September 19, 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

Belize is Flavor
Home to many cultures, Belize is bursting with flavors that celebrate its many people! From Creole (Kriol), Mestizo and Maya to Garifuna, East Indians and more experience our culture through FLAVOR!

H.E. Patrick Andrews Presents Credentials to President of the United States of America, Barack Obama
Patrick Andrews presented credentials to President Barack Obama on Thursday, September 17, 2015 at the White House in Washington, D.C. as Belize’s Ambassador to the United States of American States. Ambassador Andrews in his message to President Obama conveyed warm greetings from the Governor General Sir Colville Young and Lady Young as well as on behalf of Prime Minister Barrow and Mrs. Barrow. He underscored the cordial relationship Belize and the USA have always enjoyed; based on mutual respect and on shared values. He also expressed the need for a deepening of understanding and continued relations in a variety of areas of common interest to Belize and the region. He expressed Belize’s commitment to the role as the link between the two sub regions of Central America and the Caribbean with the aim of advancing the common agenda.

San Pedro Roman Catholic School students marched this morning waving their Belizean flags proudly
That was such a fun parade! The San Pedro Roman Catholic School students marched this morning wearing their reds, whites and blues! Happy September Celebrations everyone!

Island footballers train for Female U-17 Selection
Seven island female football players have been called to the National Female Under-17 Selection process. The team will be representing Belize at the Women U-17 World Cup Elimination Tournament which will be held in Honduras from November 11th to 15th, 2015. Players for the national team were selected through the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) National Female U-15 Football Championship, where the San Pedro Team placed fourth. “Out of the 14 girls that travelled to Belmopan as part of the San Pedro Female U-15 selection to compete in FFB’S first ever National U-15 Tournament, seven of our girls have been called up to train with the National Selection to see if they make the final cut. The players are goal keeper Lisandra Novelo; defenders Amber Gongora, Aaliyah Crawford and Yakzari James; midfielders Keanna Cabañas and Loreni Chan and forward Ada Cordova.

Public consultation on the use of coastal areas leaves doubts
According to Samir Rosado from the CZMAI, the need to reach out to as many people as possible is very important for them. “The process of the plan was initiated in 1998 but then reactivated in 2005. Then it was activated three years later in 2008 and since then the CZMAI has been working to finalize the process. In 2012, 2013, and finally in 2015 several public meetings were held in San Pedro, but the turnout was very poor. In consideration of the resources it takes to carry out consultations nationally, CZMAI did all that it could do to reasonable engage the community,” stated Rosado. When it comes to the matter of resources, it is an issue for all government departments. According to Rosado, the plan does not offer a solution for these problems, but rather identifies it as one of the main issues affecting enforcement. “This is in line with the overall purpose of the plan, which includes identification of management gaps and action steps to address them. The plan also coordinates the different mandates of the various government agencies with respect to the coastal zone. It identifies clearly what mandates overlap in relation to certain costal resource use activities and identifies lead agencies and policies under which power stems from,” Said Rosado. He states that in the presentation, CZMAI does not have the authority to restrict activities within the coastal zone. Instead it offers a framework for the best and most sustainable way forward, in terms of coastal resource use through the many Coastal Management Guidelines and zoning schemes available. “Once the plan is legally endorsed and adopted, it will then become the official framework for coastal and marine use. Therefore, agencies will be responsible for carrying out recommended action steps and adhering to zoning schemes presented,” ended Rosado.

La Isla Cariñosa Academy inaugurated on Caye Caulker
The long awaited grand opening of “La Isla Cariñosa Academy” (LICA) on Caye Caulker took place on Monday, September 14th after several months of preparation. The concept of the school was developed by Caye Caulker’s very own Dr. Alberto Luis August, who initiated the project. Currently the school only has classrooms up to standard five, but in the upcoming year, we will have a standard six classroom. Each one is fully tiled with air conditioning and indoor bathroom facilities. The maximum number of students per classroom is 15, and we have highly qualified teachers, all with a degree in education,” said Vice Principle August. The school is focused on positive initiatives by providing an environment where children will feel welcome from the moment they step on the school grounds, until they leave for home. She stressed that their disciplinary measures are all positive reinforcements in order to shape the future generation in a successful, productive manner. August stated that there are many plans to keep expanding the facilities and the compound. “In the next couple of months, we want to transform our school grounds to make it look similar to a resort when you step in. The project will not just stay as it is; we will continue building and continue working together,” said August.

Ambergris Today

Belize Government to Construct First Green Building
The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE), focused on fostering Belize’s prosperity through entrepreneurship and innovation, is pleased to announce a collaboration with the University of Belize (UB) for the construction of a new facility, Belize Enterprise and Innovation Institute (BEI2). The facility’s design incorporates Green technology, suitable for sub-tropical climate, as well as taking advantage of SMART technologies to include solar panels and energy efficient air conditioning systems. It is being designed by Mr. Hilberto Riverol Jr. and constructed with energy efficiency and low environmental impact in mind.

More September Celebration Pics coming your way
Students of San Pedro Roman Catholic School took to the streets of downtown San Pedro waving their flags and dressed in patriotic red, white and blue. Happy September Celebrations!! Have a Safe and Happy Independence Day Holiday Weekend!!!

Misc Belizean Sources

Gales Point beach cleanup of the Hawksbill Turtle nesting beach
We are planning to head down to Gales Point on the weekend of September 26/27, 2015 to do a beach cleanup of the Hawksbill Turtle nesting beach two miles away from the village. Letting the volunteers know to start getting ready! . It is a fun trip and we do a lot of work so here are some pictures showing what to expect. Crossing the lagoon by boat, walk 2miles across the Savanna, pick up plastic garbage for about 3 hrs, break for lunch and back on the beach. At the end of the day, Alita will feed us while we listen to Kevin update us on nesting activities. Next day, after breakfast....back to the beach! You will lose a few pounds, and gain a great experience! If you can't join us, consider helping financially. No amount is too small!

Hip Hip Hooray for Blanca and Antonio!!!
They shall both be sailing in Malaysia this December! Belize Sailing Association Endorses Our Sailors to Attend ISAF Youth World Championship In December 2015 in Langkawi, Malaysia.

San Pedro High School September Celebration competition
Here are the winners of the San Pedro High School September Celebration competition which included 10th of September Parade and Patriotic Class Decoration. Congratulations to 1st place Class of 4C, 2nd place Class of 2A and 3rd place Class of 2E

Corozal Primary School and children's Rally/Parade
Primary School and children's Rally/Parade bringing out the independence day celebration spirit ALIVE. Hip! Hip! Hurray!!! Happy 34th Independence Day to everyone at home and abroad from the Corozal Daily.

Help Identify John Doe
An unidentified male is in a critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for the past 2 days. Neither the police or KHMH staff have any knowledge of a missing person matching his description. If you know who he is contact the KHMH or the police department.

Carnival 2015
Lots of photos!!!

Ambassadors Arrive in Belize for Celebration of 34th Independence Anniversary
Two visiting ambassadors presented their credentials to the Governor General of Belize His Excellency SirColville Young on Thursday, September 17th at the Belize House in Belmopan. Ambassadors H.E. David Izzo of France and H.E. Roy Eriksson of Finland both expressed their honour to be invited to celebrate Belize’s 34thIndependence Anniversary. The ambassadors also expressed their hopes for strengthening friendship and cooperation between their countries and Belize. Ambassador Eriksson further conveyed his wish to share knowledge with Belize in the areas of forestry and education as the two nations share deep interests in both areas. The Governor General welcomed both ambassadors expressing his well-wishes to their countries.

H.E. Pat Andrews presents credentials to President of the United States of America, Barack Obama
H.E. Patrick Andrews presented credentials on Thursday, September 17, 2015 to President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, D.C. as Belize’s Ambassador to the United States of American States. Ambassador Andrews in his message to President Obama conveyed warm greetings from the Governor General Sir Colville Young and Lady Young as well as on behalf of Prime Minister Barrow and Mrs. Barrow. He underscored the cordial relationship Belize and the USA have always enjoyed; based on mutual respect and on shared values. He also expressed the need for a deepening of understanding and continued relations in a variety of areas of common interest to Belize and the region. He expressed Belize’s commitment to the role as the link between the two sub regions of Central America and the Caribbean with the aim of advancing the common agenda. President Obama in his reply welcomed Ambassador Andrews to Washington and said “Belize and the United States share a strong partnership based on mutual commitment to strengthen democracy and regional security. We value the collaboration between our governments to strengthen the rule of law and promote citizen security.”

Attention Paraders! Please take note of the Independence Day Jump Up Parade Line-Up!

Soca Artist Ricardo Drue live Sept 20, San Pedro
DON'T MISS OUT! For the first time in San Pedro!.....Soca Artist Ricardo Drue, performing live at the Hon. Louis Sylvestre Sports Complex! Ricardo Drue is popularly know for his soca hit, VAGABOND! See you there!

Meet Jay the Motmot!
Named because we thought he was a Blue Jay before his arrival. Jay was kept as a pet. Although he was in reasonably good health, when he came to us he was very friendly around humans. We kept him in our care for a few weeks to get him onto a better diet and get his weight up. He was then transported to our friends at Cave Branch where he spent several weeks in a soft release enclosure, learning how to be a wild bird again. He was released mid-August and we hear from the Caves Branch staff that he is now interacting with the wild mot-mots. With time he will become completely integrated, wild and flying free with his own kind. Go Jay, and thank you Caves Branch for a safe and beautifully monitored soft-release site!

