fire and called fire fighters. The flames were then extinguished but while inspecting the vehicle, the burned […]

PUP to discuss Ramos resignation
PUP leader Francis Fonseca announced today at a hastily scheduled press conference that the party had moved on from former Dangriga representative Ivan Ramos who has resigned from the House of Representatives. According to Fonseca, while he likes and respects Ramos, he has made a terrible decision, of which he […]

A man has perished in a vehicle fire in Dangriga
Members of the Fire department and police officers managed to extinguish the fire. Upon making further checks, officials discovered that the driver was inside the vehicle at the time of the blaze. More will be posted shortly.

Warm and relatively unstable conditions affecting the country
The general situation calls for warm and relatively unstable conditions affecting the country. The outlook for the next 24 hours is for cloudy at times with a few showers and thunderstorms along the southern coast areas this morning moving inland this afternoon into tonight. Winds will vary between the east and […]

Dangriga Police seeks assistance to identify chopped victim
Dangriga police is seeking the assistance of the general public in identifying a male person who was victim of chopping incident in the Long Bank Community. Reports are that police responded to the call and upon reaching the scene, saw a Hispanic male person with his left arm hacked off and with several […]

Hon. Ivan Ramos Resigns Dangriga Seat
The National Assembly of Belize has issued a press release informing the nation about the resignation of the Honorable Ivan Ramos, PUP area representative for the Dangriga Division from the House of Representatives. According to the release, the letter of resignation was received this morning by Mr. Eddie Webster, the […]

Ivan Ramos – Shades of Marcel Cardona
By Delroy Cuthkelvin The assertion by a Deputy Leader of the Opposition this past week that the acceptance of public funds by Hon. Ivan Ramos on behalf of the constituents of Dangriga who elected him somehow constitutes a wrong and punishable act because it does not conform to his party’s position, […]

Ivan Ramos did the right thing by resigning and now he has the last laugh
By: Wellington C. Ramos All the people who come from Dangriga know the Ramos family well and the one that is most known out of all of them is Ivan’s father Carl Ramos better known as “Kiwi”. He was a quite, humble and dedicated individual who made it his business to […]

Blogs

World Oceans Day: 5 Awesome Underwater Sites in Belize
These Underwater Sites in Belize will have you dreaming up your next Vacation! Enjoy these awesome underwater sites in Beautiful Belize to celebrate World Oceans Day 2015. 1. The Great Blue Hole 2. Hol Chan Marine Reserve 3. Gladden Spit 4. Turneffe Atoll 5. Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary

How to Make Sourdough Flour Tortillas
I used my sourdough starter to make flour tortillas... no baking powder. Easy, delicious flat bread that goes well with everything.

International Sources

British airlines 'face multiple toxic air claims'
Seventeen former and serving cabin crew are planning legal action against British airlines saying they have been poisoned by contaminated cabin air. The cases are funded by the Unite union which represents 20,000 flight staff. Workers believe they have fallen sick after breathing in fumes mixed with engine oil and other toxic chemicals. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says incidents of smoke or fumes on planes are rare and there is no evidence of long-term health effects. Uncensored safety reports submitted to the CAA, and obtained by the Victoria Derbyshire programme, show that between April 2014 and May 2015 there were 251 separate incidents of fumes or smoke inside a large passenger jet operated by a British airline. The BBC has, where possible, chosen not to include cases which could be blamed on an internal fault like a broken toilet or air conditioning system. The statistics do not include international airlines, such as Lufthansa and Ryanair, even when travelling in British airspace.

Missions in a Belizean Paradise
An 11 member team from Broadway United Methodist Church, led by Rebecca O’Brien, will be returning to Belize for the third time with Thirst Missions from June 6-14. The team will be serving in Belmopan, at the “Kings Children Home,” which is an orphanage in the Cayo District of western Belize. Many of the people speak Spanish even though English is taught in schools, and many of the people who reside in Belmopan have come from the neighboring areas of Guatemala, El Salvador and other Central American countries. Thirst Missions, based in Forest Lake, Minn., is the world’s leader in providing short-term mission trips to Belize, Central America. They take care of all the logistics and planning so the group can focus on ministry and relationships. Once in Belize, the Broadway UMC team will be working with the Kings Children Home. The Children’s Home is run under Christian principles and is open for any child that is in need of love, care and a home. The Children’s Home is run by wonderful people that were once helped by the home and are now grown men and women. They are placed throughout the home to fill up different positions based on their talents and the needs present. The Children’s Home is focused on music ministry, child restoration and preaching the gospel as points of emphasis to the children.

Commentary: The Garifuna people and St Vincent and the Grenadines
By Jose Francisco Avila. As descendants from Africans in mainland St Vincent and the Grenadines, who intermarried with the Caribs and Arawaks, the Garifunas or Black Caribs, are part of the unique cultures and melting pot of ethnicities that have their roots in the Caribbean. According to Dr Adrian Fraser, "The story of the Garifuna people is a unique one that needs to be told, since among other things, it is pivotal to understanding their position in Central America and also the history of St Vincent and the Grenadines; and indeed the rest of the Caribbean region in which St Vincent was one of the last outposts of Carib resistance.”[1] June is National Caribbean American Heritage Month; therefore, I’d like to share a historical timeline, which documents the efforts of the Garifuna people to reconnect with their ancestral homeland St Vincent and the Grenadines, “Yurumein” to become the subjects of our own history.

Videos

June 8, 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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Congratulations to repeat NEBL Champions The San Pedro Tiger Sharks!!
They took Game 2 and the championship with a final score of 61-55!!!

Ambergris Today

San Pedro Tiger Sharks takes the basketball championship for a second year in a row
Today's win against Cayo Western made the team the 2015 NEBL Champions. Congratulations!!!

Misc Belizean Sources

Ten day Weather Outlook for Belize
Here is the ten-day outlook. Expect wet conditions this week, especially late Thursday through Friday and Saturday. Local flash flood conditions likely in the hilly areas on Friday and Saturday. Two tropical waves will cross Belize during the next ten-days. The first will reach the country this Wednesday morning, while the other tropical wave will approach the country on Friday. A low will evolved from the second tropical wave over Belize during Friday, and will then drift NNE over the weekend. A short-wave upper level trough in the southern and eastern Gulf of Mexico will provide outflow for the convective activity associated with the first tropical wave crossing the country, then an upper level high over southern Mexico and the NW Caribbean will favor strong uplift and outflow for the convection associated with the approaching, second tropical wave late Thursday night and Friday of this week.

Ivan Ramos Announces Decision To Resign!
Less than a month ago, Hon. Ramos announced his decision not to seek re-election & the PUP immediately announced the endorsement of Anthony Sabal. While the PUP made it seem like everything was good between Ramos and the Party, Ramos' harsh words led many to believe that he was pushed out. Less than three weeks following that announcement, reports circulated that Ramos accepted monies from GOB via Petrocaribe Funds for "Father's Day Cheer." Accepting the Petrocaribe monies is an action that the PUP has openly condemned, so Ramos' decision was seen as an open disregard for the Party's agreed position. Just last week, PUP Deputy Party Leader Julius Espat went on record to condemn accepting monies from Petrocaribe!

Benque Archaeological Site
Benque Viejo has a archaelogical site from which you can see the top of one of Xunantunich's temple. The site in Benque is currently being excavated.

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Std. I Students Visit Cayo And Learn About Iguanas
The Standard I class of Caye Caulker R. C. School visited San Ignacio yesterday on a field trip, accompanied by home room teacher Mrs. Neirie Marin and some parents. The children spent the day at the San Ignacio Hotel. They took a tour of the Iguana Center where the learnt about iguanas and their natural habitat.

The Reporter

VIP launching “No to ICJ” educational campaign
The Vision Inspired by the People (VIP) is launching a countrywide educational campaign to inform the public of the VIP’s position against taking the Belize-Guatemala dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and reasons for its stance. According to VIP Public Relations Officer Robert Lopez, VIP representatives will make the rounds on the local media this week, explaining their position and why they believe that going to the ICJ is not in the best interest of the country. Lopez said the presentation they have prepared will also be made available for secondary and tertiary level schools, churches and other groups that want to understand the situation and what it means for them. Lopez said they will encourage each citizen to make their own decision.

Weekend traffic accidents claim two lives
Two separate traffic accidents over the weekend, one in Ladyville and the other in Hicatee Village, Toledo have claimed the lives of two men and left a woman injured. The first incident happened on Saturday morning at the Maskall junction in Sandhill, where 30-year-old Kayir Benavidez from Orange Walk Town was driving his Chevy SUV in the direction of Orange Walk when a Hispanic man who was running across the road suddenly stopped and tried to return to the side of the road, but ended up being hit by the SUV. Police later arrived on the scene and identified the man as 57-year-old Oscar Chacon from Burrel Boom. Chacon received extensive head and body injuries and died at the scene. His body was then transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) morgue where a post-mortem will be done.

Breaking Belize News

PUP says Ivan Ramos Resignation was induced by UDP
This morning, BMG was the first media house in Belize to break the story that Hon. Ivan Ramos was resigning from the House of Representatives. Since then, the story has gone viral on social media and has triggered the PUP to issue a press release on the matter. According to […]

One injured and another perishes as a consequence of road traffic accident
Around midnight on Saturday, Toledo police responded to a road accident in the vicinity of Hicattee Village, some 20 miles on the Southern Highway. Upon arrival, officials observed a gray four door Mazda pickup truck bearing license plate numbers SI-C-016655 with extensive damages to the driver side and front portion. […]

Trio could face charges for Aggravated assault
Three persons are in police custody pending investigations of an assault in Belize City. According to the report, a 36 year old under taker from Freetown Road in the old Capital told police that on Saturday around 1:25 pm, while socializing in his yard, a dark complexion male walked into […]

Traffic Mishap claims the life of resident of Burrel Boom
One man lost his life in a traffic incident that occurred in Ladyville on Saturday. According to the report, Ladyville police responded to the scene in the vicinity of Sand Hill village in the Belize District and upon their arrival saw a Hispanic man on the road side with extensive head […]

UNO Gas station gets mugged of $1147.00
On Saturday June 6th, Uno gas station was the target of an arm robbery. According to police reports, around 11:50pm, 2 masked men entered Uno gas station, located on #1 Philip Goldson Highway and held the cashier at knife point. Fearing for her life she handed over cash and cell […]

Belize commended for Money Laundering lock down
list of member countries at the forefront of combating money laundering and terrorist financing, reaching the highest level of agreement with international standards. Belize has been removed from the CFATF follow-up process and the International Cooperation Review Group’s (ICRG) review program after an assessment showed that we have improved our […]

Will Ivan Ramos Resign from the House of Representatives?
Reports reaching our news room are that Hon. Ivan Ramos, area representative for the Dangriga Division is on the brink of resigning from the House of Representatives. According to our sources, Hon. Ramos is upset at the PUP particularly Hon. Julius Espat who threatened to discipline him. We will have […]

Free internet at Corozal’s central park
Through a joint partnership with local government, the Government of Belize and BTL, Corozalenos are now benefiting from free internet at the central park, one of the Town’s biggest public spaces. According to Mayor Hilberto Campos, the initiative was brought up with the intentions to assist students that have problems […]

Belize Elite Basketball League Finals
The first leg of the grand finale in the NEBL Basketball tournament was played on Friday night inside the Sacred Heart Auditorium. Spectators packed the house and were witnesses to a night that can only be described as an intense and heated game. At the end of the […]

Bradley will officially be endorsed as UDP standard bearer for Caribbean Shores
Today, Mayor Darrell Bradley will be endorsed as the new standard bearer for Caribbean Shores during an endorsement convention in the City. But the real news is that current Area Representative for that constituency, Hon. Santino Castillo was not invited to the celebration. However, in an interview with Mayor Bradley […]

Blogs

A Gorgeous Weekend Newsletter: Carnival Set Up, The Leeward Side of Ambergris Caye & BASKETBALL Champions
Lurking Around A Carnival: A carnival is in town at the Old Soccer Field/Saca Chispas at the back side of San Pedro. For the 2nd year in a row, the San Pedro Tiger Sharks – part of the National Elite Basketball League of Belize (Belize’s NBA) – competed against the Cayo Western Ballaz for the championship. 3 games. Our Tiger Sharks won in Cayo on Friday. And then yesterday….VICTORY…in a very tight game. Coach Rico helped the Shark roll up his pants legs and gave him a pep talk for the game. It probably revolved around one theme: Try not to pass out in there.

On Ambergris Caye — change is gonna come
You can’t escape change. Even on a Caribbean island. Some of it you can’t do much about — like the weather. Some of it is economic — like the end of the tourism season. And some of it is man made — like traffic. We’re heading into hurricane/rainy season and it is interesting how precise the timetable is — for the rain at least. Right on schedule, June 1, the clouds began moving in and the winds began to die down. It now rains, however briefly, at least once at night and occasionally during the day. This is a good thing since our water supply is almost entirely dependent on rain and our cisterns are nearly depleted. Likewise, well water is quite low and high in smelly rotten-egglike sulfurs. Flushing toilets are not a pleasant experience at the moment. Ah, island living. Until June, the wind was constant, day and night, a steady breeze from the east that brought with it relief from the heat, crashing waves on the reef, an end to mosquitoes and sandflies and, unfortunately, tons of sargassum and floating plastic that piled up on the shore with a relentless smelly density.

Are Ethics a Secret to a Sustainable Society?
The most important ethical question facing society and the scientific community today is whether we can prevent the collapse of global civilization in response to today’s “perfect storm” of environmental problems. That is, will (or can) we pay enough today to spare future generations from utter disaster? The interrelated crises of overpopulation, wasteful consumption, rapidly deteriorating life-support systems, growing economic inequity, widespread hunger and poverty, toxification of the planet, declining resources, an increasing threat of resource wars (especially over oil, gas, and fresh water), a worsening epidemiological environment that enhances the probability of unprecedented pandemics, and persistent racial, gender, and religious prejudices that make these problems more difficult to solve, represent the greatest challenge ever faced by humans. The urgency of finding answers is signified by the view of many scientists that society may have only a decade to initiate drastic corrective action, that this complex of interrelated problems is unrecognized by the elites who run the world, and that it has not yet generated a global “critical mass” public issue around sustainability. Civilization is fiddling while its life-support systems burn. The failure to address the increasingly obvious threats from climate disruption alone have clearly shown that scientific knowledge, even if widely presented to the public, can fail to produce adaptive behavioral change. One basic reason for this is that human beings have evolved wonderful mechanisms for observing and reacting to sudden changes, in part by mentally holding the environmental background constant to make the changes stand out.

Macaw Guardian Interns
Quick update from the field: Thanks to an amazing team collaboration between Friends for Conservation - FCD, under the leadership of Boris Arevalo, BWRC and our first "Macaw Guardian Interns" Katy and Lacey, Dr. LoraKim from One Earth Conservation (THANK YOU once more for all, and the pictures as well) and Marc-Andre from HARI we checked 11 macaw chicks in 2 days on the upper Macal and at Las Cuevas Research Station (LCRS). We found no serious health issues, gathered much needed data and samples, and our chicks in the field lab are doing amazing! More pictures later - but now back to class with the UMN group - Dr. I

International Sources

Arlington student heads to Belize to study wildlife conservation
Lindsay Mosher of Arlington, a master’s-degree student in the Global Field Program from Miami University’s Project Dragonfly, will travel to Belize over the summer to study coral reefs, manatees, howler monkeys, jaguars and other wildlife, while learning the methods communities are using to sustain them.

Videos

June 7, 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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Blue Tang Inn Awarded 2015 Certificate of Excellence
Blue Tang Inn has received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award. Now in its fifth year, the award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve great traveler reviews on TripAdvisor. Certificate of Excellence winners include accommodations, eateries and attractions located all over the world that have continually delivered a superior customer experience. “Winning the 2015 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence is a tremendous honor for the entire team at the Blue Tang Inn,” said Kristin Fisher, US Sales & Marketing Director for Blue Tang Inn. “We thank all of our guests who took the time to complete a review on TripAdvisor!” When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the honorees that takes into account the quality, quantity and recency of reviews and opinions submitted by travelers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period as well as business’s tenure and ranking on the Popularity Index on the site. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.

Three Caye Caulker Police Officers awarded ‘Best Relief’
Three Caye Caulker Police Officers have received compensation for their hard work. Woman Police Constable (WPC) Brittany Lopez, Police Constable (PC) Hallet King and PC Albert Lawrence of Caye Caulker Police Department (CCPD) Release #1 were awarded Best Relief for the month of May 2015. The officers demonstrated determination to up hold the law and protect the citizens and visitors of Caye Caulker Village. To recognize their achievement the officers were presented with $500 cash on Friday, May 29th during a short ceremony. “With the small force that we have in Caye Caulker, our officers always have to be on top of their game. That’s why it’s good when we can give them a little extra compensation for their hard work. I congratulate these three outstanding officers for making the Police Department proud by upholding the law and serving the community the way it should be,” said Officer in Charge of the CCPD, Kirby Palma. Unfortunately PC Lawrence was not present at the ceremony, as he recently sustained a fractured finger and is receiving medical attention.