Channel 7

Communications Workers Union Mauls Barrow Administration
The Belize Communication Workers Union sent out a fiery press release last night - blasting the Barrow Administration for the way it has handled the BTL settlement with the Ashcroft Alliance. The release stands out because of its very combative, hyper-accusatory tone - which is not consistent with the Union's other releases. Still, there's no question that it is authentic - because union members picketed today in downtown Belize City. They've also been banging on their office desks at BTL as a form of protest for the past few days. They're upset about a whole bunch of stuff, but, mainly, on being left out of the settlement discussions. The release starts out with a heavy swipe at Chairman of the Executive Committee, Anwar Barrow. It notes with anger, "Despite meeting with members of the Union...on Monday, 14 Sept. 2015, Anwar Barrow, the prime minister's son and Chairman of the Executive Committee at BTL was not brave enough tell the union that Daddy was calling a press conference less than two hours later to announce that the government had arrived at a settlement with the Lord himself. The Union says the gross disrespect goes beyond anything they had experienced under "smart" Said!" End quote.

Opposition Leader Agrees With BCWU
And while the Chairman of the Board addressed the matters having to do with BTL, those made up about 5% of a release that was primarily political. And while we expect that the Prime Minister will respond to them in time, today we caught up with the leader of the opposition at another event and he told us that the PUP is ready to form an alliance with the Unions:.. Jules Vaquez "We know that the confluence of circumstances that brought 2005 for example, to head, was when the Communication Workers Union got upset with your government at the time. Now we are seeing them saying that this deal is reminiscence smacks of what Said Musa did and we know what came out of that." Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition "What I can say is that increasingly we have had a lot of contact, I have had a lot of contact with the workers, the unions and it is clear to me that they are increasingly frustrated and troubled by the path this government is taking as it relates not only their specific areas of concern; telecommunications, electricity, the utilities. But also very concerned about the direction of the country. So yes, I think we see greater opportunity, if you like, for collaboration, working together with the unions because in some respects we share a common objective."

NTCUB Prez Says They Stand In Solidarity With BTL Employees
The Belize Energy Workers is also standing by the Communication Workers. They sent out a statement of support today - and also went out to Battlefield Park to join the Communication Workers in protest. General Secretary Mora told us that the Government has to step in and make things right:... Marvin Mora, General Secretary - BEWU "In essence we realize that everybody is in the same boat. Because we are having problems as well through our collective bargaining as you all know and it seems that the disrespect towards the employees from employers continues and we want the government to step in and to do what is right." Jules Vasquez "We know the confluence of events that lead to the unrest of 2005. We had the Communication Workers Union first, we had the Energy Workers Union after and that a lot of things fell apart after that. Are we at that stage yet or are you guys still at a level where you all are willing to listen to the attempts of the government to try to intervene and resolve?"

Health Minister Blames WRH Admin For The Rat Episode
And while the discord with the utility unions is one headache for the Barrow administration, the Western Regional is like a gaping wound. The catalogue of all that has gone wrong at that hospital just continues to grow. But who is the blame? The Hospital and Regional administrator points to a dilapidated 40 year old building on the ground floor that is open to rats. But yesterday health minister Pablo Marin gave CTV-3 a very different narrative; he told them that it's the hospital manager who didn't spend the rate extermination money the right way - he did that after making the bizarre suggestion that someone may have put the rat in the incubator: Hon. Pablo Marin, Minister of Health "I went personally the following day to see what happened. I don't want to blame anyone in this particular situation, but the incubator is nearly tight-sealed for anything, any animal to enter. If the animal was trying to enter, you would see some bite at where it supposed to go in. You supposed to see maybe some kind of hair attached to the particular entry. Nothing like that was there, but the rat was inside." Reporter "Are you suggesting that one of the employees placed the rat inside the incubator?"

Health Minister Discusses The Death Of Nolberta
And, from one crisis at Western Regional, to another. While the press had the opportunity, Marin was asked about the death of 29 year-old Toledo Resident Nolberta Sanchez, which the family alleges happened due to the negligence of the medical professionals. As we told you, she was giving birth to her 4th child, and she had to be transferred from the Southern Regional Hospital to the Western Regional Hospital. There she managed to deliver her baby, but there were complications which her husband believes were caused by poor medical care. Health Minister Marin told the media that they will find out what caused the death: Hon. Pablo Marin - Minister of Health "I have heard of the case. It's very sad definitely. My heart goes to the family, but we are doing the investigation and the ministry will start to do all the investigations that we need to do and deal with the situation."

Opposition Leader: Pablo Marin Should Be Fired
And while Marin veers from one western regional health crisis to another, Opposition Leader Francis Fonseca says it's time for Marin to get from behind the wheel at the Ministry of Health. Fonseca was spirited in his denunciation of the embattled health minister:... Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition "We can no longer have somebody who is incompetent like Pablo Marin heading the Ministry of Health and a CEO Peter Allen who seems to be completely out of touch. We have to deal with that issue. We have to hold the prime minster responsible. He is the one who has put Pablo Marin there and its clear to everybody within the Ministry of Health, within the Health Sector all the practitioners in the health sector, everybody understands and recognizes that this man does not have a clue about running the Ministry of Health. I don't want to overstate what took place because we have rats all over the country, but you can empathize certainly with the family, you understand with the workers there. It's just a tragic situation." We expect that Fonseca will elaborate on the woes in the healthcare system when he makes his independence day address on Monday in Belmopan.

DPM Gapi Vs PUP's Monchie: Case Closed
Political rivals Gaspar Vega and Monchie Cervantes were back in the Supreme Court today, duking it out over a slander lawsuit that Vega brought against Cervantez and the Briceno Family-owned Company, Fiesta FM. As you're well aware, Deputy Prime Minister maintains that Cervantes slandered him by publicly broadcasting a telephone conversation in which one of the speakers accused Vega of setting up the murder of Cervantes' father. Cervantez had to take the witness stand today where he endured over 3 hours of intense questioning from Vega's attorney, Rodwell Williams. While under oath, Cervantes was careful when he explained how and why broadcast of the telephone conversation with alleged murder mastermind Manuel Castillo happened. Under cross-examination Cervantes says that he was not the one who authorized or planned for the conversation to be played on national radio and before a crowd of hundreds.

Keyren Applies For Bail; Judge Want Mental Health Evaluation
Keyren Tzib, the Coast Guard officer accused of killing her common-law husband, formally applied to the Supreme Court for bail today - but the judge said that first he needs a psychiatric assessment. That hearing took place this morning at around 11:15 before Justice Troadio Gonzalez. His court room was packed with relatives, friends, and on-lookers who wanted to observe for themselves whether or not she would be granted bail. Crown Counsel Sheneiza Smith strongly objected to bail. She asserted that the prosecution has a very strong case against Tzib who is accused of fatally stabbing Thytis Blancaneaux.

Kariq Tzul Accused of Discharging Gun In Public
Tarique Tzul has been on the news before - he made headlines most recently in September of last year when the GSU beat him so badly that he messed himself. That time he was the one making a complaint against police. Now, Tzul is in jail tonight after police say he discharged a firearm in public. Police say that on carnival day he fired a gun at the corner of Bishop Street and East Canal. He was arraigned this morning and even though he was represented by attorney Ellis Arnold, he was denied bail - because remand is automatic for firearm offences. He will come back to court on November 18, 2015.

Opposition Leader Discuses Truce With G-11 Rebels
As we told you earlier in the week - the G-11 rebellion in the PUP is over - and everyone is back under the big blue tent. We are told that leader Francis Fonseca agreed to everything the rebels were demanding including an open convention where he could be challenged for leader. Today, Fonseca slightly qualified that: Jules Vasquez "We were told that you basically conceded to everything and said, "Let's move forward I accept the 3 main things that you put forward. We will have a challenge leader convention if you wish." Why did you agree to do those things and if you are going to agree to them, why didn't you agree to it 5 weeks ago?" Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition "No, listen we put out a statement which reflects the discussions we had at that meeting. we had put in place a process and a structure that all of us believe will achieve the objectives that we want to achieve and we made it absolutely clear to our party and to the country that we are united in our efforts to defeating the United Democratic Party Government. In terms of the National Convention we will have a discussion about that National Convention with all 31 standard bearers.

Remembering Rt. Hon. Price
We caught up with Fonseca at the wreath laying for National Hero George Price. It is the fourth anniversary of the great man's passing, and in his honour, it is observed as National Service Day. This morning family members and a handful of PUP politicians gathered around Price's burial site. His nephew Bobby Usher spoke about unity in the party his uncle founded:.. Bobby Usher, George Price's Nephew "In unity the strength should be our mantra and we are happy today that we are working towards the objective as we approach eminent national elections. From all our standard bearers in all our constituencies were the people are not united. A leader must know more than the people he leads or else the people will be like a boat in the sea without a rod."

Alleged Rapists Get Bail
The 4 who were charged in connection with the gang rape in Indian Creek Village are free tonight after they were granted bail. Sisters Santa Shol and Zita Shol along with Alberto Canti were charged for abetment to rape, while Wilhem Garbutt was later arrested and charged with rape and aggravated assault. Well, Judge Gonzalez granted them bail today in court: Garbutt, in the sum of $10,000 plus 2 sureties of $5,000 while the Shol sisters and Canti were granted $7,000 bail. The incident happened on Sunday August 30th. A 21 year old woman was walking alone near the Nim Li Punit junction at around 4:30 in the evening. That's when 4 women grabbed her, beat her and pushed her in some bushes nearby where a man held her down while another man - Garbutt - raped her. Police say the Shol family had some unresolved conflict with the 21 year old girl and it was a planned attack.

BCWU Allied With CWU
At the top of the news, we told you about the incendiary release from BTL's Belize Communication Workers Union. Well, the communication workers also saved up some fire for their brothers and sisters in the CWU, who are employees of First Caribbean International Bank. A release says, quote "The Union condemns the Government…for…rushing the Vesting Act through the House…and the Senate followed by a quick assent by the Governor-General." For there is goes unto allege, a, quote, "executive conspiracy" that will, quote, "leave sixty Belizeans and their families out of a job." And, the release end with a flourish, referring to Michael Finnegan's remarks about Audrey Matura Shepherd, calling it, quote, "vile and indecent." It goes unto say, quote, "For male members of the government to hide behind parliamentary privilege to attack an upright female citizen of this country… speaks volumes about the male chauvinist who are the so-called "leaders" in our national government. It adds, quote, that this is "an attack against all females…and an attack on women in general."

Surgical Equipment Stolen From Corozal Polyclinic
The Ministry of Health has recently opened a brand new state-of-the-art surgical unit at the Corozal Polyclinic. It costs somewhere between 800 thousand and 1 million dollars, and the vision for this new medical upgrade is that it will relieve the need to transfer patients from that hospital to the Northern Regional Hospital or the KHMH for life saving surgeries. It is expected to be opened in 2 weeks because the medical professionals need to sterilize it and prepare it for surgeries. But, that good news is marred by the theft of a piece of equipment which a couple days ago. Someone stole a brand new piece of surgical equipment valued at $22,000. Both the CEO and the Minister of Health explained more about the theft to the media: Hon. Pablo Marin - Minister of Health "That's very sad that about a week ago, one of the surgical units, it cost about 22 thousand dollars went missing and that is sad because it's the same people, that will be using the hospital that is doing this mischief. I don't know what the reason was but this is only a tool that can be used in an operating theatre. I am asking the public now, publicly asking them that if anybody comes and try to sell them one of those units to please report that to the police because it is sad."

Bunji and Fay Ann Are In Belize
The second annual Soca Jazz festival will be happening this Sunday night at the Hour Bar. It's all a part of the September celebrations festivities. The festival features soca superstars Bunji Garlin, Fay Ann Lyons and Kerwin Du Bois. In a sit down interview with 7news today we asked the First Couple of Soca, what fans can expect on Independence Eve. Concert gates open at 11 on Sunday night at the Hour bar.

2015 Children's Rally
Over 1000 city kids were proudly waving their flags in patriotism at the Bird's Isle today for the 2015 Children's Rally. 25 primary schools from around the city were present and like every year, there were fun activities for the kids but when we spoke to one of the coordinators at the event, she told us that beyond the infectious Soca music and all the festivities - the main message they really want to get across is love of self and country. Each school gave a presentation at the rally. Last year about 700 students attended.

Methodist School Patriotic Day
And while most city kids were at the Bird's Isle today, the students at Wesley Lower just down the street from us were having their own patriotic day at the school. It started off with the kids marching along Regent Street and then back to school where a number of activities were held. We spoke to the Principal and she told us why the kids are an integral part of the September season. There are 450 students enrolled at the school. Guest Speaker for the event was Myrna Manzanares.

Channel 5

P.U.P. Leader Calls for Head of Minister of Health
By now, a video showing a large rat inside a sterile incubator at the Western Regional Hospital just after it bit a newborn has gone viral. Even before that, the [...]

MoH Marin Says Western Regional Managers are to Blame
Where the rats are concerned, though, Minister of Health Pablo Marin takes no blame. He heaps that squarely on the shoulders of Western Regional Manager, Melinda Guerra, and Administrator, Bernadette [...]

Family Claims Hospital Negligence in Maternal Death
On Thursday, news broke that a mother of four from Big Falls had died at the K.H.M.H. after surgery at the Western Regional Hospital. Nolberta Sanchez was haemorrhaging profusely after [...]

Officials Says Intensive Investigation Underway
This morning, there was a critical meeting at the Western Regional Hospital concerning the tragic case of Nolberta Sanchez. We’re told it included all those who tended to her, as [...]

BCWU Workers Protest…Say P.U.P. and U.D.P. Are the Same
Late Thursday evening, the B.T.L.’s Belize Communications Workers Union sent out a release blasting the Government and B.T.L. management. It came in the wake of a settlement with Lord Michael [...]

BEWU in Solidarity with BCWU
The BCWU was joined today by Marvin Mora, president of B.E.L.’s Belize Energy Workers Union and also president of the N.T.U.C.B.  He told us today that it’s a matter of [...]

P.U.P. Leader Says 31 Standard Bearers Support Him
Leader of the People’s United Party, Francis Fonseca, met with members of the dissident G-eleven on Wednesday, and the big news is that there is an accord of sorts. The [...]

Says P.U.P. is Ready Whenever Elections Are Called
Will general elections be announced on Monday during the Prime Minister’s Independence address? Many political observers say yes, and speculate that the big event will happen sometime in early November. [...]

Ramon Cervantes Denies Involvement in Allegedly Libellous Recording
Ramon Cervantes Junior is accused slandering his political rival, Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega of Orange Walk North and today the P.U.P. standard bearer got a chance to tell his [...]

Eamon Courtenay Says Case Against Fiesta FM is Non-Existent
As for the matter of the recording, Senior Counsel Eamon Courtenay, attorney for Fiesta FM, denies airing the entire broadcast.  He says it is as he expected – his opposite [...]

Case Resumes on October 16th
The two sides will make oral and written submissions in October concerning whether Courtenay’s decision not to call witnesses on Fiesta FM’s behalf reflects adversely on them. But according to [...]

Keyren Tzib Bail Withheld Pending Psychiatric Evaluation
The courtroom of Justice Troadio John Gonzalez was packed today for the bail application on behalf of Coastguard, Keyren Tzib; she is accused of killing her common-law husband, Thythis Blancaneaux [...]

New Operating Theatre for the Corozal Community Hospital
Today, when we spoke to Minister of Health Pablo Marin, we did so at a most auspicious occasion – the opening of a brand-new operating theatre at the Corozal Community [...]

Who Stole Surgical Equipment from Corozal Hospital?
While the operating theatre is no doubt a boon for the hospital, there is already a black cloud hanging over its opening. About a week ago one of the surgical [...]

George Price Remembered Four Years After Death
National hero and Father of the Nation George Price died four years ago on September nineteenth, and every year on his anniversary, the People’s United Party celebrates his legend and [...]

Belizeans Honoured At Annual Award Ceremony
At the Bliss Institute on Thursday night, a number of Belizeans were honored for their contributions to the country. The ceremony is incorporated as part of the activities of the [...]

A Look Back At September 21, 1981
Thirty-four years ago at midnight, the Union Jack was lowered and the Belizean standard was hoisted to signal’s Belize’s independence as a free and sovereign nation. The giant, who led [...]

LOVE FM

PlusTV

25 year old Christian parade in a 34 year old Nation
The final leg of the 2015 September celebrations is upon us as the nation heads into a long weekend leading up to Monday September 21st. Belize is set to celebrate its 34th year of Independence from Britain under the theme, “Belize renewed; confident, competitive and committed . As part of the...

Western Regional Hospital removes Vendors
Apart from the early- shift nurses and sanitary workers, there is one group of people that is always at the Western Regional Hospital from day break; they are the food vendors. But following the recent scandalous discovery of a rodent infestation at the Western Regional Hospital, the hospital manag...

September Celebrations in the Capital
While Belmopan’s Taking Back the Land Parade is a part of the September Celebrations, there are other activities planned leading up to Monday. Tricia Pelayo, Public Relations Officer for Belmopan CityCouncil told us about some upcoming events for the Nation’s Capital. Today is already th...

Remembering Rt. Hon. George Price
The late Right Honorable George Price died on September 19, 2011, and today, members of the party he led for forty years, the People’s United Party (PUP), gathered for their twice-yearly observance in his honor. Grandnephew and party chairman Henry Charles Usher recalled what the great man sai...

Western Regional Hospital taking heat over maternal death
For a family in Big Falls Village, Toledo, this was supposed to be a time of rejoicing in the miracle of life with the newest addition to the family; baby Heidi. Instead, they are gripped by sadness as they must now bear with the fact that the young mother, 29 year old Nolberta Sanchez, has passed ...

PUP agrees on reform agenda
Concerning the reunification of the party, leader Francis Fonseca disagreed that he has conceded much to the rebel group of 11. He says their main agreement is concerning the holding of a national convention at which a comprehensive formal reform agenda will be outlined. PUP Party Leader Francis Fon...

The importance of 0% Maternal Mortality Rate
Just two years ago, the Ministry of health boasted its zero maternity death record at Western Regional Hospital, an unprecedented feat. It is something the Ministry takes very seriously. However, they have not been doing so well this year. Dr. Ramon Figueroa, as the newly appointed Director of Healt...

Is CEO of Health trying to get rid of Chief Pharmacist?
Reliable reports inform us that the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Health Peter Allen is calling for the removal of Chief Pharmacist Sharon Anderson from the Ministry of Health. Now if you have been keeping abreast of the situation, you would know that this is not the first time that An...

First ‘green building’ will house BELTRAIDE units
A Belize Enterprise and Innovation Institute is scheduled to be built at the University of Belize’ Faculty of Management and Social Sciences in West Landivar, Belize City. In a collaboration between the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) and the University, the new fac...