Stagnant Water from Unfinished projects becoming an eye sore
Residents have voiced concerns over two development seawall projects to reclaim beaches, but instead have created unsightly stagnant pools and other issues. One development is located on the lagoon side of town core and the other is beachfront, south of town. Among the issues noted are the accumulation of garbage and eutrophication due to the lack of free flowing water. In an interview with The San Pedro Sun, Mayor Daniel Guerrero addressed the issue, stating that the developers are expected to complete the project soon, thereby getting rid of the eyesore. According to Guerrero, he has spoken to the developers of both areas, and they will be filling the area with sand to beautify the seawall. One of the areas, formerly known as the Sunset Grill, has recently been purchased after it was abandoned for some time by the previous owner. “We have spoken to the new owner and he plans on reconstructing the area and opening a restaurant. They have gotten the development concept approved by all necessary agents and are working on filling in where the stagnant water is. It will be fixed,” said Guerrero. Garbage has been accumulating at the Sunset Grill seawall since it was abandoned, but once construction commences, the area will be cleaned and beautified.

Ricky Luna takes on Merida 2015 WOD Challenge and wins!
Over the weekend of May 29th- 31st two athletes from Ambergris Caye traveled to Merida, Yucatan Mexico to compete in the Merida 2015 WOD Challenge. Head coach and Co-owner of WOD Zone Lucien Pollard and WOD Zone Coach Ricky Luna proudly represented Belize in the competition. At the end of some incredibly tough challenges, Luna ended up taking the top prize in the Intermediate Division. According to Pollard, WOD Zone found out about the event through the popular social media outlet Facebook. After contacting the organizers of the event, they were invited to join in the challenge. There were three different categories: scaled, intermediate, and RX. Intermediate competitor Luna was completely surprised with the results of his efforts. “I was not expecting to win at all. I felt nervous and excited, because we hadn’t competed before,” he said. “We had been on a break from the gym, so we went to this competition to see where we were physically. When I came in first, I was shocked!” The competition consisted of weight lifting, gymnastics and conditioning (cardio), and saw him take the top spot out of 75 total competitors.

Misc Belizean Sources

Two carriers on the Belize route now!
With today's inaugural Los Angeles, California to Belize flight (Airbus 319) by American Airlines we now have two carriers flying the route. Here are both on the ground at BZE this morning. We wish our friends at American and Delta the best!

21st Annual Coca Cola National Spelling Bee
Corozal House of Culture's Coordinator was honoured to participate as head judge at the 21st Annual Coca Cola National Spelling Bee at the Corozal Community College this morning. Twelve bright, beautiful children took up the challenge with such confidence and grace. Congratulations to winner Aaliyah Leiva from Louisiana Government School of the Orange Walk District. Second place went to Mishtony Castillo of Christiline Gill Seventh Day Adventist School and third place to Aimee Gonzalez of Corozal Nazarene School, both of Corozal Town. A special thank you to Mr. Jahmor Lopez, Corozal District Principal Education Officer for the opportunity given.

Tropic Air Flight 9N2300 (PASSENGER ACCOUNT & CLARIFICATION)
I write to clarify the misreporting that has been transmitted subsequent to our airplane incident on Tuesday. This misreporting I understand has been the result of (as best I can tell) an errant account of events by the Coast Guard and a lack of updates and clarification by Tropic Air. While it is true that the Coast Guard did recover us from the widlife sanctuary and island near the crash site-the recovery did not take place twenty (20) minutes after the crash landing, nor was the recovery at the actual crash site. After surviving the crash landing ("ditching") the pilot -who ultimately pulled the two of us out of the aircraft as we had difficulties opening the passenger door as the plane was submerged and upside down- informed us that we would all need to swim to the island where the Audubon Society was stationed. This was approximately three (3) miles away from our crash site, according to the pilot himself. At this time we encountered increasingly poor weather; torrential rain and driving wind. As all three of us had no major injuries from the impact, were in good health and good swimmers (myself a former competitive swimmer and lifeguard), the pilot retrieved and inflated our safety raft.

Punta Fuego Outstanding Fisher of the Year Award
Punta Fuego is a fictional coastal village in Belize, where a young fisherman by the name of Richie is put to the test when deceit and danger come to his village. This drama is set to ignite the passion of Belizeans across the country as the villagers fight against injustices and corruption while struggling with the hardships of life on the fire point. In commemoration of International Fisherman’s Day, an event celebrated annually on June 29th, Punta Fuego will be presenting the hardworking members of Belize’s Fisheries sector with the “Punta Fuego Outstanding Fisher of the Year Award.” Nominations can be made by the public through a written letter with a maximum of 250 words, stating what makes the nominated person a responsible Belizean fisher. The letter along with a photo of the nominee addressed to “Punta Fuego” can be delivered to LoveFm on Slaughterhouse Road in Belize City or emailed to [email protected]. The deadline for submission is June 15, 2015 at 4pm and the winner of this award will be announced on Love FM’s Morning Show on July 3rd.

Busy week at Belize Bird Rescue
Quite a week! We had 11 intakes, 8 of which BBR rescued or picked up. We spent a total of 16 hours and 50 minutes on pick-ups (including waiting time) and travelled 590 miles of unforgiving Belizean roads. Our fuel costs vary from $750US to $1800US a month and are second only to our feed bill. Of the intakes, 5 birds are injured and 6 are babies (technically 2 are both). Our existing nursery and hospital space is getting rather crowded! Please consider making a (US tax-deductible) donation to our facility upgrade fundraiser, or help us spread the word by sharing this link: https://goto.gg/20581

Hon. Santi Says Mayor Bradley Didn't Invite Him To Endorsement Convention
As we told you last night, Mayor Darrell Bradley is going to be endorsed as the UDP standard bearer on Sunday. We badgered him yesterday about whether his predecessor, the sitting area representative Santino Castillo would be attending. Bradley told us he invited Castillo - but did not know if he would be there. He told us we would have to ask Castillo. We couldn't reach him - but those in his camp tell us plainly that Castillo received no invitation to the Bradley convention. Castillo, we are told, will be out of the country on personal leave this weekend so will not attend the convention which is a block away from his house at the Lopez Mateos park. Those we spoke to in the Castillo camp say that they feel it is an affront that the sitting representative was not invited - especially after Castillo graciously stepped aside to allow Bradley to ascend unimpeded to the standard bearer position.

Two Faces of Belize Central Prison
On Monday, we showed you a portion of our interview with 24 year-old Robinson Michael, the man who came fresh out of the Belize Central Prison to condemn the Kolbe Administration for corruption and advantage taking. That's a very serious charge to lay at the feet of the country's prison keepers, and so we held off on airing his allegations against Kolbe until we got an opportunity to speak with an executive of the prison to address his laundry list of allegations. That opportunity presented itself today, when our news team had a sit-down with the CEO and an accompanying tour of the facility. Daniel Ortiz has that story with allegations and counter allegations on both sides. Virgilio Murrillo - Acting CEO, Belize Central Prison "Kolbe Foundation is very much into maintaining a secure humane prison that is geared towards rehabilitation for successful re-integration of the inmates that come here. We are very much aware that incarcerating has a negative impact on families, particularly spouses and children. What we try to is as a captive audience we try to rehabilitate these offenders so that when they return to society they can transition successfully and remain crime free once they return to society."

Espinosa Convicted of Manslaughter
In 2007, Krismar Espinosa was charged for the murder of 24 year old mother Rachel Chun. And now, eight years later he has been convicted for manslaughter. On Wednesday in the northern session of the Supreme Court, after two hours of deliberation, a jury of 12 persons was unable to reach a unanimous verdict of guilty for murder - so they found him guilty of manslaughter. In September of 2007, Chun was believed to have been taken into an abandoned building in Santa Familia, sexually assaulted and then bludgeoned with a cement block. She was found days later, half naked and decomposing. She was last seen with Esipnoza in front of her home. He will be sentenced on June 18th.

Marcel Cardona Says He Never Wrote Any Email
Last night we told you about the serious complaint of professional misconduct against Marcel Cardona which was sent to the General Legal Council. The Council - we are informed - this week took the decision to suspend Cardona from legal practice for a year. That decision still has to be approved by the Chief Justice. You'll hear what Cardona has to say shortly, but first we got back to the evidence. As we told you last night - aCzechoslovakian woman, claims that Cardona took just under thirty two thousand dollars of her money - and claimed that he had to use twenty thousand to bribe authorities to release her son, Martin Muzikant. Here is the evidence she put forward:.. Now that's a very serious allegation, that Cardona as an officer of the court allegedly put in writing, that he would use a client's money to pervert the course of justice, while bribing and conspiring with a judicial officer.

Maurice Felix Gets Bail
Maurice Felix was accused by police of spraying gunfire towards the house of Pamela Cumberatch and injuring her son and husband. Those are two counts of attempted murder, one count of dangerous harm and use of deadly means of harm. This morning 30 year old Feliz was back at court, this time with Attorney Oscar Selgado to hear a bail application. Selgado was able to get bail of fifteen thousand dollars for the Gill Street associate. Justice Troadio Gonzalez ordered him to report to the Queen Street Police Station every Friday, and he must make no contact with the victims or prosecution witnesses and that he must attends all court adjournments. In court, the DPP's representative, represented by Senior Crown Counsel, Cecil Ramirez, had no objection to bail being granted to Felix.

Fatal Motorcycle Accident In Stann Creek
Two men are dead after their motorcycles collided on the Stann Creek Valley Road. Last night at around 8:30, 28 year old William Triguero was traveling towards Sarawee village on his motorcycle when he rammed into 32 year old David Mcpherson near miles 5 and 6: Both men received massive head injuries and died on the spot. 26 year old Lucita Chun of Hope Creek Village who was traveling along with Triguero received a large cut wound to the forehead and was transported to the Southern Regional Hospital and later to the K.H.M.H. where she was admitted in a stable condition. When we spoke to police this evening, they said that it seems that Triguero veered from his lane and crashed into Mcpherson. They also said that speed was a major factor in the accident.

CARILED For Belize City
Every year the World Bank compares nations for the relative ease of doing business. Belize does not do well on this rating - most recently this nation was rated at 116th. But, with the help of CARILED, the Caribbean Local Economic Development Project - municipal bodies on Belize City, San Ignacio and Belmopan hope to change that. CARILED officials are touring the country -and yesterday the mayor of Belize city told the media it's all about making it easier to do business:.. "To implement ways of ease of doing business, that's the whole purpose of the round table. What we want to focus on ways that all 9 municipalities in Belize can promote easy business during within the space.

Major Jail and Fine For Accused Drug Traffickers
Last week, we told you about the case in which 35 year old Richard Smith, 30 year old Kent Nunez and 29 year old Jason Phillips were all convicted of smuggling 38 pounds of marijuana in Belize. They got some stiff fines to pay in a hurry, and their attorney has gotten the Chief Magistrate to allow them pay their fines at a more lenient pace. Smith, who had 2 previous convictions for drug offences, was fined $15,000 and sentenced to 3 years. He was ordered to pay $3,000 by August 30 and the balance by March 30, 2016. If he defaults on payment he will serve 3 years. Nunez was fined $10,000 and sentenced to 3 years. He was ordered to pay $2,000 by August 30 and the balance by March 30, 2016. If he defaults on payment he will serve 3 years.

Corozal Has Free Wifi In Central Park
Corozal Town now has free wi fi in its Central Park. The initiative is spearheaded by the town board and BTL. Everyday students can access free wi-fi - but only for one hour per log in. The students said it's just fine by them:.. The program has been operational for a few weeks.

Prensa Libre's Ad Shows Belize As A Part Guatemala's Map
Guatemalan general elections are coming up in November, and if you want something that will really rub you the wrong way, check the ad for this awareness campaign that the PRensa Libre newspaper is running. It's a campaign called Decision Libre 2015, to educate voters. But, as you can see the map on the logo for the campaign is the wrong one! IT incorporates Belize as a part of Guatemala. This, observers say is just a symptom of how ingrained the deluded concept of Belize-Ownership is in that country. We have since seen other logos without Belize in the map. But this one is still up on their website.

Medical Associates Vs. Hon. King?
And in what may also be filed under false advertising, UDP Area Representative for Lake Independence Mark King has taken over a Belize Medical Associates Bust Stop in his area, and branded it with his name. Medical Associates has been maintaining the bus stop at the corner of the western highway and western avenue for five years now - so they were shocked today to see that King had taken it over. Medical Associates says they have a memorandum of understanding with the city council for the maintenance of upkeep of this bus stop. They say they will paint it over tomorrow.

This Year's Top Spellers Are...
Twelve district finalists competed in the 21st annual Coca-Cola National Spelling Bee today at the Corozal Community Auditorium. And, fitting for its northern setting, the top three finishers were all from the north. Our collegaues at CTV-3 spoke to them:.. AALIYAH LEIVA won FIRST PLACE by spelling the word "mitochondria". And MUSHTONI CASTILLO earned second by spelling "schnitzel."

Preparing For Belize's First Jazz Festival
While Jazz music may not be as accessible as reggae or pop music, it is the finest, most sublime display of virtuosity, impriovisation and soul in the world up music. And, now the directors of the 1st ever Belize International Jazz Festival want to expose Belizeans to this genre of music with the hope that Belizeans can learn more about Jazz. While Jazz is at the forefront of the festival, there will be a fusion of other genres, styles and variations of jazz music. The festival officially opened today and we spoke to the directors and two of the artists today at the Bliss. They told us just how big and important this festival is for the young Belizean artists and for cultural and musical development. The festival will last for 10 days. There will be an opening concert tomorrow at the Memorial Park which will kick off the festival - the festival will feature a range of musicians and bands from Cuba, Belize among other surprise appearances. Veteran Belizean American trumpet player Luciano Rosado says with this event, Belize has come a long way:

LCOE JAZZ IN TUNISIA...
And to get you in the mood for the festival, we close tonight with a little teaser from Rosado as he plays a verse from Dizzy Gillespie's timeless night in Tunisia:..

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Introducing the Miss Lobster Fest 2015 Candidates
The Caye Caulker Lobster Fest Committee has announced the names of the candidates for this year’s Miss Lobster Fest competition. They are Miss Leah Canto, Miss Aricelli Cadle, Miss Shayenn Magana and Miss Alessa Madrill. We are very glad that we are not the judges for the pageant because we can honestly say we wouldn’t know which one to choose. They are all befitting of the crown.

The Reporter

American Airlines inaugurates new flight
American Airlines inaugurated its newest flight route between Belize from Los Angeles on Saturday at the Phillip Goldson International Airport, as part of its expansion of routes in the Caribbean and Latin American region. Officials from the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) and representatives from American Airlines were on hand for the inauguration. As the plane landed and neared its stop it received its honorary water christening to commemorate its first landing. The BTB has welcomed the additional route saying it will continue to expand Belize’s growing tourism industry. As part of its expansion, American Airlines has added six new routes throughout Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America. This expansion includes Belize, as well as the Grand Cayman, Nicaragua, and Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico.

Four new vehicles for San Pedro police
The San Pedro Police Formation, through a donation from the Ministry of National Security, in collaboration with the San Pedro Town Council and the island’s area representative, will soon receive four new vehicles, valued over $100,000, to assist with operations on the island. According to Inspector Henry Jemmott, officer commanding San Pedro Police Station, the station will receive a Mitsubishi Montero, a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck and two golf carts. Jemmott said the golf carts are courtesy the Ministry of National Security and cost upward of $30,000 each, while the SUV and pickup truck are courtesy the San Pedro Town Council and Area Representative Manuel Heredia, respectively.