BCCI calls for transparency of the BTL “Settlement”
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) issued a press release this evening in which it calls for transparency of the BTL “Settlement. The release says that BCCI “stands by its position made six years ago that it was not necessary for the Government of Belize to expropriate BEL and BTL. D...

IRS seeks names of shell company holders at Belize Bank
Belize Bank was the first banking institution in Belize to lose its correspondence with Bank of America. The de-risking process has also seen Atlantic International Bank losing its US correspondence in recent months. All of this is due to the United States’ clamping down on its citizens who have tr...

Belizean youths having intercourse at an earlier age
Our young people are having sexual intercourse, many out of wedlock and school, and at an age very close to the legal age of consent. If that’s news to you, and even if it isn’t, the National AIDS Commission, assisted by the Statistical Institute of Belize, has the statistics to prove it...

NEMO PRAYING FOR RAIN
The communities of Biscayne and Gardenia are among first villages affected by the unusually long dry season. But of course those are not the only communities prone to the effects of drought. In fact, many rural communities are still using the well and pump system, which is affected by the long , dr...

Water Relief in Belize Rural North
The lack of a proper water system coupled with an unusually long dry season has left the communities of Biscyane and Gardenia in Belize Rural North, struggling to meet their water needs. As a result, Major Lloyd Jones, PUP Standard Bearer for Belize Rural North, mobilized to bring some much needed r...

Amandala

Women’s tragic deaths caused by hospital neglect?
In the span of four days, between September 10 and 14, two patients from the Toledo District have died tragically, and information to Amandala is that the deaths were caused by lack of proper equipment, and, in the case of at least one hospital, negligence. The three hospitals involved are the Punta Gorda Town Hospital, Southern Regional Hospital, and Western Regional Hospital, and both of the two patients died in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), where they had been sent as a last recourse. On September 10, Norberta Sanchez, 29, died at the KHMH after she was transported there from the Western Regional Hospital via an ambulance on Wednesday, September 9. Sanchez had to be rushed to the KHMH after she had developed complications from a second surgery at the Western Regional Hospital that was supposed to stop her from bleeding after a C-section was done and her baby girl was delivered.

BTL employees vexed; “cuss up” PM Barrow and son, Anwar
Despite meeting with members of the Union executive of the Belize Communication Workers’ Union (BCWU) on Monday, September 14, 2015, Anwar Barrow, the Prime Minister’s son and Chairman of the Executive Committee at BTL, was not brave enough tell the Union that daddy was calling a press conference less than two hours later to announce that the government had arrived at a settlement with the Lord himself. The Union says the gross disrespect goes beyond anything they had experienced under “smart” Said! In an effort to maintain a harmonious and healthy industrial relations climate with the UDP Government and the Management of BTL, the BCWU has been a silent pillar of support, convinced that the Prime Minister’s decision to nationalize the company was for the greater good of Belize and the BTL employees.

IRS probes Belize offshore accounts!
“Uncle Sam” has ramped up collection efforts on US taxpayers, including US citizens, Belizeans with dual nationality and green card holders who are believed to be hiding their wealth in offshore jurisdictions in Belize, which has not only been dubbed as a “tax haven” – but has also been listed as one of the major money laundering jurisdictions by the United States Government. As we go to press tonight, there are concerns over how the latest development will affect the financial landscape, including the channeling of remittances to Belize and investments by US nationals in prime industries such as tourism, since the US probe involves both domestic and international bank transactions carried out by the Belize Bank, the country’s largest commercial bank, with two leading US banks. Miami federal judge Ursula Ungaro—who 10 years ago had presided over litigation in the telecommunications saga of Jeffrey Prosser against the Government of Belize—granted a petition this Wednesday, September 16, to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the United States government agency responsible for tax law enforcement, which will allow the IRS to issue two “John Doe” summonses to Bank of America and Citibank, both of Miami, Florida, in order to probe into offshore accounts held by thousands of Americans who may have stashed their wealth in The Jewel.

Barrow’s “stubborn pettiness” will cost taxpayers $52 million: Fonseca
Following Prime Minister Dean O. Barrow’s announcement yesterday, Monday, that he had negotiated a payment settlement for the Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) acquisition with the Ashcroft alliance, the House of Representatives met today for a special sitting to introduce and pass, in one sitting, the Telecommunications Acquisition Settlement Bill 2015. The settlement, which PM Barrow said he personally negotiated with Lord Michael Ashcroft, has three components related to the government’s July 2011 nationalization of BTL, the country’s premier telecommunications provider, over which the Barrow administration has been locked in protracted legal battles for the past six years. Opposition Leader, Hon. Francis Fonseca, during the debate on the Telecommunications Acquisition Settlement Bill, lashed out at Prime Minister Barrow, for his “wrongheaded” approach to a loan that BTL had secured from British Caribbean Bank and which Barrow had insisted he would not repay, because the government had viewed the loan from the Ashcroft-affiliated bank as illegal.

Worthless car dealer cons man out of $24,000
Ellsworth Williams, 45, of Ground Dove Street, Jane Usher Boulevard, was conned out of $24,000 of his savings by a car dealer who took his money and disappeared. The thief is now living somewhere in the United States, and despite Williams’ best efforts, he cannot contact the con-artist to get back his money. William came to Amandala today and told us that over two years ago, he paid the car dealer, who is known to him, and who lived on Coney Drive, an initial $3,000 as a down-payment to locate two cars for him when he (the car dealer) went to a car lot sale in Texas. On his arrival in Texas, the dealer called Williams and told him that he had located the two vehicles and needed money to pay for them, and “clear” them, and Williams sent $21,000 through Western Union. ( receipts were presented to Amandala)

14% pay raise for KHMH staff
In July, in their efforts to pressure Government to grant them a salary increase, the staff of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) initiated a go-slow which led to the cancellation of elective surgeries and specialty services. KHMH authorities quickly took action by calling a meeting with all parties involved. As a result, the staff, with the assurance that the salary issue would be resolved within a few months, lifted their protest, and elective surgeries and specialty surgeries were resumed. It has now been announced, that, following a series of meetings between the Government of Belize, the KHMH board of governors, and staff representatives, an agreement was reached that the staff of the KHMH staff will be getting a salary increase of 14%.

2015 Bart’s Bash Regatta this Sunday in San Pedro
The Belize segment of the 2nd Annual Bart’s Bash International Regatta will take place on Sunday, September 20, in the waters off Caribbean Villas and will start at 9:30 a.m. sharp, with a race brief Saturday 6:00 p.m. at Caribbean Villas. This is a highly entertaining and one-of-a-kind sailing race in which sailors all over the world, and in every kind of sailboat imaginable, take to their home waters on the same day and sail courses that have been designated as comparable by a computer program in the hands of the Bart’s Bash Committee, who also have a computer program to handicap the various classes. Last year, 16,780 skippers of all ages competed. It is a fully legitimate regatta, formally recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, which proclaimed last year’s Bart’s Bash the largest boat race in history. Last year, the 28 Belizean boats entered included charter catamarans and mono-hulls, Hobie and other small catamarans of various sizes, Olympic class Lasers, tiny Optimist dinghies, and a couple of really strange homemade boats dubbed UFOs. Belize Sailing Club is the host and expects even more entries, because of the fun everyone reported last year.

Deon on a tear; Verdes leads PLB standings, tackles Queretaro tonight in Champions League
It is 5:00 p.m. right now, and three hours away from game time for Belize’s Verdes FC, who are getting ready to take the field at 8:00 p.m. for their CONCACAF Champions League return match against Mexico’s Queretaro FC in Queretaro, Mexico. They drew 0-0 in their first meeting at the FFB Stadium on August 18. Of some concern going into tonight’s Champions League match is that Verdes’ defense has not pitched a shutout yet in 4 games so far in the PLB Opening Season tournament, conceding a goal in each of their first three encounters, and 2 in their last outing against the young Wagiya team. But on the bright side is that their star striker Deon McCaulay is in fine form, exploding for a hat trick, including an injury time strike, to secure the 3-2 win for Verdes over Wagiya this past Saturday. Reviewing the past weekend’s Week 4 PLB games, there were two Saturday night games and one on Sunday.

Sammy Gentle visits, focusing on primary school football
On a visit home for the September celebrations is Belizean Sammy Gentle, who played for Belize City 1976-77 football champions, White Label, after being our teammate on Diamond-A and Charger football teams in the early to mid-1970s. Sammy presently owns an accounting business in New York, and says he plans to sponsor a primary school football tournament in Belize City. He thinks that is the best place to start, as he is not satisfied with the quality of football he has seen from the Belize Jaguars in recent World Cup Qualifiers. Sammy arrived on the 9th and expects to return to New York after the Independence Day celebrations.

BelCare Academy holds Grassroots Football Festival
The BelCare Youth Football Academy continues to promote the playing of football among the youth at the Grassroots level across Belize. Last week Saturday, September 5, BelCare, in conjunction with the Belmopan Football Committee, under the leadership of Mr. Amilcar Umana, held a successful Football Festival in the village of Camalote. Thanks to all coaches that came out to support: Derick Gordon, Boris Dominguez, Pedro Medina and Hector Martinez. After the Festival, 20 footballs were left with school teachers and representatives for them to continue the program and have kids use the balls. The next village in the BelCare program is the Valley of Peace next Saturday.