Breaking Belize News

Early morning ladyville shooting leaves one man hospitalized
Abraham Leslie, a resident of Myrtle Waight Street in Ladyville is currently hospitalized after a shooting incident in the wee hours of this morning, June 6th. Reports are that police were called to the BDF Medical Hospital and arrived at about 1:50a.m. Where they saw the 29 year old […]

Australian hired as Belize’s new Olympic Sports strategic consultant
Australian by birth, Dr. Davis received his MSc from the University of Oregon, his PhD from the University of Minnesota in USA and has worked as a , coach and high performance sport administrator. Since the start of his career in 1981, he has worked with countries including, Australia, USA, […]

UK Prime Minister is fueled by FIFA scandal to fight corruption
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron will join U.S President Barrack Obama, along with other Prime Ministers in a G7 summit to be hosted at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps by Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel. Topics like climate change and sustainable development have been put at the […]

Belize is top sugar producer in the Caribbean for the month of April
Sugar accounts for 60% of Belize’s agricultural exports and with a thriving Belize Sugar Industry (BSI) that keeps improving every year, it comes as no surprise that it has reached another milestone. The Sugar Association of the Caribbean (SAC) released a report this week, showing that Belize produced more sugar […]

Conditions to become less moist and unstable today
Conditions today are expected to be sunny with cloudy spells along with a few showers or thunderstorms over some coastal areas this morning, then inland this afternoon. Winds blows light and variable, becoming east to northeast at 5 to 15 knots later today. Sea state light chop. High temperatures today […]

American Airlines Inauguration of new flight from Los Angeles
American Airlines this morning launched its new non-stop service from Los Angeles, California, to the Philip Goldson International Airport here. The new service is expected to take advantage of the high population of Belizeans living in L.A., a key transport hub in the Western United States. American already services […]

The Belize Times

Petrocaribe Piñata!! – Leaked Documents Expose Secret & Unauthorized Uses of Petro-Caribe Loan Money
Leaked Central Bank documents reveal that there have been hidden and unauthorized uses of tens of millions of dollars from the Petro-Caribe Loan Funds, as the Barrow Administration continues to administer the funds from the program like a piñata WITH ABSOLUTELY NO ACCOUNTABILITY OR TRANSPARENCY. On Monday morning, June 1st, Krem Radio Wake Up Belize Show’s fiery host Mose Hyde held up leaked documents on his radio/television show and explained that the documents spelled out serious flagrances in the manner in which the Government has been spending the Petro-Caribe loan monies. The documents revealed that the Government had used $20,000,000 (TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS) from the Petro-Caribe Loan money for the payment of salaries TWICE, in 2014 and 2015.

Darrell Bradley, the Belizean Pinocchio
Whenever Pinocchio lied, his nose grew longer and longer. Pinocchio’s Belizean counterpart, Mayor Darrell Bradley, has a similar fetish for lying, but when he lies, his lips grow longer and longer. In each television appearance, those that know Darrell Bradley and his conniving ways could easily detect the lies flowing from his lips. Whether he was denying that he gave a liquor license to his councilor buddy, Deon Leslie, to operate a bar/nightclub at BTL park where children recreate; or whether he was denying that he would serve out his full term as Mayor before abandoning city residents with a $50 million dollar debt, Darrell Bradley has proven himself to be one of the most untrustworthy politicians in modern day Belize, putting even the original “liad-man”, Dean Barrow, to shame.

3 Men charged for weed hidden in Winnie the Pooh bag
Three men were arrested and charged after Police authorities in Benque Viejo del Carmen searched the trunk of the vehicle they were travelling in and discovered a large quantity of marijuana hidden inside a Winnie the Pooh bag. The men, 43 year old Juan Garcia, who is a taxi driver of Dangriga Town, 29 year old Jose Majil Madre of Dangriga Town, and 21 year old Herson Gonzales, a taxi driver of Arenal Village, were travelling from Arenal Village to Benque Viejo and stopped at a Police checkpoint in Arenal Village. The passenger area of the vehicle was searched but nothing was found. It wasn’t until Police officers checked the trunk and peered into a large red and black Winnie the Pooh bag that they found illegal substance. Inside the bright coloured bag they found twenty-five parcels wrapped in black plastic bags that were tightly sealed by transparent tape. When the parcels were checked by the Police, its content was suspected to be cannabis.

Petrocaribe $$$ wasted! – Crooked Tree Causeway Collapses
It is not known how many tens of thousands of dollars from the Petrocaribe loans was hastily diverted for a Crooked Tree Causeway project, just in time for Edmund Castro’s Belize Rural North convention, but it certainly is clear that those monies have been wasted. The causeway, on which material was dumped for an elevation project, began falling apart following brief showers over the Belize District. Part of the stretch of road cracked and fell into the river, causing commuters to panic and become concerned about the safety of the passageway. While more monies will now be needed to repair the causeway, there are no indications that those responsible for the project are being properly supervised to ensure the best value for money. The residents are very sceptical of this and they believe that the causeway is hazardous and not suitable.

Think About It
The Guatemalan military and the Belize Coast Guard had a stand-off/face-off in the coastal waters down south. It happened at Sarstoon Island which is in Belizean territorial waters. The Guatemalan military patrol insisted that our Coast Guard leave the Island which on orders from the Prime Minister they reluctantly did. Put another way, Belize had to put its tail between its legs and slink away. This happened on Thursday 28 May 2015 and lasted for 26 hours. This is a full day plus two hours for the Guatemalans to have verified their position as to whether they were in our territorial waters or not. They knew exactly where they were and intentionally forced us to eat crow. Their Generals and Commanders are laughing at us. We are a laughing stock. We are proud to hear that our Coast Guard stood their ground. We thank almighty God that things did not escalate. The Belize government has wimped out of the matter. As they have done in previous situations. We are ashamed by our government. No one is asking them to start a war. We are asking that they do what any government would do in the circumstances. Lodge a formal protest, a strong one, each time Guatemala slips up or engages in these types of behavior. Six days after the Sarstoon Island matter the government has still not protested to Guatemala.

Care or not to care
As a supporter of the People’s United Party, I was only moderately interested in the outcome of last week’s convention in the Belize Rural North (BRN). The final tally of the votes however, piqued my interest to the point where I felt compelled to spend some time musing over the political paradigm and culture of not only BRN but of our country on a whole. Why do voters remain loyal to politicians and political parties even in the face of overwhelming evidence that they are corrupt? The convention held in the village of Sand Hill was to determine who would run on the party ticket of the United Democratic Party in the next General Elections. From all indications, those elections will be held sooner than later but that of course, hinges on the arbitrary decision of one man and one man only; the Prime Minister. I have long advocated for a set day for elections as is the case in the US where elections are held on the first Tuesday in November. Leader of the Opposition Francis Fonseca has already indicated being favorable to that concept and has gone further in promising a four-year term. This makes perfect sense and the idea that one man can, merely on whim and fancy, decide when, where and why to hold elections opens a wide door to manipulation and chicanery.

ENDANGERING BELIZE
Belize has been told to get off Sarstoon Island and told to leave from our territorial sea. On Wednesday 3rd June 2015, the Belize Coast Guard gave a detailed media interview on their rescue mission to Lighthouse Reef to assist in a Tropic Airplane that was forced to land with its pilot and two passengers in shallow waters. There has no full report to this nation by the Belize Coast Guard regarding a 26 hours face off with one, then two Guatemalan gun boats. This happened at the small Sarstoon Island in the southern waters of Belize. The confrontation started between 10:00 A.M to 11:00 A.M on the morning of Thursday 28 May 2015. Belize Coast Guard personnel had travelled by boat to Sarstoon Island to gather preliminary preparations for a base construction. A Guatemalan gun boat patrol was quick to approach and request the Belize Coast Guard to leave for violating Guatemalan maritime territory. According to Chief Executive Officer, Lt. Col. George Lovell, of the Ministry of National Security, the Coast Guard Captain told the Guatemalans it was they who were in Belizean waters and should leave. They did not leave. Lovell also said that in the afternoon the Guatemalan gun boat left and returned with a bigger boat and more military personnel. They insisted the Belize Coast Guard leave. If we are to believe this secondhand version from Lovell, the Guatemalans remained in close proximity to the Coast Guard and even began circling the Sarstoon Island.

BTTA holds RF&G; table tennis championships
Over 50 players in 4 different categories contested the 2nd bi-annual RF&G; table tennis ranking tournament hosted by the Belize Table Tennis Association at the Belize Elementary School auditorium on Sunday. After the round robin qualifiers in the morning, the top performers in each group advanced to a double elimination round in all categories. Carlos Cui won the A Division, 14-year-old Latrell Solis won the B-Division, John Del Cid won the C division, and Petie Usher-Matus won the Women’s division In the A Division, after some intense matches the day closed off with an exciting final that went down to the wire between Carlos Cui and Tyrone Tun. Carlos Cui won 3-2 just managing to edge out Tyrone in the finals set 13-11.

Young Warriors, City Boys, Rising Stars & Bombers win in Smart Mundialito
The undefeated Young Warriors, Rising Stars and defending champs City Boys all posted wins in Week 7 of the 2015 SMART Mundialito annual football tournament at the M.C.C. Garden in Belize City on Saturday. Ladyville Rising Stars vs. Carlston FC – 1-0 Goals by Elan White (2) Face of Belize vs. Ladyville Jaguars – 1-1 Goals by D’jon Canello, Mushay Grant Young Warriors vs. London Strikers – 1-0 Goal by Anthony Usher Brown Bombers vs. Third World – 3-0 (Default Win) City Boys vs. Hattieville Youth FC – 1-0

Central Bank & DigiCell topple opponents in Interoffice Basketball
The Belize Bank Bulldogs, Belikin, Digicell 4G, Central Bank and Central Health all posted big wins in the Belize City interoffice basketball competition at Bird’s Isle over the weekend Central Bank crushed Ready Call 81-66, led by Jacob “Snake” Leslie and Mark Swift with 21 points each. Dave Apolonio and Ed Baptist added 10 points each. Ready Call’s Raheim Franklin led his team’s score with 17 points and 6 rebounds. DigiCell 4G upset the defending champs Complex Generals 47-37, led by Raheem Staine with 15 points and Jason Lamb with 10 points. Complex’s Rhetton Belisle and Wilfred Richards scored 11 points apiece and Roman Williams added 5 points.

The Petro Caribe Crutch
Ever since 2012, the UDP Government of Belize has ceased to grow its recurrent revenue. The influx of the Petro Caribe Loan that has been provided by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela via the initiative started by the late Commander Hugo Chavez, the government has gotten lazy. The revelation of the Statement of Government Account at the Central Bank of Belize clearly indicates that the UDP Government of Belize is technically broke. We say this because on March 18, 2014, the Barrow Government borrowed $20.0m from the Petro Caribe account to pay salaries for public officers (see Image 1. Also note that in December 16, 2014 another $20.0m was borrowed. In total the government borrowed $40.0m to finance recurrent operations. This was further confirmed by the Financial Secretary, Joseph Waight, in a television interview on Monday, June 1, 2015, where he claimed the government keeps finding itself in a cash crunch and therefore had to draw down on the Petro Caribe loan funds. He tried to explain that the draw down was a reimbursement for monies previously spent by the government on projects that were to be funded by the Petro Caribe loan, but the entire nation of Belize knows that is hogwash. How can the country be in a cash crunch and have liquidity to spend on Petro Caribe project at the same time? This has been the modus operandi of this Barrow administration. Just plain lazy and greedy for easy money.

UDP Embraces Corruption!
With almost unlimited access to Petrocaribe money and almost the entire UDP Cabinet backing him, disgraced UDP Area Representative Edmond Castro pulled off a win in the UDP’s Belize Rural North Standard Bearer convention held on Sunday, May 31st, 2015. This shows how much the United Democratic Party embraces corruption. Big time Ministers like Boots Martinez, Patrick Faber, John Saldivar, and Mark King brought their heavy brown paper bags to support Castro against a political novice, Pastor Dwight Tillett. While the strong show of support paid off for Castro, it left Belizeans asking whether something was wrong with the people of Belize Rural North. Castro must have been sharing red cool aid. In the weeks leading to the convention, Castro’s name continued to come up in scandals, keeping consistent with his political history. He recently appeared in Court in the defamation case which he brought against whistleblower Alvarine Burgess, but ended up admitting that he participated in a visa hustle. Castro then had to answer allegations that he was illegally occupying privately owned land, and he admitted that he was indeed cultivating cane on land that didn’t belong to him.

PUP Hattieville Campaign Team Ready to Rumble!!
PUP Belize Rural Central Area Representative Hon. Dolores Balderamos Garcia and her Hattieville campaign team are preparing vigorously for the upcoming general election campaign. On Saturday May 30th, team members attended a very informative and inspiring training session conducted by training expert and PUP stalwart Ms Merilyn Young. All the pointers and discussions were well received by those in attendance, who pledged to continue the on-the-ground visits and campaigning on behalf of their caring and hardworking PUP area representative.

Consejo Takes Neighborhood Watch to a New Level
We are a “different” Neighborhood Watch. Out of perceived necessity based on our distance from Police and Medical services in town and the need to have resources quickly available. We have developed the “Responder” program. Responders are our neighbors. They care enough about the community to have volunteered to respond when called upon. Sometimes in the middle of dinner and sometimes well after dark. While you may not always think we “do it right”, our responders are doing this because they are willing to help protect the community. Remember, we work with but, are not a replacement for the police or community medical services or NEMO. What we are is a first line of defense. Looking out for one another and responding as quickly as we can when called for a criminal situation, medical emergency, or a natural disaster. Our responders respond to events when a neighbor reports suspicious activity. We remind all residents that our community is safe because people are watching and not assuming “well it must be OK” we congratulate our residents for maintaining a vigilant attitude.

Down Memory Lane – Respect to Mr. Gonzalo “William” Quinto
Several weeks ago I posted on my timeline chronicling the Old Parr basketball teams. The sponsor of that team was Mr. Gonzalo Quinto. Mr. Quinto is known by many Belizeans for the above introduction but there are also many Belizeans, especially the younger generation who know little about Mr. Quinto and his Chinese friend Mr. Simon Quan. Mr. James Lee and several others were responsible for sponsoring and popularizing the game of Volleyball in Belize. Before I get to the volleyball piece I would like to highlight a couple of Mr. Quinto’s work and generosity which I believe he would not object to being promulgated. During our playing career, after every game and whether we won or lost (we did not lose many) his Canton Restaurant on New Road was closed to the public and opened solely for his players, their wives, girlfriends and most loyal fans who accompanied us after games. We were afforded whatever we wanted to eat and or drink all at his expense. Additionally we were each given a stipend as appreciation for our efforts. All we wanted to do was win for him and watch him flash his infectious smile as he hoisted the championship trophy four times out of five years before I migrated to the US. We were respectful and appreciative of his generosity. Small gestures like this had a profound effect on a poor boy from Plues Street. I’ll explain in closing.

Keeping it real – We need less talk, more action
Youth development is not a one night stand in which we launch a youth policy, romance our youth population with endless possibilities and then wake up with a hangover from excessive cocktail consumption. It has been two years and four months since the grand launch and celebration of a document that was to forever change the realities of our Belizean youth. Though vague in its approach to education, youth governance and economic opportunities people this policy contains the blueprint of our lives, it is all we have to dream from. To date, the only things that have tremendously changed for us are the quality of the streets on which young black men are murdered on. Since 2008 almost 1000 Belizeans have been murdered of which more than half are estimated to be youth. A crime occurs in our country every 23 minutes of which 34% occur in the Belize District, according to data from the IT unit of the Police Department. Of this amount the majority is reported on the south side of Belize City where ‘bars, pawnshops and gaming salons outnumber schools 25 to 1'.

PUP Collet holds BBQ & Cowfoot Soup Sale!
The food available at the BBQ & Cowfoot Soup Fundraising Sale held on Vernon Street by the PUP Collet Committee was delicious, but the vibes among residents and supporters who turned out to support was positive and upbeat. PUP Collet Standard Bearer Yasmin Shoman and members of her Committee were on hand to greet and chat with supporters.

PUP Love in Esperanza! – PUP Cayo North East Celebrates Community’s 50th Anniversary
It was a festivity like no other – residents of Esperanza Village gathered at the community center and football field to celebrate their community’s 50th anniversary in grand fashion. PUP Cayo North East Standard Bearer Orlando “Landy” Habet and his well-oiled Committee Executive organised a day of fun activities. It started with a football tournament for the athletes. The matches were competitive and finishing in the first place were the Esperanza Warriors. Second place was Los Tambos football club and Third place was Atleticos football club.

City Administrator totals CitCo vehicle – Will taxpayers pay for damaged late-model vehicle?
Belize City Mayor Darrel Bradley has come to the City Administrator’s defense after the City Council-purchased vehicle assigned to her ended up totalled along the Northern Highway after a trip to Chetumal. Bradley told Channel 7 News said that the Government’s vehicle policy gives him full and unlimited use of vehicles just “like a Minister” while his City Administrator, Candance Burke, also has access to her vehicle just like a “Minister’s Chief Executive Officer”. This explains where the Mayor gets his pig-headed attitude. He believes he should be treated like a Minister! But back to the City Council’s damaged vehicle. Burke and her family were apparently driving back to Belize City after going shopping in Chetumal, when the vehicle flipped around mile 14 on the Northern Highway and landed in the bushes, completely damaged. The Council tried its best to conceal the accident. There was no report of it to the Police, as far as we know. This is the second City Council vehicle assigned to Burke that has been badly damaged. The first one, a nearly brand-new Toyota Hilux, was crashed in December last year.