Editorial: Independence in Belize – its corrupt aftermath
It has appeared to us for some time that the present United Democratic Party (UDP) government is getting away with a lot of things because of the fear on the part of many Belizeans that harming the Barrow administration in any way would increase the chances of a Said Musa/Ralph Fonseca return to power. Until the early 2000s when his Intelco telecommunications gamble failed, the man Glenn Godfrey was a member of a troika – Said/Ralph/Glenn, which initially inherited power in the People’s United Party (PUP) from the iconic Right Honorable George Cadle Price, with his public blessing. After Intelco, followed by the Social Security Board and Development Finance Corporation revelations in late August of 2004, Mr. Godfrey faded in stature and is seldom mentioned today in the same breath as Said and Ralph are. (There was little damage done, however, to his very substantial bank accounts.) From 1961 until 1979, Mr. Price and his Financial Secretary, Rafael “Falo” Fonseca, had run a famously tight ship where the public finances of Belize were concerned. After Mr. Fonseca’s death in a traffic accident on the Western Highway in late 1979, he was succeeded as FinSec by Edmund Marshalleck. Things did not change much, except that there was an unprecedented spending splurge in September of 1981 when Mr. Price and the PUP welcomed and celebrated Belize’s independence along with many foreign guests.

From the Publisher
This newspaper played a significant role in the successful effort by the People’s United Party to hold on to power in the 1979 general election. That PUP victory, by a 13-5 margin in seats over the Opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), represents the political statement which clinched independence for Belize, in that it apparently convinced the United States of America that the people of Belize were committed, inexorably committed to an independence which had been delayed since self-government in 1964. Younger generations of Belizeans have no idea what the political landscape was like here between 1974 and 1979. Between 1961 and 1969, the PUP had won 51 of the 54 seats contested in the 1961, 1965, and 1969 general elections. To a certain extent, the Leader of the Opposition National Independence Party (NIP), Hon. Philip Goldson, represented a one-man army, and even though he was truly heroic, there were prominent Belizeans opposed to the PUP who began to become disillusioned with him. These individuals, including some who were based in New York City, actually believed that the PUP could be defeated, at a time when the blue appeared to be a total juggernaut.

The Altar Boy
Dear Editor, Papito started as an altar boy at the age of 7 years old and took his religious duties very seriously. Born into a solid Catholic family in Benque Veijo Del Carmen, Belize, on the Guatemalan border, he was taught to respect the priest and the church and have pride in his position assisting the Jesuit priest in the daily rituals in the Benque Catholic Church. Even if sometimes his daily religious service was strenuous, the hands in blessing on his head were always reminding him that he was doing an important job. In his innocence he was rather happy with his life, and his dream was maybe one day after finishing school he could become a priest too. After only a few years as an altar boy, at the age of 12, coming into puberty, his harmonious life got turned upside down when one schoolmate a year older than him called him a “maricon”. It was the year of 1961, and in this small British Victorian-ruled colony sexual education was not yet in the curriculum for the primary schools. So he asked around about what that meant. His mother could not tell, his teacher could not tell, but one of his friends told him he was a “faggit”, a “queer”, somebody who had sex with another man.

Praise for the San Roman preschool project
Dear Editor, Please allow me space in your most respectable newspaper, as I express admiration and gratitude toward those who have made a preschool community project possible in the village of San Roman, in the Corozal District. The San Roman village community preschool has been a much needed facility for the delivery of quality education to the youngest generation of our community. The preschool was previously housed in the local community center; however, the location was inadequate as it was close to the Philip Goldson Highway with no fence and no restroom facilities in the building. The use of the community center as a preschool implied that any other community function, would either have to find a new location or run the risk of tampering with the children’s equipment and projects. At times the use of the facility as a learning center and for community activities led to conflicts between the event organizers as the community does not count with any other proper facility to carry out activities such as mobile dental and health clinics, youth development workshops or community celebrations.

St. George’s Caye Day kicks off September Celebrations
The 217th anniversary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye was celebrated throughout Belize under the theme “Belize Renewed: Confident, Competitive, Committed” on Thursday, September 10. In Belize City, a ceremony to commemorate the occasion and officially launch the day’s activities was held at the Memorial Park, and in attendance were the Mayor of Belize City, Darrell Bradley; Chairman of the National Celebrations Committee, Hon. Manuel Heredia, Jr.; the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Francis Fonseca; the Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Gaspar Vega; the Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin; the Governor General, Sir Colville Young; and other distinguished guests and citizens of Belize. In his welcome address, Mayor Bradley said, “Today, we gather as a nation in this place, as we have gathered each and every year before this, in solemn form, to honor the men and women who fought in the Battle of St. George’s Caye.” After the formal speeches, the crowning of the new Queen of the Bay took place. The crown was passed from last year’s Queen of the Bay, Monisha Stuart, to the, 2015-2016 winner, Falon Tiana Cain, who became the 70th Queen of the Bay.

Belize’s National Team 1997
Here are pictures of one of our first National Teams, who played Panama in 1997 in Cayo at the Norman Broaster Stadium. You will see players like David “Manu” McCaulay, Deon’s dad, who scored Belize’s first International goal. Players included now Minister Erwin Contreras, John Trapp, Nelson Moss, Pablo Madrid, the Tun brothers (Donny and Freddy), among others. I congratulate the Jaguars, which has been together since 2003. It is not an overnight team. Give credit where it is due. Deon, Shane, West, Ian Gaynair, Cafu, Dalton, and all the older guys will recall Renan Couoh, “Chelato,” Cabrera among others. History was made before to the third round.

Hon. Finnegan abused Audrey Matura-Shepherd: Senator Shoman
Debates in the House of Representatives have of late become even more personal and vicious than they typically are, but Members of the House are immune from prosecution for whatever they say. At the House meeting yesterday, Tuesday, the area representative for the Mesopotamia constituency, Hon. Michael Finnegan, who is a UDP whip and a senior parliamentarian, let loose a tirade against Audrey Matura-Shepherd, president of the Christian Workers Union (CWU), who is an unrelenting critic of the administration of Prime Minister Dean Barrow. At the meeting of the Senate today, Opposition Senator Lisa Shoman took Hon. Finnegan to task for his remarks against trade union leader Audrey Matura-Shepherd. Matura-Shepherd, apart from being an activist attorney and an Amandala columnist, is also the president of the Christian Workers Union.

The Reporter

Ambassador Patrick Andrews presents credentials to US President
Belize’ Ambassador to the United States (US), Patrick Andrews presented credentials to President Barack Obama on Thursday at the White House in Washington, D.C. A press release from the government’s Press Office states that Ambassador Andrews, in his message to President Obama highlighted the cordial […]

Big Falls husband threatens to sue Western Regional Hospital following wife’s death
The Western Regional Hospital, and by extension the Ministry of Health are facng another embarrassment and very likely, a lawsuit after a mother died, allegedly because of negligence or malpractice at the hospital. Norberta Sanchez, a resident of Big Falls Toledo and mother of four small children […]

Fourth annual memorial held to honour the late George Price
A wreath-laying tribute took place on Friday morning at the grave site of the late Father of the Nation, George Price to mark the fourth year since he passed away. At the event, PUP Leader Francis Fonseca spoke of the man who led Belize from […]

Carnival weekend ends in string of shootings
The Carnival weekend ended in a string of shooting incidents, which saw five gunshot victims, three of which have been admitted to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), and several suspects being detained in connection with the incidents. According to Eastern Division South Commander, […]

Police say shooting was intentional; They charge cousin with murder
Placencia police have charged Warren Jeffrey Cabral, 52, with murder! They say there is evidence to prove that he intended to kill his cousin, Vance Cabral, 45, on September 10, as they socialised with two other men on a luxury boat docked near Seine […]

Belize celebrates 117th Tenth
Hundreds of Belizean patriots braved unseasonably hot, dry weather to celebrate the 217th anniversary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye last Thursday, September 10, in the tradition of Simon Lamb, who caused it to be declared a national and public holiday on the centenary […]

Police operation on George Street results in more than a dozen arrests
Eastern Division South formation has made more than a dozen arrests, recovered an unlicensed gun, seized more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana and are expected to charge eight of 12 arrested. The bust follows a police operation in the George Street area early Monday […]

Guatemala’s most popular presidential candidate says Guatemala should pursue its claim over Belize more aggressively
Jimmy Morales, Guatemala’s most popular presidential candidate, has said that he feels that his country’s claim over Belize ought to be pursued more vigorously. Morales, a comic actor by profession, became the most favoured prospect during Guatemala’s first round at the polls a few […]

US State Department lists Belize among world’s largest drug hubs
The United States (US) State Department, this week, listed Belize, along with 21 other countries, including some from the Middle-East and Central America, as being among the major drug producing and trafficking states. US President Barack Obama alerted the US Congress about the countries […]

BTV and COLA ready to take their fight to Belmopan
The Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV) held a joint press conference with Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) this week, demanding a change in the Government’s foreign policy with relation to Guatemala. BTV leader Will Maheia, along with stalwart Orlando de la Fuente and COLA […]

Belize making progress on gender equality but more work ahead
A new World Bank report on gender equality based on the progress of opportunities for women, has found that among the 173 examined countries, Belize has made improvements in fostering female participation in education and the labor force. While that is the case, however, […]

BEWU puts strike talks on back burner
The Belize Energy Workers Union (BEWU), which recently threatened to strike after negotiations with Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) broke down, has decided to delay its decision to take industrial action and continue working with the Labor Ministry to find an amicable solution. According to […]