Dolores and the PUP – Always working for Belize Rural Central
Hon. Dolores continues vigorous outreach in BRC. On Tuesday May 26th Ms. Dolores presented a donation to the principal and teachers to the Hattieville Seventh Day Adventist Primary School to assist with the school’s utilities. She also delivered along with her staff several loads of hardcore material for the Belizean American Site, Farmer’s Site and Old Hattieville. The material will help residents significantly, as the rainy season approaches. Photos show handing over of cheque, delivery of material and visits with residents.

Former Corozal Town Mayor Mario Narvaez Dies At 62
Former Corozal Town Mayor Mario Ignacio Narvaez has passed away at age 62. Mr. Narvaez had been in hospice for about a year, receiving treatment for illness, and died about 9:45pm on Monday June 1, 2015 at the Star Medica Center in Merida Yucatan, Mexico. He was Corozal’s first Mayor, who was directly elected by the residents of Corozal Town after the law was revised in 1999 by the Law Revision Act, Chapter 3 of the Laws of Belize. Mayor Narvaez was elected under the People’s United Party banner to serve two consecutive terms by Corozal Town residents. Under his stewardship as Mayor, Corozal Town saw many developments and infrastructural projects that are presently creating benefits for the people of Corozal Town. The Gabriel Hoare Market brought great economic benefits; the completely refurbished Central Park; the relocation of the Slaughter House; paved streets using Town Council revenues, are just some of the great accomplishments done by one of the best Mayors Corozal Town had ever seen.

Belize’s Shining Stars – Part 2 Featuring: Pallotti High School, Sadie Vernon Technical High School, Edward P. Yorke High School, Belize High School, Excelsior High School, Ladyville Technical High School, Anglican Cathedral College, and Toledo Community College
The BELIZE TIMES’ continues its commitment to highlighting the top achievers among our young and bright high school graduates. We begin this week’s closer coverage with Pallotti High School on Princess Margaret Drive in Belize City. The venerable Catholic all-girls school will march up 63 more young women in their continuous and long-standing tradition on Sunday, June 7th, 2015 at the St. Joseph’s Church on St. Joseph Street, starting at 10:00 am. Leading them will be: 16-year-old Ms. Jasmine Myvett (Valedictorian, from 4 Arts, with an Overall Grade Average of 94%) and 17-year-old Ms. Soila Rodriguez (Salutatorian, from 4 Business, with an Overall Grade Average of 93%). The BELIZE TIMES sat with these quiet yet fiercely determined ladies at the school campus on Monday morning.

Blogs

San Pedro’s Ricky Luna ROCKS Merida Mexico’s 2015 WOD Challenge
Crossfit was founded in 2000 in California – a combination of high intensity training, weight-lifting and more – and over the last 10 years has spread like fitness wildfire. And in the last two years it has really exploded in Belize. There is a gym in Placencia and two on Ambergris Caye – San Pedro Crossfit (north of town in the Boca Del Rio area) and W.O.D. Zone (just south). Both “boxes” or gyms are owned and run by Belizeans. In just two years, it’s taken over the island and classes at both gyms are filled with locals, expats and visitors. Fitness, healthy eating and constant Crossfit talk have taken over San Pedro. :) Just last weekend, members of the San Pedro, Belize WOD Zone headed up to Merida, Mexico for a competition. Keep in mind that the daily AVERAGE high for the month of May in Merida is 97 degrees. And the population of just that city is almost double that of the country of Belize.

International Sources

Scenario planning builds cooperative confidence
They are the masterminds behind a prison riot and escape, a grounded maritime vessel and a transnational organized crime syndicate, but the men and women of the Ground Operations Team are only creating scenarios to test the 19 partner countries participating in Tradewinds 2015. The objective of Tradewinds, a combined, joint U.S. Southern Command-sponsored exercise, is to strengthen the capacity of nations in the Caribbean to respond to natural disasters, as well as land and maritime threats that include illicit trafficking. This year marks the 31st annual Tradewinds exercise. Phase one continues in St. Kitts and Nevis through June 9. Belize will host Phase two from June 15–24. Phase three is July 14-16 in Miami for key stakeholders and decision makers within the region.

Eat, Play, Love
Remember that dog? Cayo, the stray from Burns avenue, is now with her newly adopted owner in Alaska. This is a great story of a tourist bonding with a local potlicker, and with CAWS' help, getting the dog back home. Well worth the read. Thanks, CAWS! "After nearly a month, Cayo arrived in Juneau on an Alaska Airlines flight. Leach was there to meet Cayo and her handler, Mendi Antisdel, at the Juneau International Airport on Thursday afternoon. When the crate was unloaded in the baggage claim area, Leach was giddy with excitement; she had a friend drive her because she was vibrating with nervous energy. As soon as she could, Leach released Cayo from the crate and clutched the medium-sized, black dog to her chest. Cayo licked her face in greeting. Cayo is home now. Cayo has a happy ending. By Thursday afternoon she was wrapped up in a sweater by a fire, acclimating to a new life with colder weather but warm embraces."

Videos

June 6, 2015

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Sushi Time at Las Terrazas
With my partner in crime Janelle, we drove up the delightfully smooth paved road north past the bridge to our destination, the beautiful Las Terrazas resort. Chandra greeted us warmly, escorting us to a pavilion near the pool, where the sounds of Any and Pupo echoed beautifully. Our server for the evening, Edvin, took excellent care of us as we settled in, a refreshing drink in hand as we perused the sushi menu. We were intrigued at the list, especially when we happened on one that incorporated the lionfish! The Predator sounded most interesting, and, since we are all about doing our part for the environment, we decide to give that a try, along with a few other delicious-looking options. Chef Papi joined us for a bit, then highly recommended we start with the Cobia sashimi. Thinly sliced fresh cobia fish over a sauce of sesame seed oil, soy, ginger, scallions, a little lime juice and topped with fried rice noodles and Tobiko caviar and seaweed salad. I would say that was quite the introduction to our fabulous dining experience! So much flavor on a dish…Janelle, my little “I don’t like fish that much” companion seemed to have no problem downing some cobia! She was so impressed, she couldn’t wait for the next course!

Los Catrachos take 2nd place in Xcalak Football Marathon
The annual football marathon in the neighboring fishing village of Xcalak in Mexico was held on Saturday, May 30th as part of their 115th Anniversary celebration. The tournament saw the participation of four Belizean teams, two of which are seasoned San Pedro football teams. A total of six teams participated in the tournament: Xcalak, Mahaual, Chetumal, Sarteneja (from Corozal Town), Progresso (from Corozal Town) and representing San Pedranos, San Pedro Joker F C and Catrachos FC. While no island team brought home the championship, Catrachos FC did manage to claim the second place prize in the tournament. Catrachos were in the lead after beating Chetumal 2-0 and Sarteneja 1-0, which allowed them to automatically qualify to the finals. Catrachos FC faced off against Progresso in the finals. They played the full 90 minutes plus injury time, and still, the game ended in a draw. Both teams were not giving way for a score, but there had to be a winner. The next step was the penalty shots. At the start the penalty scores were even, however further in the game, Catrachos failed to capitalize and Progresso took the championship by a score of 5 to 4.

Mayor Guerrero addresses San Pedro Town traffic issues
Traffic conditions on the island have been escalating over the past few years, with residents becoming increasingly concerned about safety, especially that of their children. In order to alleviate the issue, The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) is taking several steps to ensure the congestion of traffic does not rise. In an interview with The San Pedro Sun, Mayor Daniel Guerrero detailed the measures that will be put in place to control traffic on the island. According to Guerrero, among the many steps being taken are allocating set parking space and reducing traffic flow in town core. “We are currently making arrangements to use the space adjacent to Saca Chispas as the set parking lot for town. We will be placing gravel and constructing cement dividers for parking slots,” said Guerrero. He further explained that the parking lot would work in conjunction with the new regulations for Pescador and Barrier Reef Drive. “We will soon be implementing several regulations to reduce the congestion in Front (Barrier Reef Drive) and Middle (Pescador) Street. We will only be allowing golf carts, pedestrians, bicycles and ATV’s in this area. No cars, vans, or trucks will be allowed to traffic this area. In addition, only 4-seater golf carts and motorcycles will be allowed to park on Pescador and Barrier Reef Drive.” Said Guerrero. He hopes that with these implementations, pedestrians, especially school children, will be able to move around effortlessly and safely.

Honorable Manuel Heredia donates vehicle to San Pedro Police
The need for more vehicles has been a major concern in the San Pedro Police Department (SPPD). With this in mind, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation donated a 2008 Tacoma Toyota four door pickup to the SPPD. The much needed vehicle will be officially handed over on Saturday June 6th in a short ceremony with Area Representative and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation, Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr. Present Assistant Superintendent and Acting Officer in charge, Henry Jemmott welcomes the new attachment to their vehicular fleet. “It has been a long time needed for the department, especially in San Pedro. With this new vehicle we will go a long way in assisting and responding to the needs of the community within San Pedro,” said Jemmott. “We hope that this donation helps the police operate more smoothly. As the Area Representative, I want San Pedro to develop safely and to do that; we need to have the resources to support it. For a long time our police have worked with very little resources. I know that with the addition of these new vehicles, we will see a reduction in crime and have a safer island,” said Heredia.

Ambergris Today

Belize to Further Develop Olympic Sports, Hires Strategic Consultant
In a press release the Belize Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association indicates that as it continues to advocate for sports development in Belize, more National Federations (NFs), Associations and Sport Governing Bodies are also looking for ways to develop coaches and officials, as well as ways to maintain strong, transparent, financial and governance management practices. Recognizing this need, the Belize Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association has hired a Strategic Consultant Dr. Davis who arrived on Monday, June 1st, 2015 for an initial visit. He has since met with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) Executive, National Sports Council and National Federations.

Misc Belizean Sources

Rescue 3.0 Meet Basil Jones
He fell from his nest this morning. He will joining his sibling Robles at Belize Bird Rescue this afternoon. Our week has gone to the birds.

Optinam North America
hampionship sailing event for young Optimist dinghy racers (ages less than 15) . Four young sailors (2 girls & 2 boys) and their coaching staff, will represent our country at "Optinam" in Antiqua, July 1, 2015. We are very excited that this is happening for our youth! Jazmine Campos, from Corozal Town and our local Corozal Bay Sailing Club, is part of the team. We need your immediate help to get her and her team to Optinam. Jazmine hs been sacrificing school and practice every weekend. Let us all REWARD her efforts! If you have been meaning to give but haven't yet, now is the time! We've two more weeks to make the final push. Support Jazmine and Team Belize! All donors will receive a certificate of appreciation for their contribution and be recognized at our next regatta. Thank you!

SUCCESS FOR BELIZE AT CFATF PLENARY
On Wednesday, May 28, The Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) determined that Belize successfully qualified to exit both the CFATF Follow-up Process and ICRG Review. To make this determination, CFATF and ICRG assessors conducted a robust review of the measures undertaken by Belize to address deficiencies in its regime to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. This review included scrutiny of the legislative framework and implementation of that framework by AML/CFT supervisors and the private sector. By exiting both ICRG Review and CFATF Follow-up Process, Belize now joins the vanguard of CFATF member countries who have achieved the highest levels of compliance with international standards. CFATF is an organisation of 27 jurisdictions of the Caribbean Basin that have all agreed to implement the international standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing established by the Financial Action Task Force Recommendations (FATF Recommendations). Since 2011, Belize has been working closely with the CFATF to address the deficiencies identified in Belize’s AML/CFT regime. Those efforts were redoubled when, in November 2013, the CFATF issued a Public Statement identifying Belize as having strategic deficiencies in its AML/CFT regime.

BOLEDO DRAWING for Friday, June 5, 2015: 75

Poets Corner: Race
By Abdulmajeed K Nunez. Western civilization started with the Greeks Continued with the Romans freaks Evolved today into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization cheats Extension of white Christian Crusaders Imposing their religion on the southerners Unprecedented white Christian dynasty Ruling for some two thousand years of history Last Week Russia celebrated its allies’ victory over the Nazis Top brass of the BRICS military joined with them in solidarity This brotherhood of nations Resisting Western civilization Who represent just over half the world population No western Europeans, just Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa They’ve dared liberating themselves from the white supremist structure

Bamboo Bar Super Saturdays
Bamboo Bar is under new management, and while it has the same name, it's a completely different bar. Great company, superb bartenders, excellent drinks - try their kamakazis or baby guinesses - and a cool vibe. Saturdays are their special days where they have someone from the community do something there. They have the Cuban Pig Roast last Saturday, and tomorrow will be trance with DJ Feel Awesome.

SHJC 2015 Graduation
Congratulations to all the 2015 Sacred Heart Junior College graduates. SHJC is celebrating 15 years of service to the community, and there were lots of happy graduates. Luis Carballo was the commencement speaker this year.

Channel 5

Marcel Cardona in Legal Pickle
Former U.D.P. Minister and attorney Marcel Cardona is in big trouble with the General Legal Council of the Bar Association and allegedly faces the threat of a one year suspension [...]

Says His Email Was Hacked
Cardona says he feels that he has been denied a fundamental right by not having had the opportunity to mount a defence on his own behalf. Not only was he [...]

Still No Notification from General Legal Council
So what’s next for Cardona? Reports from sources in the Bar Association say that indeed there was a hearing and a recommendation to suspend him for a year. He told [...]

2 Dead in Motorcycle Collision
Two men are dead and a woman is hospitalized after an accident on Thursday night in Southern Belize. The collision of two motorcycles, traveling in the same direction, claimed the [...]

Espinosa Guilty of Manslaughter
An Orange Walk resident has beat a murder charge for the second time. He is Krismar Espinosa, whose trial concluded on Thursday before Justice Herbert Lord in the Orange Walk [...]

Maurice Felix Out on Bail
Well known street figure, thirty year old Maurice Felix was in the Supreme Court today to file bail application. The Belize City resident was before Justice Troadio John Gonzalez for [...]

Civil Aviation Investigates Tropic Air Crash
The Department of Civil Aviation is proceeding with an official probe into a plane crash earlier this week involving a Tropic Air flight en route to the Bay Islands of [...]

Are Belize’s Skies Still Safe?
As we reported in the wake of the accident, it is the second aircraft from Tropic’s fleet to plunge into the Caribbean Sea since December of last year.  We asked [...]

Pilot and Passengers Questioned in Investigation
On Wednesday morning, all three men were returned to the mainland after spending the night at Blackbird Caye.  They were then summoned by the Department of Civil Aviation to assist [...]

SICB Rescinds Decision to Cut Quotas
Two weeks ago the Sugar Cane Production Committee made a decision to review cane-farmer quotas, which resulted in a cut in a majority of them. Already faced with the prospect [...]

Belize’s Fiscal Future Limited
Diminished petroleum revenues and increased public spending is expected to result in only limited fiscal strengthening in Belize in the months ahead, despite rising non-oil government inflows.  Consequently, the country’s [...]

Minister Elrington Speaks on Danny Conorquie
Danny Conorquie was murdered in the line of duty back on September twenty-fifth, 2014. No one has ever been charged and as far as we know the Conorquie family is [...]

Coming Soon – Belize’s First Helium Balloon Ride
If you are to take a drive or walk along the Marine Parade in Belize City, there is an activity that is soon give you an adrenalin rush. The upcoming [...]

Jazz Festival Opens in Belize City
The first ever Belize International Jazz Festival opened with a live concert at the House of Culture in Belize City just moments ago. The first of its kind in the [...]

Hundreds Participate in First Even Jazz Festival
Three hundred and eighteen musicians, twelve engineers, nine international and eleven local bands have signed up and will take part in the festival. The ten-day kicked off this morning with [...]

A Look Back at the History of the Belize City Museum
On this Friday, we dig into our archives and flash way back with a 1994 story about the old prison. As you may know, that prison was located in the [...]

LOVE FM

Police Inspector Chooses Theme for September Celebrations
The official opening of the September celebrations 2015 is about three months away but the wheels have begun spinning when it comes to preparations and planning. Of course, many of those preparations and planning do need a theme and so with that, the National Celebrations Commission has announced the selected theme for this year. That […]

Organizer of Public Meeting Calls on Naysayers to ICJ
Last year there was the start of what was to be a continuous education process as it pertains to the Belize/Guatemala issue. However, following the decision by Guatemala to not hold simultaneous referendum, there was a silence on the issue. However, with Guatemala back on board and with the amendments to the Special Agreement signed […]

VIP Prepares to Take on Its Own Education Campaign on ICJ
The Vision Inspired by the People, VIP, has been very vocal on several issues and one of them is whether or not Belize should participate in taking Guatemala’s claim to the International Court of Justice. The VIP position is a strong “NO” and they are sticking to it. The Party has notices that the Government […]

Attorney Says He Did Not Bribe Judge
Last night it was reported that attorney, Marcel Cardona, was recommended to be placed on a one year suspension following a complaint made against him. That complaint was made by Hana Belickova, a woman from Czechoslovakia in June of 2013. She reportedly filed an affidavit accusing Cardona of overcharging her in the thousands and using […]

Collision of Motorcyles Leave Two Men Dead
Two men are dead as a result of a motorcycle accident in southern Belize. Correspondent Harry Arzu reports. HARRY ARZU “Two persons are dead as a result of a road traffic accident that occurred on the Stann Creek Valley Road last night. Police here say that they were called out to an area between miles […]

Belize Removed from CFATF’s Blacklist
After coming under much scrutiny when Belize was listed as a country that had not been complying with addressing the deficiencies in the laws of money laundering, the Barrow administration has reason to celebrate tonight as they are now being commended and recognized for measures taken to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The announcement […]

The Guardian

Julius Espat attacks Ivan Ramos
In December of 2013 Julius Espat practically begged the government to reimburse him cash from the Petro Caribe program for money which he claimed he had spent on some Christmas program which he would have held at the time. Of course he was asked to present the vouchers to prove his expenditure and was not able to do so and similarly the government was unable to reimburse him. We are not sure if this is what has him so ‘wrathed’ against the Petro Caribe program but whatever the case, he is upset with the program. But having been the first to try to access the finances from the PUP camp we could not have anticipated his reaction earlier this week when he lashed out against Ivan Ramos who too has accessed the program for finances to run a Mothers/Fathers Day program in Dangriga. Ramos requested finances which each and every representative is entitled to and was granted 25 thousand dollars to run his program. The difference with Ramos and Espat is that Ramos actually presented how he would spend the money while Julius just came up with a figure and could not back up how he had come up with the figure. After Ramos’ request and the granting of it, on Friday of last week the government of Belize made it public and that must have sent a chill down Espat’s spine. That is because the PUP (to the detriment of their less monied standard bearers) have decreed that no one should accept Petro Caribe money.

Land for Citco employees
Employees of the Belize City Council who have been employed with the city for three or more years will be the owners of land courtesy their employer. Mayor Darrell Bradley says that for the past two years he has been working on securing land for employees of the council and by next week he will have 209 parcels of land which will be distributed to employees of the council. According to Bradley the parcels measure 80 X 100 feet and are located at mile 14 on the George Price Highway in an area known as Tropical Park outside of Hattieville Village. For the sake of fairness, the parcels will be distributed to employees based on a lottery system to those employees who have had 3 or more years working at the Belize City Council. The mayor says that the initiative is part of the council motivating its employees, "the City Council Staff work hard and under harsh conditions and this is one way we can motivate them," stated Mayor Bradley.

Jaguars ready for second round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers
While the team has not yet been announced individually we have confirmed who the team of 24 is currently made up of. Those include Goalkeepers Woodrow West and Shane Orio, striker Deon McCauley. They will be complemented by other players including Elroy Smith, Ian Gaynair, Trevor Lennen, Dalton Ealey, Jordi Polanco, Denmark Casey, Andres Makin, Amin August, Devon Makin, Harrison Roches, Elroy Kuylen, Daniel Jimenez, Brian Hulse, Evan Mariano, Marlon Meza Khalil Velasquez and Radney Padilla, Marvin Centano, Delone Torres, Keith Allen and Najib Guerra. The national team, Jaguars, was officially presented at the FFB headquarters in Belmopan on Wednesday as they make preparations to face the Dominican Republic for the first game of round two of the World Cup Qualifiers in Santo Domingo on June 11. At the presentation the team was upbeat and members of the squad along with the coaching staff expressed confidence since the key striker, Deon McCauley is with the team. According to Assistant Coach Charles Slusher, McCauley has been playing with the team and has been working hard and has presented himself as a leader. McCauley's addition to the roster says Slusher takes them to the game with much more confidence. For his part McCauley says that he has been scoring goals both during practice sessions as well as during friendly matches and he is ready for play.

National stakeholder consultation on regional coconut industry platform
On May 27 and 28 the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and International Trade Centre (ITC) hosted a two day consultation workshop with more than 50 coconut industry stakeholders at the George Price Centre for Peace and Development, Belmopan. Mr. Ian Sayers, Head Product Sector Development, of the ITC traveled from Geneva, Switzerland to oversee and facilitate discussions on the targeted revival and expansion of Belize’s coconut industry, assisted by Mr. Maurice Wilson, Head Resource Mobilisation Unit from CARDI’s head office and Dr. Compton Paul, Coordinator of the CARDI/ITC Coconut Program. Mr. Anil Sinha, CARDI’s Country Representative in Belize, gave the opening address and chaired the opening ceremony. Mr. Roberto Harrison, Chief Agriculture Officer, Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture (MNRA) gave the feature address. Participating were members of MNRA, Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA), Belize Bureau of Standards, Beltraide, Foreign Trade Directorate, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), International Regional Organization for Health in Agriculture (OIRSA), Development Finance Corporation (DFC) as well as many coconut stakeholders representing local coconut producers and processors, small and large, and the media.

BRN Strongly Endorses ‘Clear the Land’ Castro
Hon. Edmond “Clear the Land” Castro secured his most impressive political victory on Sunday, May 31, as he soundly defeated challenger Dwight Tillett by a three to one margin in the UDP Convention for Belize Rural North. “We journey on to defeat whatever Major disaster that might come,” said Castro immediately after he was declared the victor. “We will continue to deliver the seat for the United Democratic Party here in this constituency.” Castro credited the hard work of his committee for the massive victory. The well organized machinery had the compound of Guadalupe R.C. Primary School flooded with “Clear the Land” shirts at the 9 a.m. start time. The early lead at the polls took away any doubt that may have crept up in Hon. Castro’s head and by 11 a.m. the confident candidate declared to the media, “We know we have the best machinery in the country in terms of rural constituency and its showing out here today. Our committee is bringing out the people and from the time we started we’re two hundred ahead.” There was a steady flow of voters throughout the day. The atmosphere was like that of a bazaar more than an election. Music was blasting and people danced throughout the hot day. The people’s spirits were upbeat and the village “spirits” were flowing. For Castro it was a love fest – more than optics – the love was clearly visible. Inside the polling rooms the scrutineers were very cordial towards each other. They even shared food, snacks and other refreshments. Though their candidate of choice was different, the scrutineers made it clear that “we are all UDP”.

Charlie Charlie Challenge: Can You Really Summon a Demon?
"Charlie, Charlie, can we play?" That is the seemingly innocent question that begins a new "spirit-summoning" game that is taking the Internet by storm. The so-called Charlie Charlie Challenge is based on shaky science (the objective is to summon a malignant spirit from beyond the grave), but there are some real and powerful forces behind this parlor game, according to one expert. Here's how the Charlie Charlie Challenge works: players balance one horizontally aligned pencil on top of a vertically aligned pencil (essentially, in the shape of a cross). Both writing utensils sit atop a piece of paper divided into four quadrants. Two of the quadrants are labeled "yes" and two are labeled "no." Players then invite a spirit, Charlie, to play with them. If the spirit is feeling playful, the top most pencil will allegedly spin until it points to "yes." Then the players can ask Charlie other yes or no questions and wait for the pencil to move again. So what causes the pencils to spin of their own accord? Only one of the most powerful forces on Earth: gravity. In order to balance one object on top of another, the topmost object's center of gravity (a point where an object's mass is said to be concentrated) must be positioned precisely over the supporting object. In the case of the Charlie Charlie Challenge, players balance two long objects with rounded edges on top of one another. Naturally, these hard-to-balance objects have a tendency to roll around.

Dr. Barnett has major presence in Freetown
The Leader of the Opposition has great reason to be concerned these days, at it is not only because his party is in shambles and there are moves to dethrone him. His concern should be more focused on the fact that Dr. Carla Barnett is extremely active in the Freetown constituency. Ever since the announcement was made in January of this year, Dr. Barnett has been on the ground visiting her constituents and making every effort to improving the conditions of her people in the division. And part of her work has been to be accessible to her constituents; so not only is she constantly on the ground but she has also established an office which is fully functional since March of this year.

Archaeological site in Benque Viejo del Carmen now being excavated
A new excavation on an archaeological site in Benque Viejo del Carmen has begun. As part of the US Ambassador’s Cultural Preservation Grant fund, the preservation of the archaeological site now employs several Benque Viejo residents. On our most recent visit to the Benque Site, which is located by the Belize Water Services Ltd Pump in Benque Viejo, both Carlos Mendez and Merli Alfaro, as well as other workers were busy exposing the façade of a site that is now believed to have been the household of a rural Maya elite family. The archaeological site itself may have been part of a network derived from the ancient city of Xunantunich, which can be viewed about a kilometer to the northwest from atop a mound at the Benque site. According to George Thompson, Associate Director for Belize’s Parks Management, work began on the Benque Viejo site about a month ago to do regular excavation in an effort to expose the architecture. He said that the final step will be to conserve the site so that it becomes part of a heritage trail.

PUP Area Representative accepts Petro - Caribe finances against the wishes of PUP leaders
The PUP have done their absolute very best to discredit the Government’s Petrocaribe spending, suggesting the most nefarious of purposes, only to find out that one of their own has now come out in favor of the programs. He has gone a step further than that, and he has requested money to conduct one of his own initiatives. That opposition member is PUP’s Dangriga Area Representative, Ivan Ramos, who penned a letter to the Prime Minister, dated Monday, May 27. Ramos, writes, “In my expression of support for the Petrocaribe arrangement and the benefits to the nation deriving there from, I am, as the elected Area Representative for Dangriga, requesting to access the $25,000 you announced available to the Opposition Area Representatives, upon application.” He adds, “These funds, as per the attached budget, will be used to host my annual joint Mothers and Father’s Day event…” Being a man of his word, the Prime Minister and his Ministry released a statement confirming that an area representative from the PUP made the request, which was approved. Since no other applications have emerged, it follows then that Ramos is the area representative who was granted the funding.

Santander settles land dispute with Valley of Peace Farmers
Green Tropics, which has since been rebranded under the name, Santander Farms, has made a generous settlement with the 31 farmers of the Valley of Peace Village in the Cayo District. It involves huge parcels of land being given to those farmers, which is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and instead of squatting on land to plant, these farmers will now be farming legally. It made the news in the entire press core when these 31 farmers accused Santander Farms in March 2014 of destroying over 150 acres of crops that they owned. Unfortunately, the farmers were squatting on Santander’s land and this dispute ended up in the court. PUP Politician Julius Espat was urging them to settle this issue only through the courts, which could have caused the dispute to drag out for months or years before being resolved. Fortunately, more intelligent and reasonable thinkers on both sides decided to sit down and resolve the issue peacefully and out of court through dialogue. The result of that is that on Saturday, May 29, Jose Rogriguez, the CEO of the Santander Group, handed over 160 acres of land to the President of the Agricultural Association of Valley of Peace, Ever Blandon. This land is located in Belmopan, and at the handing over informal ceremony, 22 of the 31 farmers were present to witness in person that they were now landowners.

Attorney sued for statement against police officers
Attorney at Law, Oscar Selgado, 45, was served with a notice of intended prosecution (NIP) on May 18, for a statement he made on national television in relation to a client who was charged with the murder for Jose Beltran, - a taxi man on the island of San Pedro. According to Selgado, his client Luis Campos alleged that he was assaulted by a team of police officers who were led by Senior Superintendent Edward Broaster. He said this on Channel 5 based on information given to him by Campos. According to Selgado, on the same night his client was allegedly beaten by police, he personally took Campos to the San Pedro Poli Clinic for treatment for his injuries and a doctor classified his injuries as harm. Selgado says that he has now placed the matter in the hands of his attorneys. Senior Superintendent Edward Broaster is suing Selgado on three grounds: one being that the alleged beating of Campos was not administered by him or with his knowledge; two that he did not say anything to Selgado’s client that he shared with Channel 5 and three that he did not serve under his command at any time when Selgado was a BDF Officer as he said on Channel 5.

More Sporting Facilities to be upgraded this time in Southern Belize
Two contracts for the rehabilitation and upgrading of sporting facilities in Southern Belize were signed on June 1 at the office of the Belize Infrastructure Limited (BIL). The contract for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Carl Ramos Football Field and Facilities in Dangriga Town was awarded to Hubert L. Usher & Sons Construction of Dangriga, Stann Creek District; and for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Toledo Union Field and Facilities in Punta Gorda Town, the contract was awarded to Coleman Construction Ltd. of Hattieville, Belize District. The estimated completion time of each project is 10 months. The contracts were signed by representatives of the respective companies, Minister of Works and Transport Hon. Rene Montero, and Ms. Christy Mastry, General Manager of BIL.

Belize tops regional sugar production for April
The Sugar Association of the Caribbean (SAC) has announced that the top sugar producer in the region for the month of April 2015 was Belize, with 28,289 tons of sugar produced. Guyana produced 26,826 tons, followed by Jamaica with 25,862 tons and Barbados with 3,173 tons, for a total regional production of 84,150 tons for the period. Jamaica had topped the regional production in February and March 2015 respectively, while Barbados has just started production. The April figures pushed the year to date production for the current regional sugar crop to 393,357 tons. The SAC says it continues to focus on overseas markets with year-to-date exports to Europe totaling 220,309 tons, followed by 30,259 tons to the United States and 17,484 tons to CARICOM. SAC Chairman Karl James says that while there are challenges affecting sugar production in Jamaica, the production is going well in Belize and Guyana. The SAC Chairman also noted that the Association is well advanced in achieving its goal to boost supply to the CARICOM market.

Jorge Gutierrez charged with attempted murder
One day after celebrating his 18th birthday, Jorge Gutierrez was arrested and charged for the attempted murder of Luis Dominguez, 32. On Thursday, May 21, Luis Dominguez told police that he was riding his bicycle on JR Street when a Hispanic male he knows as Jorge Gutierrez pulled out a firearm and fired several shots at him. He was shot to the left side of the neck, shoulder and head. Dominguez was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial where he underwent lifesaving surgery. Police arrested and charged Gutierrez for Dominguez’s shooting. Gutierrez appeared before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith on Thursday, May 28. He was charged with attempted murder, dangerous harm with a deadly instrument, a firearm, and use of deadly means of harm. Gutierrez plead not guilty to the charges but due to the nature of the offenses bail could not be granted. He will be remanded at the Belize Central Prison until September 4 or until he can secure bail at the Supreme Court.

Honduran Accused of Burglary with Intent to Rape
Hondurans national Jose Gomez, 34, is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after bail was denied for charges of burglary and sexual assault upon an eleven-year-old girl in the Fresh pond area of Burrell Boom. In a report to police, the child’s mother said that sometime between 9 and 11 p.m. on December 4, 2014, they were asleep when her daughter was awoken by someone touching her. When the girl opened her eyes she saw a man rubbing her tummy and touching her in a manner that made her feel uncomfortable. He then jumped on top of her and that was when she screamed. This woke the mother and that was when Gomez jumped off her and ran through the door. The family knows Gomez from the area and implicated him in the report to police. He was later arrested by police and charged for two criminal offenses.

Kenrick August charged for sexually assaulting his Ex
Kenrick August, 35, is at the Belize Central Prison on remand for allegedly sexually assaulting his estranged common-law-wife. Allegations are that on March 10, 2015, he entered the woman’s home without permission, jumped on top of her and began to caress her private parts. In a report to police, the 29-year-old woman said that she was at home in bed when she felt someone climbing on top of her. She noticed it was her ex-common-law-husband who then said to her, “Mek weh talk about weh deh happen in a weh life.” He then said to her, “Mek ah get some ah this ting,” and that was when he began to rub her on her private parts. She began to struggle with him and that’s when her uncle, Glenford, came to her aid and hit August with a piece of stick to the back of his head. August then ran out of her house. The woman went to make a police report and August was arrested and charged with sexual assault.

Shadir Marin remanded for firearm assault of DJ Vintage, he’s out on bail in a day
Shadir Marin, 25, Manager of San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi, was remanded to the Belize Central Prison for pulling a gun at Eddison “DJ Vintage” Usher, 41, at a fundraising event at Hour Bar on April 11 of this year. Usher reported to police that he was playing music at a fundraising event for Captain Romi Badillo at Hour Bar when Marin allegedly drove over his wires for the system. He approached Marin and they got into a verbal exchange. According to Usher, Marin then lowered his vehicle window, pulled out a firearm and pointed it at him. Marin is the holder of a license for a firearm and after a police investigation was conducted he was arrested and charged for aggravated assault upon Usher. Marin was represented by attrney Lesly Mendez when he appeared before Magistrate Herbert Panton on Tuesday, June 2, almost two months after the allegations were made. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and due to the nature of the offense bail was denied. Marin was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until July 28 or until he can secure bail at the Supreme Court.