Sailing Association to decide fate of young sailors
Two young sailors are awaiting a decision from the Belize Sailing Association (BzSA) on whether or not they will be allowed to participate in a prestigious international sailing event in Malaysia, hosted by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) in December. The Board, who met […]

Over $160,000 in write offs
The Government of Belize this week motioned to approve some $166,565.40 in write offs as losses. The eight write off motions were tabled at the special sitting of the House of Representatives in Belmopan on Tuesday. The write offs were primarily for damages to vehicles, […]

Editorial
It is no exaggeration to say that Prime Minister Barrow has surprised the nation with his speedy and skilful resolution of the dispute with the Ashcroft interests over BTL. This deal is good for Belize for many reasons. Firstly, it gets rid of a troublesome dispute, and it shows to […]

Family threatens to sue PG hospital!
A grieving family from the Toledo District is accusing health authorities at the Punta Gorda Hospital of total neglect of care for their daughter, who died of an untreated ruptured appendix. While they have yet to make a formal complaint with the Ministry, as […]

Cubans captured after capsizing
After being shipwrecked, rescued, and brought to shore on Tuesday, the hope for freedom was dashed for five Cubans. Two fled after reaching the mainland in Belize City. One male managed to escape, while the other was captured, and up to Thursday all four […]

New NAC survey paints picture of ‘active’ youth sexual trends in Belize
This week the National AIDS Commission presented the findings of the 2014 Country Report on Knowledge, Practices, and Attitudes (KAP) toward persons living with HIV/AIDS, a study carried out by the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB). The data, which provided the most recent indicators and […]

Breaking Belize News

“Monchi” denies knowledge that recording would be aired at memorial
The man accused of spreading libel and slander against his political rival, Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega of Orange Walk North, Ramon Cervantes, Jr., told his side of the story in court today. But contrary to popular belief, “Monchi” says that apart from twice listening to the recording […]

PUP condemns “tragedy” of Western Regional
The storm of incidents to befall the Western Regional Hospital in Belmopan and the health system generally in recent weeks has refocused national attention on health issues. Rats biting babies, snakes biting nurses, even a rape of a psychiatric patient – it is all a black eye for […]

Remembering Rt. Hon. George Price
The late Right Honorable George Price died on September 19, 2011, and a grateful nation continues to remember his life and legacy. At his graveside today, members of the party he led for forty years, the People’s United Party (PUP), gathered for their twice-yearly observance in his honor. […]

Ministry of Health begins investigation into Lucia Cal death
The Ministry of Health has begun an investigation of the death of 19 year old Lucia Cal of San Antonio, Toledo District. As we reported earlier this week, she died after delayed surgery to remove a ruptured appendix after being turned away from the Punta Gorda Hospital when […]

BCWU protests BTL settlement deal
On the heels of a strongly worded press release indicating how much they were blindsided by Monday’s bombshell news of a settlement between the alliance of former owners of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) and the Government of Belize, members of the Belize Communication Workers Union (BCWU) were protesting in […]

Twenty-one Belizean patriots honored
Thursday night’s Tribute to Belizean Patriots took place in Belize City at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts. It is the annual recognition of Belizeans who have made outstanding contributions to Belize. Leading the way with the Order of Distinction are the late Dr. Gian Ghandi, Solicitor […]

Corozal Community Hospital gets new equipped Operating Theatre
With the recent scandals at the Western Regional Hospital, especially the attacks aimed at Minister of Health Pablo Marin, today there is a twist to all the unfortunate incidents occurring in the Health Service. This morning, as members of the Corozal Community Hospital and the community gathered at […]

Police need public help to identify critical patient
Belize City Police is asking for the public’s assistance to identify a man that has been in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) for several days and needs family support. He is in a critical condition and neither the hospital nor police have any […]

President Obama receives Pat Andrews as new Belize-US Ambassador
On Thursday September 18th, H.E. Patrick Andrews became Belize’s 7th ambassador to present credentials to the United States (US) when he met with President Barrack Obama at the White House in Washington, D.C. Ambassador Andrews’ message to Obama was one of appreciation for the cordial relationship between the two nations […]

Police looking for forger
Police are currently looking for a person in connection with forgery charges after an Atlantic Bank Cheque leaflet was stolen from inside a businessman’s office at K-Park Quick Stop in the Kings Park Area of Belize City. That cheque book was then used to cash $3,500 in the name of […]

Man charged for firing gun in public
24-year-old Kariq Tzul of West Street, Belize City has been charged with “Discharging Firearm in Public” in relation to the shooting in the area of Antelope Street. The shooting occurred on September 12th and Tzul was arrested yesterday morning, September 17th, at 6:40 a.m.

Four Cubans arrested for illegal entry, one on the run
One Cuban National is at large after he escaped from police officers, leaving his four companions behind to be arraigned in court and put in the Belize Central Prison. The five men’s original destination was the United States but they landed in Belizean waters after their boat got wrecked and […]

Western Regional caught up in another unfortunate incident
The Western Regional Hospital has been getting a bad rap recently for several disturbing incidents that have happened there, including the rat infestation, the rat bite of a new born child and the most recent snake bite of a nurse. Well another incident from that hospital has put it on […]

BTL employees disgusted with GOB over settlement
Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) employees expressed their disgust with government over the recent settlement with Lord Michael Ashcroft in a scathing release, in which they condemn GOB for being no better than the People’s United Party (PUP) government when things came to a head in 2005. According to the release […]

BCCI slams GOB for BTL settlement
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) does not support the terms of the Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) settlement with Lord Michael Ashcroft in regards to the legislation passed this week allowing government to request unknown sums of money for the settlement. The BCCI said it stands by its […]

Blogs

Foodie Friday: Belizean Fry Jacks Recipe!
They say “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” and Belizeans take this very serious. One of the more popular and mouth-watering breakfast meals in Belize includes refried beans, eggs, cheese, bacon or ham and fresh fruits all perfectly paired with fry jacks. Fry jacks are deep fried dough pieces that can be shaped in squares, circles or triangles. Making these delicious fry jacks will be relatively easy and fast with this recipe we have prepared for you. You can make this in the comfort of your home and share a part of Belize with your family & friends!

A Scrumptious Coconut Tart
Coconut lovers will rejoice in the delights of this wonderful baked treat. These luscious little tartlets will have your mouth smiling with pleasure in every bite!

Wednesday was a day of firsts for us on Ambergris Caye
Don’t you just love this question: When is the last time you did something for the first time? How would you answer it? Every day we are presented with opportunities to do something a bit differently. It could be as tiny as changing the time you get up in the morning to taking a previously unexplored route to work to, oh, I don’t know, selling everything and moving to a foreign country. What would your life be like if you decided to do one new thing every day? Mine would be a constant state of exhaustion. This may sound strange, coming from a man living on a tiny island in the Caribbean, but I don’t run toward change. I like a certain amount of predictability. When I find a restaurant I like, for example, I quickly become a regular. I can apply that to many aspects of life: When something works, cling to it. For example, on Wednesday we were invited on the Coco Loco’s Customer and Employee Appreciation Cruise by the bar’s owner, Carmen Arenal. Now that’s a first right there. Coco Loco’s is one of our neighborhood hangouts and Carmen is a great community builder. She seems to always be sponsoring covered dish suppers for holidays, farewells and birthdays. She is a major motivator during our First Friday Tres Cocos Trash Pick-up days. Plus she is a good friend to all.

SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL CELEBRATIONS MONTH IN BELIZE
September 10 was National Day in Belize as Belizeans celebrated the Battle of St George's Caye. This week there were activities held everyday, or night as Belize approached Independence Day on September 21st! Today the Primary school children participated by having their Rally! They marched with the bright colours of the country...Blue, White and Red! Escuela Secundaria Mexico had their Patriotic Assembly today while the Corozal Community College had theirs yesterday. Celebrating these two days is something everyone in Belize looks forward to!

It’s Back to School for our Favorite Kids
Back in June, we told you about our plan to make life a little sunnier for our favorite schoolkids. Just ten minutes down the road from Ka’ana is the Holy Cross Primary School and the most wonderful group of fun-loving, dedicated students. And they needed some help! While the kids were on summer break, the Ka’ana team stepped in to build them new restrooms in the schoolhouse and a cover for their small garden. The best part? Now that they’re back in school, we can start our “green days” program to teach them how to keep their garden growing beautifully! As we know from our own on-site organic garden, there’s nothing like growing your own healthy goodies.

Continue Fighting or Settle? The ongoing BTL Saga by: Aria Lightfoot
The Belize Telecommunications Limited now Belize Telemedia Limited has existed in Belize for decades and arguably one of the highest income/profit generators of any other business entity that currently exists in Belize. The profitability of the BTL has translated into financial and political manipulation resulting in one of the worst parasitic, unscrupulous and corruptive investment environment during the Musa years. The high level of questionable business and legal practices; the backroom wheeling and dealing by Belize’s elected officials; the historical fire sale of BTL’s assets escapes the memory of quite a few people and therefore the discussion has been reduced to sound bites, innuendos and further manipulation of the complex issues. The previous caretakers had complete and wanton disregard for the people of Belize. A very powerful investor manipulated elected officials into creating an atmosphere of corruption unseen in Belize’s history. So bad was the level of corruption that the Caribbean Court of Justice, the highest court, used very strong language to describe the secret accommodation agreement. The CCJ described the ministers behavior as “repugnant”. The court further described our political leaders actions as “malignant tumors”, malignant tumors on our democracy potentially setting back Belize’s democracy by some three hundred years. With no shame as to how he acquired BTL, the very same investor represented by prominent politically tied attorneys of the previous adminstration, seemed hell bent at destroying Belize’s economic and investment climate after nationalization. Like a big bully who was put in his place, he had a lot of money, legal prowess and minions to accomplish just that.