Disabled man fined for 18 grams of weed
Wheel chair dependent Berris Rowland was busted with weed on Monday, June 1, and wasted no time in pleading guilty to one count of drug possession. At about 2:30 p.m. on Monday, June 1, PC Andrew Rodriguez was conducting motorcycle patrol on West Collect Canal when he saw Rowland sitting in a wheel chair. PC Rodriguez says he noticed Rowland pushing something under the cushion of his wheel chair. He then approached Rowland and asked him what he had pushed under the chair. Rowland denied pushing anything under his wheel chair and that was when PC Rodriguez informed him that he would conduct a search on the wheelchair. PC Rodriguez searched the chair and found a transparent plastic bag under the seat cushion which contained a green leafy substance that proved to be 18 grams of cannabis. Rowland was arrested and charged for drug possession.

Teenager dead, young girl crippled – accused men walk
Phillip Wallace, 24, and Austin Underwood, 22, are free from charges relating to a February 2010 shooting that left Dorrell Williams, 19, dead and 7-year-old Janay Moguel paralyzed. On February 1, 2010, gunmen sprayed bullets at an enemy on Central American Boulevard; however, they missed the intended target and hit a number of innocent bystanders. When shots subsided, Dorrell Williams, Robert Howard, senior citizen Stephen Rhamdas and his granddaughter Janay Moguel had to be rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial for gunshot wound treatment. One day later, February 2, Williams was pronounced brain dead due to a 9 mm slug lodged in his head. Howard, Rhamdas and Moguel survived; however, the child has been left paralyzed. One of the bullets damaged her spinal cord which caused her left arm and two legs to become unresponsive.

Cayo Western Ballaz faces San Pedro Tigersharks for Basketball Supremacy
The National Elite Basketball League will enter into its championship round on Friday 5 June, 2015, with game one of its best of three series at the Sacred Heart College Auditorium in San Ignacio Town at 9:00 pm between the Cayo Western Ballaz the number one seed and the San Pedro Tigersharks the number two seed. The San Pedro Tigersharks reached the finals when on Sunday 31 May it eliminated the Belmopan Red Tiagaz in the third and final game of the series out at the San Pedro High School by the score of 67-57. The top scorers for the San Pedro Tigersharks were Darwin Leslie with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals, James Milton with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and a steal and Tyrone Edwards with 12 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists and 3 steals. For the Belmopan Red Taigaz, the top scorers were Farron Louriano with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 assist and Jarrel Velasquez with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.

Dr. Peter Davis in Belize to work on Strategic Plan for the Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association
The Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association is playing host to Dr. Peter G. Davis who has been hired to develop the Strategic Plan for the National Olympic Committee. Dr. Davis has worked in Elite Sport Management for over 30 years. Dr. Davis is originally from Australia. He earned his MSc from the University of Oregon and his PhD from the University of Minnesota in the USA. Dr. Davis started his career in elite sport in 1981 as an Exercise Physiologist for Nike Inc, working with some of the best Track and Field athletes in the world at the Athletics West Track in Club. Since that time he has worked at the Australian Institute of Sport, first as a high performance Exercise Physiologist, then with the “Olympics Athlete Programme” to help prepare Australian athletes for the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics.

Belize Softball Federations names national junior girls softballers
The Belize Softball Federation has announced the names of the twenty five junior girls’ softballers that will be trying out for 18 spots to represent Belize at the Central American Junior Girls Softball Championship scheduled for San Salvador, El Salvador from July 31-August 3, 2015. The players selected are from across the country and they are Shareeni Soberanis, Shanaya Soberanis, Rose Simpson, Renisha Richards, Ronicia Vernon, Shanae Williams and Ashira Harris from Cayo, Denika Noralez, Chelsea Young, Kelsy Robinson, Elma Wade, Sabrina Campos, Devonie Reyes, Ranisha Rhaburn, Zhanae Jex, Rebecca Nicholson, Lynese Alvarez, Jalecia Jones and Sherelee Nicholson from Belize Rural, Jasany Westby and Janel Conorquie from Orange Walk, Essenie Ciego and Jahshema Saunders from Belize City.

Beacon halts the Belize Bank Bulldogs in Belize City Softball Competition
The average of win-loss seems to have caught up with the defending Belize City Senior Female Softball Champions the Belize Bank Bulldogs when on Wednesday 27 May, 2015 the Beacon edged it out by the score of 6-4. The Beacon scored 2 runs in the top of the 1st inning when, second baseman Licia Ferguson single to open the game. She later advanced to second base on shortstop Mertell Bailey’s infield hit and scored when designed player Naoko Takahashi single to left field. Bailey who had advanced to third base on Takahashi single scored on left fielder Clarencia Jones’ single to left field. It was not until the bottom of the 3rd inning that the Belize Bank Bulldogs scored three runs on 5 hits and an error to take a 3-2 lead.

Belize Telemedia maintains lead in Belize City Senior Softball Competition
The 2015 Belize City Senior Female Softball Competition continued on Friday 29 May, at Rogers Stadium in Belize City. In the game played, the current leaders in this year’s competition Belize Telemedia Ltd. defeated the upstart Beacon by the score of 10-3. Belize Telemedia Ltd., batting in the top of the 1st inning, scored the 1st run of the game when catcher Earlene Belisle opened the game with a single to centre field and later scored on Christine Avila’s base hit. The Beacon batting in the bottom of the 1st inning scored when right fielder Licia Ferguson who has reached on a base on balls advanced to second base on a fielders’ choice and scored on centre fielder Astrid Jones run producing double. Meanwhile, Belize Telemedia Ltd. scored another run on two more hits to make the score 2-1. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, the Beacon scored 2 runs on four hits that drove its starting pitcher Kamini Smith from the mound in favour of Kenisha Sutherland.

Looking at the numbers - Castro’s Convention
On Tuesday morning I heard a lady caller to the Rise and Shine morning talk show ask the question “How will Edmond Castro win the next election with only 1612 votes he got on Sunday ?” The answer is as easy as he did in 2012 & 2008. No PUP or any other candidate besides Castro has ever gotten more than the 1612 votes he received on Sunday . So with those numbers Castro would have won every election in Belize Rural North since 1961 when the division was formed. One only has to check the Elections and Boundaries website to verify that. In 2012 Arthur Saldivar who worked BRN from the time when Maxwell Samuels ran dating back to the 1989 campaign to when he (Arthur) ran and even up to when he was dumped by the PUP was the most popular PUP Politician who ever ran for office in BRN. The results of the Election of 2012 proved that. Not only did Arthur operate politically at a high level for the PUP, he also lives in the area and has ties to the area . Such is not the case with the new PUP candidate Major Unknown who apart from being a newcomer to politics is a stranger to the area. By the time the next Election comes around he would not be in the area to establish a relationship with the voters who are spread out in the 28 or so villages of BRN.

Elected to Disserve
When the elections were called in 2012, the United democratic Party won by a very slim margin garnering only 17 of the 31 seats countrywide. The jury is still out on the outcome of this very narrow margin of victory. The People’s United Party lost the election but won 14 seats. Now that suggests that the people for whatever reason decided to give these 14 PUP representatives a chance to prove themselves. What a disaster that has proven to be. On the 21 October, 2014, a mere one year and seven months after the people elected him, the PUP representative for Cayo North Joseph Mahmud announced that he would not be seeking to be the standard bearer and contest the next general elections. A month later he made history when on November 24 he resigned as area representative triggering a bi-election which the UDP won handsomely. Thirteen days earlier on November 11, another area representative, Marco Tulio Mendez also announced that he was no longer interested in being the standard bearer for the people who had elected him in 2012. He remains the area representative but he is shrouded in controversy as he has been arrested, accused of some very serious offences. The never ending saga of ruinous events that have followed and continue to follow the People’s United Party left a bitter taste in the mouths of those who trusted and voted for them in the last general elections. This was demonstrated in patent form when the electors came out for the recent municipal elections and endorsed the work that United Democratic Party was doing and voted red all the way except for four councilors and a Mayor.

Quiet hurricane season expected, CEMO prepared for worst case
The Belize City Emergency Management Organization (CEMO) held a press briefing on Monday, June 1, to assure residents that the city is “prepared for a disaster”. June 1 marks the beginning of the hurricane season and according to the National Meteorological Service of Belize, “projections from the more reputable organizations that produce hurricane seasonal outlooks indicate that a below average to near average activity is likely this season”. Despite this forecast for a quiet season, the MET Service emphasizes the importance of “being prepared” in the event of a hurricane and CEMO is preaching the same. “We have been planning for a hurricane from the close of the last hurricane season,” says Mayor Darrell Bradley. Shortly after the close of last year’s hurricane season the organization looked at some of its weaknesses. Mayor Bradley says the main weakness identified was rescue workers’ inability to effectively care for people with special needs. It is a weakness that CEMO has been trying to fix for over two years now. Last year the council signed up over a dozen staffers for sign language classes so there should now be someone trained to communicate using sign language in every evacuation mission. Another weakness in the system was a lack of traffic control during evacuation periods. This is now the second year that a comprehensive evacuation system is available to be put to the test. Immediately after the Mayor issues an evacuation order, traffic personnel will be out to direct the flow of motor vehicles on a particular route. These routes can be seen on huge billboards across the city. In order to prevent traffic congestion by those heavy machine vehicles, companies will be instructed to move those vehicles out of the city as early as possible.

Mose Hyde’s needless Petro Panic
Kremandala’s media personality Evan Mose Hyde has taken an embarrassing and impolitic stance by suggesting to his radio listeners and television viewers that Government has in the past borrowed money from Petrocaribe to pay salaries and conduct debt servicing. His conspiracy was that the government had a crisis shortfall in its obligation to deal with recurrent expenditure, and that it broke the rules by using Petrocaribe Funds, which the arrangement between both the Belize and Venezuelan Governments does not allow for. He further suggested that Government was somehow trying to cover it up and not inform the general public. On their morning program called WUB Morning Vibes, Hyde and his co-host revealed a Central Bank document which stated that there were 2 transfers in March 2014 and March 2015 of 20 million dollars each. Those monies went from the Government’s Petrocaribe account to Government’s operating account. He interpreted that to mean that Government improperly used Petro money to pay salaries and other debt obligations. Well, the Ministry of Finance has clarified that it does not believe that he did so out of malice, but out of ignorance, and that if he had gotten a comment from the Government, he would have known that his interpretation was completely wrong.

Public Service Information Day held in San Ignacio Town
A public service information day was held on Friday of last week at the Cayo Welcome Center in San Ignacio Town. Public officers from various Government of Belize Ministries and Departments were present to educate members of the public on their various roles. At the yearly event, there were booths from the Belize Police Department as well as from the Ministry of Health, Education and others. Students from surrounding areas of San Ignacio took the opportunity to visit the various booths to learn about the functions of the different Government Ministries. The Hon. Charles Gibson, the Minister of Public Service and Elections and Boundaries was present last Friday and visited the various booths and meet with public officers. In a short ceremony at the Cayo Welcome Center the Hon. Charles Gibson was greeted by the various representatives from the Government Departments.

Contract signed for water supply for Gardenia and Biscayne
A total of 155 households in Gardenia and Biscayne, Belize District will soon have access to the supply of reliable potable water as a result of the Gardenia/Biscayne Water Supply Sub-project that is funded by the Government of Belize at a cost of $999,408.49 through a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank. This means that 78 households in Gardenia & 77 in Biscayne will significantly improve and enhance their quality of life in meeting their daily water needs such as drinking, washing, bathing and cooking. Equally important, the completion of the Gardenia/Biscayne Water Supply Sub-project also means the potential reduction in the vulnerability and incidences of residents and the villages to water-borne diseases; thus, making significant achievements in improving their quality of health, and by extension, the wider society of Belize. Belize Social Investment Fund (BSIF) steadfast in its commitment of building partnership is collaborating with (BWS) in implementing the Gardenia/Biscayne Water Supply Sub-project as part of its mandate to work in line with the Government’s poverty alleviation strategy in addressing the basic needs of Belizeans, and in particular in the areas of health, water and sanitation.

FFB voted for Blatter as FIFA President but Blatter resigned
Swiss Football administrator Joseph Sepp Blatter has resigned from FIFA, the biggest sport governing body in the world. That’s less than a week after being elected for his fifth term, in a candidacy that Ruperto Vicente, President of the Football Federation of Belize, voted for him also. Vicente and a group of FFB executive members flew to Zurich, Switzerland to attend the 65th Congress of FIFA, which was held on Tuesday, May 28 and Wednesday, May 29. In that congress, members of the football associations and federations from all across the world flew in to attend and cast their vote for the candidate they believe would win. Blatter was running against his opponent, Prince Ali Bin Hussein. That should have been the most newsworthy aspect of the congress, who would be elected. But, that’s the time when the United States Department of Justice decided to unseal indictable charges against 13 of the officials who were present at the time.

Maurice Felix on Remand for Attempted Murder
The notorious Maurice Felix, 30, is behind bars once again. Felix is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after he was arraigned for a shooting incident on Caesar Ridge Road that left two men injured on May 25. According to police, Mark Gentle/Vernon, 27, and Calvin Cumberbatch, 34, were sitting on the steps of their residence when a vehicle approached and two men jumped out. The men opened fire at Gentle and Cumberbatch with automatic weapons and then sped off in the vehicle. Gentle and Cumberbatch were shot multiple times and rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial for treatment. Cumberbatch was treated and released but Gentle was admitted to ward in a critical condition. Police investigation led to the arrest of Maurice Felix of #3550 Sanker Street.

Al Jones busted with .38 pistol
Al Jones, 25, is back behind bars at the Belize Central Prison after he was arraigned on Friday, May 29, for being in possession of an unlicensed firearm. According to police, Jones was busted with a firearm at around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27. Police Constable Eric Reid, and other officers responded to reports of an individual being in possession of a firearm on Antelope Street, not too far from the Raccoon Street Police Station. When they arrived in the area, they saw Jones who fitted the description of the suspect given by control room. Reid says that when Jones saw the police he began to run. Police set chase after him and caught up with him shortly after. They found him in possession of a .38 Special revolver with a grey and black grip. The firearm was loaded with six rounds of ammunition. Jones was arrested and escorted to the police station where he remained for two days before being arraigned on Friday.

Police in Cayo continue investigations into Roaring Creek murders
Belmopan Police continue their investigations relating to the two recent murders near Roaring Creek Village in the Cayo District. 28 year old Edilberto Madrid, a resident of Roaring Creek was found decapitated and his body was also mutilated on May 26th about 200 yards away from the Agripino Cawich Bridge in the Young Bank Area of Camalote Village. While 51 year old Steven Hyde, was discovered grossly mutilated in the neighborhood at a private farm and in a shallow grave a day later. Belmopan Police now believe that both crimes are related and that the second incident was an attempt to cover the tracks of the first. “We want to be absolutely sure, that is why we are taking our time,” says Howell Gillett, Officer in Charge of Belmopan Police.

Belize City primary schools football competition winding down
une, 2015, in the only game played, St. Joseph Primary School blanked Belize Elementary School by the score of 2-0. The goals for St. Joseph School were scored by Sergio Andrade and Bjarne Gabourel. In the second game, Wesley Upper School won via the default route over St. Mary’s Primary School. In game three, Holy Redeemer School also won over James Garbutt Seventh Day Adventist School via the default route. In the only game in the girls’ category, Wesley Upper School also won via the default route over St. Mary’s Primary School. On Monday 1st June, in the first of three games in the boys’ competition, St. Ignatius School won via the default route over Ebenezer Methodist School.

Amandala

Belize rejects Guat claim over Sarstoon Island
We have yet to receive a report on Guatemala’s official response to Belize’s protest note on the Sarstoon Island incursion by Guatemala’s Fuerza Especial Naval, a special arm of the Guatemalan Armed Forces (GAF). We also have no information detailing the exchanges between the Government of Belize and the Government of Guatemala. Amandala tried to get a word with Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who reportedly made the intervention at the official level with the Guatemalans, but he declined an interview. He said that enough has already been said on the matter. Last week, when we spoke with Col. George Lovell, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Natural Resources, we were not informed that the Belize Coast Guard had actually cut short its trip to the Sarstoon area because of the challenge by the Guatemalans. We asked Lovell why he did not explain this to us, and he told us that we did not ask. How we were supposed to know that the mission had been cut short, he did not say. Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington has said that they were supposed to stay for 10 days, but the Belizeans left on the second day of their mission, on orders by GOB because of the challenge by the Guatemalans. On the Love FM Morning Show today, Elrington was asked what Belize could lose at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and in his response Elrington suggested that Belize could lose some of its remote island territory.

Woman caught on surveillance camera burglarizing home, remanded to prison
A woman who has previous convictions for crimes of dishonesty was remanded to prison this morning after she was arraigned on charges of burglary and handling stolen goods. Margareta Noralez Pech, 33, a housekeeper of 23 Amara Avenue, pleaded not guilty to the two charges when she appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. The allegation against Pech is that on May 29, she entered, as a trespasser, the home of Kelsey Musa, located at 10 Eyre Street, and stole an assortment of jewelry and other items valued at $3,235. Pech was unable to convince the court that she should be granted bail after the court prosecutor made strong objections why she should be remanded to prison.

Pig thieves murder woman, 46
A vigilant watchman of a pig farm on the More Tomorrow Road is now bereft of his common-law wife, Paula Zaharias, 46, the mother of his 5 children, who was shot in the head at about 1:30 this morning by one of three thieves who fired about nine shots at them in their house after the watchman caught them trying to steal pigs from the farm. The bandits then fled the area empty-handed. Paula Zaharias was taken to the Belmopan Hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival at about 3:30 this morning. The pig farm, belonging to Michael Flowers, is located on the More Tomorrow Road about three miles from the village. Flowers told Amandala today at the farm that the caretaker, 51, whom he only knows as “Primo,” told him that he, Paula and their five children, ranging in age from 3 to 15 years, were in the farmhouse this morning at about 1:30 when he heard noise coming from the pig sty where the large pigs were kept.

The placement of people on our flag “was a bad idea” – Former PM Manuel Esquivel
Former Prime Minister Sir Manuel Esquivel told Amandala today that there is the need for the Belize flag to be standardized, with formal specifications documented for the colors of the flag, as well as the intricate design details which define it. At the time of Independence, he said, the flags were sewn and hand-painted in Belize. However, he told us that beyond talking about the specs of the Belize flag – which exists in an endless variation due to mass production by various establishments, perhaps beginning in the 1990s – the wise course of action would be to remove the men from the flag altogether. Although he agrees that such a move would be controversial, he said that to only portray a black and a brown man on the flag is hardly representative of the ethnically diverse people of Belize. Esquivel pointed to the fact that the Belize flag is the only flag with people on it – which, he told us, was “a bad idea.” When the national flag was being designed, he was one of the persons who sat on a committee comprised of persons from the People’s United Party and the United Democratic Party, tasked with coming up with a national flag. According to Esquivel, the forerunner to the flag was sky blue and it did not have any red on it. The thought was that it would be impossible to get Belizeans to rally together under a flag which clearly represented the ruling party at the time. So the solution was introducing some red – the color of the United Democratic Party.

Hopkins wants demarcation and security of ancestral lands
Hopkins Village chairman, Felix Miranda, has written Natural Resources Minister Gaspar Vega demanding that the Government of Belize cease to issue ancestral lands in the territory of Yugadan, the Garifuna name for Hopkins. The two-page letter to Vega also cites what Miranda identifies as ancestral farmlands: Salisa, Huhuti, Dunkin, Mudawa, Seidini, Newtown and Kachurugu, among lands that were allegedly “muscled by the Government without the free, prior and informed consent of the Garifuna Indigenous Peoples of Yugadan, Hopkins.” Amandala tried to contact Minister Vega about the letter, but we were unable to speak with him, so we left a message with his secretary. We also contacted Vega’s CEO, Sharon Ramclam, who told us that she was unaware of the letter but would look into the matter. Miranda wrote not just as chairman of Yugadan, but also as an activist member of Lawanserun Yugadan Corporation, a group of about 24 villagers formed for this purpose as well as to promote progress in their village. The group members include village council members, Hilaria Ramos, a trustee of Lawanserun, and Ashford Miranda. Uwahnie Martinez is the president of the group and Felix Miranda is the secretary.

Vicente voted for Blatter
The resignation of former longstanding International Federation of Football Association (FIFA)president, Sepp Blatter, which occurred yesterday, Tuesday, sent social media, not to mention the football world, into a frenzy. Although many influential stakeholders within that realm have been calling for Blatter’s resignationeven before the elections were held at the 65th FIFA Congress last Friday, May 29, in Zurich, Switzerland, Blatter won a fifth consecutive term amid massive corruption scandals which have surfaced within the international football governing body. During those elections, Football Federation of Belize (FFB) president, Ruperto Vicente – who had attended the event with two other FFB executives – voted for Blatter despite the revelations. While heading back out of the country on another footballrelated matter on Monday of this week, Vicente, in an interview with the media, asserted that he had voted for the embattled FIFA president because “he [Blatter] was up for development, and Belize needs as much assistance in development as possible, and so, we also put the challenge that it is now his responsibility to clean up the situation in FIFA.”

C-Ray Cycling Club events – Saturday races and Youth Summer Series
The C-Ray Cycling Club has committed to hosting races for all categories throughout the summer, on Saturdays. Races are held on the Boom-Hattieville road and start at 6:00 a.m. in front of Data-Pro, travel to Hattieville round-about, and return to finish in front of Data-Pro. Categories – Elite, Masters, Junior and Female. Three races have been held so far, and the current record is 53 minutes, held by Delawn Abraham. We invite ALL CYCLISTS to come out this Saturday, June 6, at 6:00 a.m. to participate. Registration is $5.00 per person. The races are led and followed by Police. Youth Summer Series The 2nd Annual C-Ray Youth Summer Series will commence on Sunday, June 14, on Marine Parade Boulevard and will be run on 4 Sundays – June 14, June 21, July 5 and July 19. All youths, ages 3-18 years are invited to come out and race! Registration is FREE. Helmet is mandatory. New Category: Mountain Bike / Beach Cruiser. Great prizes! Bring out the entire family!!

Belize Jaguars prepare for 2nd round of WC Qualifiers
After squeezing past the Grand Cayman national selection in the first round, the Belize National Men’s “A” football selection, the Belize Jaguars, are engaged in their final stages of preparations for an upcoming game against the Dominican Republic as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The first of the 2-game series will be played next Thursday, June 11, in the Dominican Republic, whereas the second match will take place at the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) stadium in Belmopan on Sunday, June 14. The team has been in training on their home field for the past 5 months, and today, the FFB called a press conference at their Belmopan headquarters to present the group of players and support staff who will make up the team in the second round of competition. Head Coach, Jorge Nunez, told the gathering that the 23 players are “in 100% top shape,” and since everyone has been “putting in their part” during workouts, he is “confident” that the team will advance after encountering the Dominican Republic team.

2015 – 2nd Bi-Annual RF&G; National Ranking Tournament
The 2015 2nd Bi-Annual RF&G; National Ranking Tournament was played this past weekend at the BES Auditorium, with some 50 plus participants playing in four different categories. In the A-Division, after some intense matches, the day closed off with an exciting final that went down to the wire between Carlos Cui and Tyrone Tun. Carlos won, 3-2, just managing to edge out Tyrone in the last set of the finals, 13-11. The final results were as follows: A-Division: 1st – Carlos Cui; 2nd – Tyrone Tun; 3rd – Nicholas Martin. In the B-Division, 10 players started out in the Round Robin Elimination groups, with the top 8 advancing to the Double Elimination Finals. This time around, #1 ranked Junior player, Latrell Solis played his first RF&G; Ranking Tournament as an official member of the B-Division Category, making his way undefeated to the finals.

Editorial: The turkey and the Sarstoon River mouth…
On Channel 5 Wednesday morning, Belize Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington confirmed that it was Prime Minister Dean Barrow himself who on Friday morning, May 29, defused a standoff situation between armed elements of the Belize Coast Guard and armed elements of the Guatemalan Navy by instructing our Coast Guard to “stand down” from their positions on an island at the mouth of the Sarstoon River, an island which is clearly in Belizean territory. When this newspaper went to press on Monday night, June 1, this week, more than 80 hours after this border incident, which actually began at the Sarstoon on Thursday morning, May 28, the information confirmed on Wednesday morning by Elrington had, for whatever the reason(s), not been available to our assistant editor, Adele Ramos, when she wrote a front page story for our Tuesday issue titled, THE COAST GUARD – BELIZE’S NEWEST HEROES! At the time of this latest Sarstoon River incident, which lasted from Thursday morning to Friday morning last week, Minister Elrington had been in Guatemala City. He had been there for days. What he was remaining there for is not clear, because it was THREE DAYS BEFORE the Sarstoon standoff began that he had “signed a protocol to amend the ICJ special agreement, to permit Guatemala to proceed ahead of Belize to hold its national referendum on whether its unfounded claim … should be heard at the ICJ.” (pg. 1, Amandala, Wednesday, June 3, 2015.)

From the Publisher
Sunday’s UDP convention in Belize Rural North concluded with a massive triumph for the incumbent standard bearer/area representative, Hon. Edmond Castro, and a crushing defeat for the challenger, Mr. Dwight Tillett, who had reportedly been the chief executive officer in Castro’s Ministry for several years. In the aftermath of the convention, Mr. Tillett made comments which reflect irreparable disillusionment with, and estrangement from, Mr. Castro, and, to a certain extent, a loss of faith in his party. While he had appeared to retain his equanimity early on Sunday even in the face of the swarming masses of Castro supporters, it was only human for Dwight to feel, as shocking reality set in later, a sense of betrayal, certainly with the UDP voters and probably with his party. The Crooked Tree section of the Tillett family into which Dwight Tillett was born, first appeared on the national political stage in late 1973/early 1974 with two of Dwight’s older brothers being introduced as UDP general election candidates. These were Lionel and Kenneth, in the Corozal North and Collet constituencies respectively. (Strictly speaking, there was no UDP candidate in the two Corozal constituencies in 1974: Lionel in the North and Santiago Gongora in Corozal South were described on the ballot as representing the Corozal United Front (CUF), but they were understood to be UDPs.) The UDP had just been formally established under the de facto leadership of Dean Lindo in September of 1973, and when Lindo presented his two personable Tillett candidates, who had come in from their homes in Oklahoma to campaign along with their American wives, there was somewhat of a stir in local political circles.

Youth activist Alberto Vellos writes
Dear Editor, There is a tried and tested script for what occurred last week Friday here in Belize City. I know, for I have lived through the script too many times not to recognise when it’s happening. Here’s how the script goes: young people are gathered under the banner of a youth forum, they are encouraged by peers and adult advisors who promise that this will be “the opportune moment” to discuss their dreams and aspirations, and that this will be the defining call for change. They are then joined by the Minister of Youth who, most times, is neither young and does not understand nor share the most basic aspirations of our youth. Yet he/she attends and, right on cue, promises that our youth are listened to because “they matter” and are “important”, and of course because “they are the future”. The curtains are then lowered, and everything goes back to normal but the participants can Share and Like each other’s photos on social networks and feel good about the experience. As anticipated, that script played out last week at a “Youth Forum” held at the Gateway Youth Center under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and for that reason I refused to be a part of it. I have seen and been a part of more than a fair share of these token-aimed and token-driven events. The result has been that after each meeting, I and many others were left waiting for the sweet-sounding political promises to be kept, for the adult advisors to take action on our behalf and for the future to arrive. None of the above ever occurred.

Big Falls alcalde faces ouster attempt
About 150 villagers of Big Falls, a village of about 3,000 residents, met in their village on Sunday, May 31, pledging to “overthrow” the alcalde of their village, Regino Hernandez, over a series of allegations which have been lodged with the Toledo Alcaldes Association (TAA). Lindley Ramclam, the chairman of the village, told us that he has no issues with the alcalde, whose purpose, he said, is to maintain law and order in the community according to the traditional system, while the village council, which Ramclam leads, is tasked with looking after community development. PGTV shared a video clip of the meeting with us, in which villagers are alleging that the village council had received $20,000 from Central Government but has not properly accounted for how the money was used. Also, a woman complained that the alcalde doubled her fine when she challenged him about why he was charging her $30, allegedly for telling a lie. The TAA, which has received a slew of written complaints, has consequently triggered a process of investigation which will ultimately reveal whether the complaints against Hernandez bear enough substance to prompt them to seek his removal. However, we were advised by Pablo Mis, representative of the Maya Leaders Alliance, an affiliate of the TAA, that the process is quite involved and the ultimate removal can only happen after a properly convened meeting at which the villagers themselves would vote on whether they want Hernandez to be removed as alcalde.

52 apprentices graduate from ABTEC program
Recognizing that skills training can equip youth in their quest to secure gainful employment, the American-Belizean Technology and Education Center (ABTEC), which is located on Regent Street in Belize City, has been assisting Belizean youths and adults to garner different vocational skills since January 2014. ABTEC operates on the principle that, “you don’t have to come from a place of privilege to accomplish great things”, and today the center held a graduation ceremony for 52 trainees from varied backgrounds who plan to prove that mantra to be true. When the event concluded, Amandala spoke to ABTEC’s deputy director, Stephanie Betancourt, who also serves as an IT teacher for the program, and she elaborated on the programs that they offer to the public.

Santander and Valley of Peace farmers make amends
Over 30 farmers from the Valley of Peace area in Cayo were granted ownership of 160 acres of land at a location next to the Santander farm in Belmopan since last Saturday, May 30. The goodwill gesture came after months of negotiations that took place in the wake of a crop dusting exercise that was carried out by Green Tropics, a subsidiary of the Santander Group, in March of 2014 which resulted in the alleged destruction of close to half a million dollars’ worth of vegetables belonging to the Valley of Peace Farmers Association. The farmers filed a lawsuit in response, but later received an eviction notice from the company which maintained that the crops were planted on its titled land. The matter went all the way to the Supreme Court, but now, the two parties have made amends and those 31 farmers have been gifted with their own titled land on the same property, not far from where they had originally settled.

The Reporter

Cardona responds to allegations of unethical legal practice
Attorney Marcel Cardona responded to reports that he has been recommended for suspension for a year by the General Legal Council on allegations of unethical legal practices saying he completely surprised and wasn’t notified about any such occurrence. Cardona said the Disciplinary Committee of the Bar Association may have proceeded to make the decision but neither he nor the complainant were present at the meeting supposedly held earlier this week. According to Cardona, he still hasn’t been able to get any official documentation of the alleged decision made against him. He said he is currently awaiting confirmation on the issue. Cardona said he was shocked because when an accusation is made against someone’s professional reputation, especially an attorney, the accused should be given an opportunity to defend their self in person. Cardona said from what he has been able to gather there are two complaints against him by a past client. Cardona said on the allegation that he overcharged for his service that he is fully prepared to substantiate the value of service to the disgruntled client.

Belize praised for anti-laundering laws
The Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) and the International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) have removed Belize from the CFATF follow-up process and the ICRG review program after assessing the measures undertaken by Belize to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The review included scrutiny of Belize’s legislative framework and its implementation by Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Caribbean Financial Task-force (CFT) supervisors and the private sector. According to a government release, Belize now joins a vanguard of CFATF member countries who have achieved the highest levels of compliance with international standards. CFATF member countries have expressed congratulations to Belize for making such remarkable progress in a short period of time, having only starting work on strengthening deficiencies in the country’s system since 2011. Research shows that only the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands, who both only had minor deficiencies, were able to exit the follow-up in less time.

Solar streetlights coming to Phillip Goldson Highway
The stretch of road on the Phillip Goldson Highway from the Haulover Bridge to the Airport Road junction will soon have better visibility at night, through a government renewable energy project. Under the project, the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology, and Public Utilities, along with various partner agencies will place solar-powered street lights along the road, which is known for being especially dark at night time. The project, valued at US $300,000, is funded by the government of the Republic of China -Taiwan. Chief Executive Officer in the ministry, Dr. Colin Young, explained this week that the project is only a pilot, but if proven effective, central government will consider rolling out the solar powered lights to other areas in the country.

New Haulover Bridge for Belize
Belize is to get a new Haulover Bridge, as well as a four-lane highway from Belize City to the new bridge. There is no exact time-frame for this development, but last week Prime Minister Dean Barrow made a start by signing a deal with the Caribbean Development Bank. Under this agreement, CDB will donate Bze $4.8 million to the project, which is expected to cost $29.7 million in all. The new bridge will ease the pressure on the existing bridge, which is the gateway to Belize City for the northern half of the country.

Character Defamation: Alcalde and chairman say they will sue
Regino Hernandez, the Alcalde of Big Falls Village in Toledo has said he intends to sue for libel, all those persons who made allegations against him of mishandling public funds. At a village public meeting last Sundaytwo persons stood up to accuse Hernandez of not providing accounting details of money which the Government had given the village council in 2013. The figure, they said, amounts to $20,000. In a telephone conversation with The Reporter, Hernandez reported this week that the councillor who called the meeting, did so on the premise to talk about communal land rights, an issue which he, the councillor supports, but which Hernandez opposes. Instead, the meeting took a different turn when certain persons accused the Alcalde of misusing public money and not providing accountability. Hernandez clarified that as an alcalde, he does not deal with the matters of the village.