Force Ripe Baby
This is important. It is about domestic violence/ violence and abuse of women and girls in Belize. It is not pretty, and it is long, but I ask your attention. “Every woman is entitled to the free and full exercise of her civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, and may rely on the full protection of those rights as embodied in regional and international instruments on human rights. The States Parties recognize that violence against women prevents and nullifies the exercise of these rights.” Article 5, BELEM DO PARA CONVENTION 1994 This starts and ends with personal anecdotes but it is not about me. It is about the abuse that women in our Jewel have endured and still endure. It is about a culture, and it cuts across all classifications, ethnicity, economic class, education level, rural/urban. This does not present solutions. It is meant as provocation. This is about unmasking. It is about facing our evil because I think we have lived with it so long, we don’t even really see it anymore.

International Sources

U.S. Targets Tax Evaders Using Belize Accounts
U.S. law-enforcement officials are targeting undeclared accounts in Belize-based banks in an expansion of their hunt for U.S. taxpayers who are hiding money abroad, the Justice Department said. This week, Judge Ursula Ungaro of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami authorized the Internal Revenue Service to serve “John Doe” summonses on Bank of America NA and Citibank NA, seeking information about U.S. taxpayers with accounts at Belize Bank International Ltd., Belize Bank Ltd. or Belize Corporate Services. According to the Justice Department statement, the three Belize entities are subsidiaries of BCB Holdings Ltd. The Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. units aren’t accused of wrongdoing. Federal authorities can use information from correspondent accounts that the U.S. banks maintained for the Belizean entities to trace people who may be evading U.S. taxes.

Sponges akin to redwoods of the sea crowding out corals on Florida reefs
Study shows giant barrel sponges up 122 percent in 12 years. The sponges live for centuries and provide critical food and shelter. But at six feet in diameter, they leave little room for reef-building coral. In the absence of coral on Florida’s ailing reefs, a titan of the sea is taking over: giant barrel sponges. Big as a bathtub, the redwoods of the reef can live for centuries and grow to six feet in diameter. For a healthy reef, a single sponge can provide both plentiful housing and dependable sanitation, with a menagerie of marine life finding food and shelter inside a cavernous barrel that also filters huge volumes of seawater. But in the wake of massive coral die-off in the 1970s and 80s, a new study has found a dramatic increase in sponges threatens to collapse the foundation of the complex ecosystem. The research, published in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology in August, found that over 12 years, sponges off Conch Key increased by 122 percent, taking up 39 percent more reef. In some areas, the number of baby sponges increased by 600 percent. “If they’re all that there is, the reefs will flatten out and decay,” said study co-author Joseph Pawlik, a marine biologist at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. “As long as they’re holding the space — and they can live hundreds of years — they won’t give that space up to the coral.” While researchers only documented the rise in the Florida Keys, Pawlik said he has seen the spread all over the Caribbean, from Belize to Tobago. “We think the exact same thing is happening everywhere in the Caribbean,” he said.

Cuban envoy to U.S. presents diplomatic credentials to be ambassador to Obama
The chargé d'affaires at the Cuban Embassy in the United States, José Cabañas, on Thursday presented his diplomatic credentials as ambassador to U.S. President Barack Obama in a new step toward the normalization of diplomatic relations. Obama received the credentials of Cabañas and Mexico's new ambassador to the United States, Miguel Basañez, along with those of 14 other chiefs of mission in Washington, D.C., according to a White House statement. In addition, Obama received the new ambassadors from Belize, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Denmark, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Somalia, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Tanzania, Romania, Finland, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Scotiabank Wins Award
Scotiabank is celebrating a regional sweep of Global Finance Magazine’s Best Digital Bank Awards for 2015, winning the prestigious recognition in St. Lucia and 21 other countries. This is the 6th year in a row in which Scotiabank St. Lucia has won the award (formerly the Best Internet Bank Award). “We are very proud to have been recognized by Global Finance for the quality of our digital banking and customer service in St. Lucia and across the Eastern Caribbean,” said David Noel, Managing Director of Scotiabank Caribbean East. “At Scotiabank one of our priorities is to make it easier for our customers to do business with us. We’ve put a lot of work into developing our multichannel, digital platform so that our customers can bank when and where they want.” Scotiabank received Best Digital Bank recognitions in all nine countries in the Bank’s Caribbean East district – Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Further across the region, Scotiabank also won the award in the Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos and the US Virgin Islands.

Little time left to act on US tax bill
The Caribbean has just 18 congressional working days from Sunday September 20 to try to have the US Congress or the District of Colombia address an act naming 17 Caribbean nations as “tax havens”. If passed without amendment it could have the effect of reputationally damaging the countries concerned with unpredictable trade, financial, and economic consequences. The background is a little complicated. Under the terms of the US Constitution, the District of Columbia, which of course includes that nation’s capital, is able to govern its local affairs, but has to submit its legislation for the agreement of Congress. This provision, which has its origins in events in Washington in 1788, grants the US legislature exclusive jurisdiction over the District in “all cases whatsoever” in order to provide for the maintenance and safety of the capital. This means that in practice any Act passed by the Federal District has to be sent to Congress for oversight by Committees of both houses. In the case of budgetary bills, there is a period of 30 working days during which “active approval” is required.

Videos

September 18, 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

This Is Belize
Belize in all its glory is an array of many things! Belize is its ART, its CULTURE, its PEOPLE, its BEACHES and more!

Editorial: Elected officials must lead by example
Elected officials must lead by example, and follow mandated laws and policy accordingly. THE ISSUE: Despite being told by the Ministry of Education that it was not within his jurisdiction to declare a school holiday on September 11th, San Pedro Mayor Daniel Guerrero chose to ignore the directive. WE BELIEVE: Not only did the Mayor abuse his authority, but his refusal to comply with a mandated order from the Ministry of Education demonstrates a lack of respect for government policy. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Contact us via email at [email protected] or mail to PO Box 35, San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize. Who doesn’t love a day off from work or school? So when Mayor Guerrero announced at the September 10th celebrations that he was declaring the following day a school holiday many regarded the man a hero! Without really thinking about what that meant to the equation of how many days students must spend in the classroom per school year, and the unexpected holiday pay for the teachers, everyone thought it was a grand idea. Little did we know that not only had the Ministry of Education declined the Mayor’s request to declare the day a school holiday, but our Mayor decided to make his own policy.

Enter your pooch in the Potlickers in Paradise Photo Contest
Saga Humane Society has embarked on their newest fundraising event and it’s an adorable pet photo contest. The Potlickers in Paradise Photo Contest is Saga’s first ever, and it’s open to all dogs of all breeds and all destinations. Everyone is encouraged to submit their entries and support the cause. Funds will be raised through the voting polls, which run at $1 per vote, and the $20 entry fee. The contest will also raise much needed awareness to the work Saga does with rescued pets on the island.

2015 Bart’s Bash Regatta is almost here
The Belize segment of the 2nd Annual Bart’s Bash International Regatta will take place on Sunday, September 20th in the waters off Caribbean Villas starting at 9:30AM sharp. A race brief will be held on Saturday, September 19th at 6PM at Caribbean Villas Resort. This is a highly entertaining and one-of-a-kind sailing race in which sailors from all over the world and in every kind of sailboat take to their home waters on the same day and sail courses that have been designated as comparable by a computer program in the hands of the Bart’s Bash Committee. The committee also takes step to handicap the various classes for special needs sailors.

GOB pays BCB-Ashcroft group $162.7 Million partial compensation for 2009 acquisition of BTL shares
Prime Minister Dean Barrow and the United Democratic Party government continue to put their house in order for early general elections, slated for early next year, by negotiating a settlement to pay the former owners of Belize Telemedia Ltd (BTL) – US$81,088,899.70 or Bze$162.7 Million as partial compensation for government’s acquisition in the public interest of BTL shares in August 2009. Barrow presented a Bill which was rushed through all three readings at 10am, 12 noon and 3pm, and approved at a special sitting of the House of Representatives in Belmopan on Tuesday, September 15th, for an Act to compensate the former shareholders, and the Telecommunications Acquisition Settlement Act 2015.

Ambergris Today

Movie Theater Goes HD and 3D at Ramada Belize City Princess
Movie-goers in Belize will be pleased with the announcement from The Ramada Belize City Princess that the Hotel and Casino has just recently updated its cinema with a high definition digital projector and 3D showing capabilities. The announcement came after The Ramada Belize City Princess invested in the refurbishing and upgrading of its theater facilities. Today the Cinema boasts refurbished seating, carpeting and viewing amenities that include the screening of 3D movies. The Ramada Belize City Princess indicates that its new Cinema will now be featuring the latest movies in HD as it has partnered with businesses which will supply them with up-to-date releases that can be downloaded in high definition. The Cinema is promising a richer and more enjoyable movie experience to all its Belizean customers.

Fried Jacks, a Belizean Breakfast Favorite
Besides rice and beans with stew chicken, there can’t be anything more Belizean than Fried Jacks, or as we say in Belize ‘Fryjacks’. Therefore on your visits to Belize, you’ve got to ask for these at your favorite deli or restaurant so that when you return home you can proudly announce, “I had the Belizean breakfast.” The old fashioned Sanpedranos still make their Fried Jacks “Fryjacks” the traditional way by cutting it in half and a small incision in the middle so it doesn’t puff up. Sanpedranos eat their Fried Jacks with beans, cheese, sausage, eggs & bacon.