American sex offender caught in Belize
Another American fugitive wanted for charges related to sexual offenses has been caught in Belize and deported back to the US to answer those charges. On Monday, David Long, 63, who is wanted in Shawnee County, Kansas was apprehended by US Marshals in Unitedville […]

Cane farm helper crushed to death 
Julio Macal, a cane farm worker from Xaibe Village, Corozal, was crushed to death on Saturday around 1 a.m., as he and his colleague, Ismael Camal approached the Tower Hill Sugar Factory to deliver cane. The two were towing a trailer loaded with cane […]

Youth leaders raise their voices
More than 100 youths and youth leaders from all six districts gathered at the Gateway Youth Center in Belize City for the first-ever Young Leaders Forum. The forum last Friday was held under the theme, “Youth: A Time for Equality in Decision Making.” The forum […]

Body 2000 gym resolves trade license issue
A leading Belize City gym, Body 2000, has resolved its trade licensing issue with the Belize City Council and re-opened this week after being forcibly shut down last week by City Council personnel and police officers. Mayor Darrell Bradley said he was not aware […]

PUP vs Ramos (Pt 2)
The deputy leader of the People’s United Party (PUP) Julius Espat, has opined that PUP Dangriga area representative, Ivan Ramos, should be disciplined for going against the party’s official position on acceptance of PetroCaribe funds from the Government. Ramos, who at the PUP’s last […]

Belize tops regional sugar production .Less cane, more sugar!
Belize produced more sugar for the month of April than any other Caribbean country, says a report issued this week by the Sugar Association of the Caribbean. The SACs data said that in April 2015, Belize milled 28,289 tons of sugar, followed by Guyana, which […]

Predicted: a “dry” rainy season in 2015
Forecasters in the Caribbean this week, are concerned about the effects that abnormally dry rainy seasons may have on the productive sector of affected countries. At the Regional Climate Outlook forum for the 2015 hurricane season, held in CASTRIES, St Lucia, forecasters warned that abnormally […]

Editorial
Santander, the Spanish owned corporation which is now completing Belize’s second sugar factory in the Cayo District, has just won the admiration and respect of the people of Belize for the way it has resolved the squatting problem created by members of the farming community of the Valley of Peace. […]

Beef - it’s what’s NOT for dinner!
Beef steak and ground beef may become prohibitively expensive for many Belizeans if prices continue to rise. Data from the Statistical Institute of Belize showed that from April 2013-April 2015 the average price per lb. of beef steak rose from $6.02 to $7.32. The average […]

Guilty! Three men to serve three years in jail
Three men are currently serving a three -year prison term after being found guilty of drug trafficking. The men, Richard Smith, Kent Nunez, and Jason Phillips were found near the Benque border on March 16, 2011 in a maroon-coloured car with 17,233 grams (about […]

Kolbe saves $60,000 by switching bulbs
The Kolbe Foundation, which manages the Belize Central Prison on the Boom/Hattieville Road, expects to save close to $60,000 a year ($5,000 a month) in electricity bills by switching to a new, energy-efficient lighting system on its compound. Chief Executive Officer at Kolbe, Virgil Murillo, […]

Tropic Air plane forced to land at sea with passengers aboard
The Civil Aviation Department has started its preliminary investigation into the accident involving a Tropic Air plane which made an emergency -landing in the sea in shallow water on Tuesday. The aircraft has not been recovered so far. Civil Aviation Director, Lindsay Garbutt told […]

Breaking Belize News

Love FM’s “Punta Fuego Outstanding Fisher of the Year Award”
Punta Fuego is Belize’s hottest radio drama, airing Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. and repeating on Sundays at 1:15 p.m on LoveFm radio. Punta Fuego is a fictional coastal village in Belize, where a young fisherman by the name of Richie is put to the test when deceit and danger come […]

Attorney and magistrate to be suspended for unethical practices
Two prominent members of the legal profession face suspension for reported unethical practices. One is a former area representative who admitted to bribing certain officials to ensure his client would get bail for minor offenses; the other is a long-time magistrate who is alleged to have used his […]

Trio face major jail time and fines for drug trafficking
Three men, two of whom have previous convictions for drug offences, face a heavy fall in relation to another bust of drug trafficking in the Cayo District for which they were convicted last week. 35 year old Richard Smith, 30 year old Kent Nunez and 29 year old […]

Aaliyah Levia Wins National Spelling Bee Competition
The 21st national Spelling Bee finals took center-stage today at the Corozal Community College Auditorium where hundreds of students, teachers and parents converged for the main spelling bee event. Twelve finalists representing the six districts went head to head in four rounds of intense spelling competition. After two rounds using […]

Two vehicles collided this afternoon on Benque Road near Chuc’s Gas Station
Reports reaching our newsroom is that two vehicles collided this afternoon around 1:47 p.m. near Chuc’s Gas Station on Benque Viejo Road. According to our sources, one of the vehicle is a black pick up truck that sells butane in San Ignacio Town. Police have been dispatched to the scene […]

Major Archaeological find at Nim Li Punit
The Nim Li Punit Archaeological site, located approximately 25 miles outside of Punta Gorda Town, has been the center of much hype in the archaeological world over the past few days. It was about 12 days ago that archaeologists and researchers found 8 pieces of Jade and 26 ceramic pots […]

Fatal motorcycle crash on the Hummingbird Highway claims two lives
Information reaching our news room is that last night around 8:30pm, police visited an area between mile 5 and 6 on the Hummingbird Highway where they encountered two motorbikes that were extensively damaged and facing each other. According to police reports, the motorbikes belong to 28 year old William Triguero […]

Coast Guard Officers honored for bravery in last week’s standoff with Guatemalan Navy
Last week Thursday and Friday, a confrontation and standoff between Belizean Coast Guards and Guatemalan Navy vessels, poured out from every media house and of course, Belize Media Group was among the first to bring you coverage of that incident. The confrontation occurred when a Guatemalan vessel was seen in […]

“Belize Renewed, Confident, Competitive, and Committed” is this year’s theme for September Celebrations
In just a few months, the infectious beats, drum rhythms and carnival vibes will flood the land of Belize as it will be celebrating its month of Independence. And in that light, the National Celebrations Commission of Belize has issued a press release with this year’s September Celebration Theme. According […]

Belize Jaguars confident about victory in upcoming game against Dominican Republic
Earlier this year, Belize’s National football team traveled to the Cayman Islands for a game that our Jaguars eventually won by the slimmest margin possible, earning a game against the Dominican Republic’s Los Quisqueyanos and keeping Belize’s dream of World Cup qualification alive. In the game against Cayman, […]

39 year old Paula Garcia killed in pig robbery attempt
The unexpected and saddening murder of 39 year old wife and mother, Paula Garcia, occurred in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, June 4th. Paula, along with her husband and 5 children, had just moved from Orange Walk to an area on the ‘More Tomorrow Road’ last […]

Expect cloudy skies with a few showers the next few days
General situation for today Friday is for Cloudy skies to be expected at times with a few showers and thunderstorms mainly along coastal areas this morning, inland this afternoon and in the south tonight. Wind blows at North to Northwest this morning changing direction to East to Northeast at 5 […]

Blogs

“Good Time” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
My day yesterday started much as every day starts for me. I wake up! Then it’s to the kitchen (I do put some clothes on), kettle on and then the mug of black, unsweetened instant coffee. Mug in hand I then unplug the iPad Air and take both out to the veranda. The western one on the lagoon side. I then spend around an hour to ninety minutes catching up with what’s been going on in the world. Well, to be honest, not everything, just the bits that interest me. I then shower, shave, dress, pat Ziggy, kiss Rose goodbye (I have been known to get this in the wrong order) and head off for breakfast at Estel’s Dine By the Sea. During my time at Estel’s I normally give some thought as to what I plan to do for the rest of the day. What tasks I think I might like to tackle. I never put too many on my mental list because I don’t want to fail. I didn’t draw up the list yesterday though because I knew that we had Peter Lawrence’s (aka Pedro of Pedro’s Hotel) birthday lunch to attend at Caribbean Villas Hotel so I just spent a bit of time watching (it’s so much easier watching) Lloyd and Gonzalo working on the garden.

Belize Recipe: Make a Cassava Crusted Snapper Fillet!
Fish is quick in cooking, nutritious, and delicious when prepared simply. Chef Mario adds fresh kale and cassava that is organically grown at Chaa Creek’s Maya Organic Farm to give this recipe a deliciously rich flavour. Season the fish fillet with chef’s special rub, dip in plain all-purpose flour then milk batter followed by grated cassava well covered, fry in vegetable oil at medium high temperature until light brown color on both sides, place in kitchen paper to absorb any oil excess. Prepare the creamy kale sauce in a small sauce pan by adding a spoon of butter, garlic and kale, stirring constantly until kale is cooked enough then add the sour cream, adjust seasoning with kosher salt, black or white pepper and a splash of wine.

Endurance training and Big beach party
I remember when Andrew Milner founder of of the San Pedro Sailing club was sitting in our back yard years ago telling us about his dream to teach local island kids the art of sailing and how his plans were to find the Olympic quality sailors and get them to master a skill that will allow them to travel work worldwide. His dream was not without it’s struggles but he stuck with it and has come to help the kids win lots of trophies, and learn good sportsmanship and life skills. His write up below shows just the kind of quality he and the sailing school are dedicated to providing their kids. Further below that you will find details on their upcoming big beach party fundraiser happening this Sunday at Amber Beach Bar and Grill located at Caribbean Villas Hotel. It will be loads of fun and there are tons of great pries to win on as you will see when you make it to the list.

Ambergris Caye’s Largest Development Brings Renowned Designer Amanda Lindroth On Board
Mahogany Bay Village is the largest development to date on Ambergris Caye. Over sixty acres of land that is basically a blank slate. When complete, the property will feature private residences, a four-star hotel, bay and beach clubs, a general store, restaurants, a spa and a business center. And according to the plans so much more. I was quite smitten with the gorgeous furniture and woodwork, the simple but beautiful design and the fact that almost all of it was made in Belize by Belizean craftsmen with sustainable hardwoods. There is a huge team out by Belmopan, Belize constructing it all. Mahogany Bay, according to the Labor Department, is the 8th largest employer in the country right now with 160 to 180 Belizean employees working on the houses and the furniture. And the plans are grand…from the 200+ room resort (to be opened at the end of this year/beginning of next) to the 16,000 square foot Great House. And some of the best, in design, in sales and in construction are being brought in to do the job.

International Sources

Review: Airflo Chard's Tropical Punch fly line
No type of fly fishing is more demanding on an angler’s fly line than tropical saltwater fishing. For the most part, this is a function of the physical conditions and the challenging nature of the species that tropical saltwater anglers spend most of their time targeting. For years, Airflo has been making my favorite saltwater fly lines. There are lots of very good saltwater lines out there these days, but in my experience, Airflo lines consistently shine in the tropics. At Belize’s Turneffe Flats, anglers spend part of their time chasing permit in one of the Turneffe Atoll’s lagoons, where large schools of permit frequently gather in water that is a few feet deeper than conditions that are typical on the flats. This often calls for considerably heavier crab or shrimp flies, in order to quickly get the fly down to the bottom where the fish are plucking at prey in the turtle grass. In these situations, when asked to do so, the Tropical Punch turned over these heavy patterns more effectively than other lines in the boat did. To be fair, turning over such heavy patterns is notably unpleasant regardless of the line running through the guides, but the Tropical Punch does make doing so noticeably easier.

Redefining "Sustainability" as More, More and, Well, More
Since its birth in 1987, for many, the term "sustainable development" has become synonymous with "less." "Sustainability" seemed to lock us into a static, zero-sum game of painful sacrifices. Facing finite or shrinking ecological limits, we felt forced to: ensure future food security only by inhibiting demands today; increase jobs and revenues only at the expense of wild nature; and restore wildness only by crimping economic growth. But this week, groundbreaking research redefines sustainability more positively. Two years' collaboration with university scientists revealed that, through a transition to sustainable fishing -- harvesting smarter, not harder -- the oceans can yield far more, across the board. Consider Belize, which suffered sharp declines in reef fish and conch; spiny lobster harvests shrank from 200 to 20 per day for many fishermen. Then two communities tried a new approach called "managed access", granting them secure rights to their historical fishing areas, and everything changed. Early adopters saw a dramatic decline in illegal fishing, fish populations rebounded, and fishing businesses grew. Fishermen became champions of nearby marine protected areas. Word spread up the coast until nearly all 3,000 fishermen wanted the same opportunities. Last week, Belize voted to take the approach nationwide in the next year.

Students find learning opportunities from jaguars at Elmwood Park Zoo
Norristown Area School District and Belize may be some 1,700 miles apart. But concern for the Central American country’s indigenous and endangered jaguars has made Belize a household name for students at NASD’s Cole Manor Elementary School in East Norriton. In fact, jaguars – the only American great cats as well as the largest spotted cats in the world – will be the centerpiece of CMES’s June 10 Academic EXPO. Folks familiar with the so-called Butterfly Effect know that theory is popularly reduced to the question “Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?” With regard to the CMES EXPO, that question might well be reframed as “Did the plight of jaguars in Belize set off a creative learning storm in Norristown?” The short answer – it sure did.

Videos

June 5, 2015

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Aurora Garcia-Saqui: Maya Healer and Entrepreneur
We may move away, stay away, or run away, but our backgrounds remain with us no matter how far we are. This is the story of my aunt Aurora Garcia-Saqui, an entrepreneurial Yucatec Maya woman who married into a Mopan life, and has managed to artfully balance both cultures into one successful, happy life! Many years ago, five sisters lived in a small village called San Antonio in the Cayo District. Surrounded by mountains, forest and wildlife, but still remote from the bustle of the main town, the Garcia Sisters had discovered something unique and befitting their artistic nature: carving on slate. The soft black rock lent itself to sharp tools, allowing images to be carved into its surface, and soon, there were full images showing up in sharp relief, getting more and more intricate as the girls’ skill manifested. The stones’ edges remained rough, but their smooth façade shone after polishing. Aurora, second-born daughter, soon put her marketing and entrepreneurial skills to use. “We had no idea how much people would like our art. We went to the market in town on Saturdays and soon enough, people began buying,” said Aurora. The market she speaks of is considered one of the largest and busiest in Cayo, and sees hundreds of locals and travelers passing through making purchases. “I remember one day we were just about to get up; it was about five in the morning, and we could hear a vehicle pull up, beeping loudly.” It was a van full of tourists who wanted a piece of slate carving for themselves; word had spread. “We had no idea how ideally situated we were. Our little village is in the right spot for visitors to pass through on their way to the Mountain Pine Ridge, and Caracol…” Business began booming, and the Garcia Sisters became legendary within tiny Belize.

Verdes FC to represent Belize at CONCACAF Scotiabank Champions League
Belizean football team, Verdes FC will be representing the country at 2015/16 Scotiabank the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Champions League (SCCL). Verdes FC is the national champion with the best aggregate record in the 2014–15 season. Their participation in the SCCL will allow them the privileged opportunity of attempting to qualify as the CONCACAF representative at the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup. The 24 participating teams were sorted into groups on Monday, June 1st during a ceremony at the New World Symphony Center in Miami, Florida, USA. Teams in each group will participate in a round-robin, home-and-away, four-game format. The first round of the tournament will take place between August and October of 2015, after which the eight first place teams will advance to the quarterfinals, scheduled for early 2016. Schedules for the first round of games will be announced in the coming months. Verdes FC is based in Benque Viejo del Carmen Town in the Cayo District. They captured the Premier League of Belize Championship in May 2015 after defeating the previous champions, Belmopan Bandits FC.

Queen Conch Season closes one month early
The Queen Conch (Strombus Gigas) fishing season has come to a close a month early. As of Monday, June 1st no one will be allowed to legally consume or be in the possession of conch meat until the season reopens in September 30, 2015. The early closure of the season is to safeguard the sustainability of the product as recommended by the Belize Fisheries Department under the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development. The closure of the season is in accordance with the Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations under Statutory Instrument number 54 of 2012 (Regulation 24.A). The public is reminded that no person or establishment shall have in possession any conch during the closed season in accordance with Regulation 6 of Principal Regulations (Chapter 210’s of the Laws of Belize – Revised Edition 2000-2003). Due to the early closure, a grace period of one month will being given to allow cooperatives to consume or dispose of all Queen Conch in their possession. Restaurants and individuals have a grace period of eight days. After the grace period, anyone found in possession will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Environmental partners band to fight illegal Wildlife Trade
The illegal trade of wildlife is a plague for the entire globe, driving several species of flora and fauna to extinction. The poaching of countless species has become a key concern for many governments, including that of Belize. In Belize alone, the killing and harvesting of certain species of trees and animals for the financial gain of a few is destroying our forest and marine ecosystems. From parrots, turtles, jaguars and even Rosewood, Belize faces serious illegal wildlife