Belize Tops List of Home Buying Destinations in the Americas
Whether looking for a place to retire, searching for vacation homes, or daydreaming about living “somewhere sunny and 75,” Americans are searching online for a home away from home. So where do Americans want to move? Recent research compiled by Point2 Homes shows that Belize is the absolute favorite destination for Americans looking to buy vacation homes or to retire. Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico are the second and third most researched home markets. Data compiled is based on monthly Google searches made by Americans for terms related to homes for sale abroad - in countries located in the Americas. The countries were then ranked based on popularity. To compile the analysis, Point2 Homes looked at people’s search patterns – monthly Google searches from the US for specific terms (homes for sale in Mexico, Cancun homes for sale etc.) and pulled out a comprehensive list of keywords, along with their monthly search volume. Then they ranked them based on popularity and put together an infographic (see below) that highlights the preferences of Americans looking to buy a vacation home or find a place to retire.

Misc Belizean Sources

BEL Stabilizes Power Supply Following Nationwide Outages Caused by Weather Conditions in Mexico
Those two outtages last night were country wide Faults and not the damaged switch near Belmopan, which appears to have been replaced by 6:40 or so this morning. According to BEL's press release, the nationwide blackout was caused by a Mexican grid failure caused in turn by "inclement weather in Yucatan". BEL switched to hydro and other generators and power was restored. The second failure was (I guess) caused by switching back to the Mexican supply too soon. Apparently we have two generators under maintenence right now and water levels in the dams are low.

Passing of Ms. Grace Williams
Mayor Daniel Guerrero, the San Pedro Town Council and Staff would like to extend its deepest condolences to the Williams/Holy Cross Anglican School family & friends on the passing of Ms. Grace Williams. Ms. Grace was the principal of Holy Cross Anglican School. May her soul rest in peace.

Full Moon Concert Series
The Junior VYBZ Band will be strumming some happy tunes for you. As part of the Full Moon Concert Series the Corozal House of Culture is delighted to be presenting Junior VYBZ Band Saturday September 26th, beginning at 7:30 p.m. You are kindly invited to join us beside the Bay, under the Full Moon. Keep Corozal Safe & Clean!

Water shortage and water pressure problems in Corozal
Fill in your buckets with water before 1:00 p.m. If you have been experiencing water shortage and water pressure at the tap, so have we. For the past couple of weeks BWSL has been working in rehabilitating their water mains and this may have attributed to the recent loss of water pressure and water loss at your tap. Let's hope this relentless situation can be resolved before the beginning of our tourist season. So BWSL says pardon the interruption today. Belize Water Services hereby informs its customers in Corozal Town that there will be an interruption in their water supply today Thursday, September 17th, 2015, starting at 1:00 P.M.

THUMBS UP FOR CERROS
Are you visiting Corozal for our National Day September Celebrations, then we welcome you to stop by Cerros Mayan Archaeological site along our Corozal Bay. Remember that Cerros is the only Mayan Temple in Belize right on the water. This is a must see and a must photo shoot!! Cerros is located near the mouth of the New River as it empties into our Corozal Bay. Road access is through Copper Bank Village. From Corozal Town, take the ferry road. Once past the ferry, shoot straight to Copper Bank and follow the signs to Cerros. From Orange Walk, shoot straight to Progresso Village and on-wards to Copper Bank. Cerros was inhabited from about 400 BC (Preclassic Era) to 400 AD (Classic Era) when it was abandoned. At the height of its importance, almost 2,000 people lived in and around Cerros, working as farmers and as merchants in the trade between the sea coast and inland communities. The Cerros ruins were first noticed in 1900, but no archaeological work began until the early 1970s when the Metroplex Corporation of Dallas bought the property to build a resort around Cerros' ceremonial center. When the Metroplex plan came to naught, ownership of the site was transferred to the Belize government.

Pan Yaad Steel Bands Concert Sept 19th
House of Culture, 7pm

Fly countrywide on Tropic for $21 on Sept 21
Celebrate Belize's Independence with the Airline of Belize and fly with TropicAir for $21, plus taxes, on September 21st Countrywide! (Contact Reservations at 226-2012 or your nearest Tropic Air station for details and conditions on this one day special offer.)

St. Francis Xavier Primary School visits Corozal House of Culture
So wonderful to have the students and teachers of St. Francis Xavier Primary School visiting today. They were able to view the Road to Independence Exhibit along with the George Price A Man of Purpose and Vision film as part of Public Service Day Activities. Thank you to the Standard 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 teachers who chose to visit the House of Culture today!

D Catch 2nd Anniversary
Happy 2nd birthday, D Catch! They know how to celebrate there, and they will be this Sunday and Monday. "Two years old and pushing on! Come join us as we celebrate our 2 year anniversary and Belize's Birthday with plenty of give aways, great music and even better drinks! D'Catch, 'D' best place to be this Sunday and Monday!"

Channel 7

The Shocking Video Of The Rat In the WRH Incubator
Two weeks ago, we broke the story of the rat that was found inside an incubator at the Western Regional Hospital - found, after it bit a newborn's toe. That story - just the details of it - is like an all time low. But, it gets worse; tonight we have video of that rat actually in the incubator. Now we warn you, many may find the video disgusting - and if you do, that's totally understandable; you can take a break for a few minutes. But we have decided to show it because it is so repugnant, and gut-churning; and, basically, it's our duty to show this kind of stuff so that EVERYTHING is done to make sure it doesn't happen again. So…here goes: the cell phone video of the rat being taken out of the incubator - we have altered the voices and obscured the faces to try and protect the health workers trying to get the rat out. Daniel Ortiz breaks it down: Daniel Ortiz reporting The video picks up with the nurses at Western Regional Hospital trying to remove the rat from the incubator. The video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luENXxRwPIE

Western Regional Hospital Implicated In Another Maternal Death
And the Western Regional Hospital is also implicated in our next story. It's about a mother who died after giving birth to her 4th child and the husband says medical professionals in the public system are to blame. 29 year old Big Falls, Toledo resident Nolberta Sanchez was transferred from the Southern Regional Hospital to the Western Regional on September 9th. And that is because the hospital in Dangriga did not have the equipment to perform a C-Section. The operation was successful at the Western Regional and a healthy baby girl was born. But, from there, things went downhill. We traveled to Big Falls Village today and found out the chilling details of what happened next from her husband. John Romero, Husband "When we arrived at Belmopan, they told us that he (doctor) would prepare her for immediate surgery. So when we arrived at Belmopan less than half an hour, she was prepared and taken to the operating theater and short at about maybe 10-15 minutes into surgery, the brought out the baby and I met the nurse in the corridor when she came out with my baby. This was about 20-25 minutes after I saw the baby and the nurse told came and told me that the doctor says that he needs to conduct a second surgery, because a bleeding was not stopping within her. So he needed to go in again and open and try to stop the bleeding. But he told me that they would have to remove her womb, because he told me that her womb was not contracting."

Keeping The Faith In Faith
Finally !! There has been some meaningful progress at Faith Nazarene. Today General Manager Raymond Sheppard told us that Principal Policarpia Pech has submitted her application for long leave and that the management and the Ministry are reviewing it. But this is just one step - they are also working on Pech's transfer. This a breakthrough after weeks of meetings, strikes and protesting. Sheppard told us that the leave application and transfer request will be put before the Teachers services Commission tomorrow. When we spoke to the PTA representative she told us that they don't want to be too quick to celebrate because it still has not been finalized. So until then, she told us that they will not send their kids to school until Pech has officially been removed and her office cleared. Today 185 out of 403 students attended classes today - which is less than half od the student body but more than yesterday. Sheppard told us that there will be an official meeting on the afternoon of Tuesday the 22nd at 2:30 and he encourages all parents to attend.

Drought Has Cost Bze 28.5 Mil. (So Far)
The 2015 drought has cost Belizean farmers 28.5 million dollars. That's what the Ministry of Agriculture says after their latest survey of what they stress is an ongoing situation that is not expected to ease up until November. The survey shows that corn is the hardest hit with losses of 18 million dollars, followed by soybean at 5.5 million dollars and then rice at 2 million dollars. And projections are that sugar cane will also be affected, and production in that sector could go down by as much as 25%. The north is the hardest hit and we went back to Orange Walk South today where the losses are still mounting. Jules Vasquez reports:.. Jules Vasquez reporting This is a field that looked bad four weeks ago - but now it is dead - limp, lifeless and that sickly yellow that is synonymous with death in agriculture. We did find a few dried, dwarfed and useless corn cobs, nothing more - a complete write off acres upon acres wasted the sun leeching out the last life from these crops the stalks still reaching up hopelessly to the rainless sky all, told, an expanse of ruin and loss. Max Hernandez, San Carlos Community "In San Carlos, we have 35 years. This year is the first that there is no rain. Every farmer small farmer, even the Mennonites lose all the crops."

G-11, Not "All-Good", But Getting There
And while we were in Orange Walk South with the PUP's Jose Mai - we asked him what's planned for this weekend in San Narciso, Corozal when the PUP holds its Power to the People Rally. As we told you last night, the G-11 - of which Mai is one of only two elected members - is back under the blue tent after a fence mending session with Party Leader Francis Fonseca yesterday. Mai told us he will be at the rally in royal blue:.. Jules Vasquez "Will you be at the rally after the meeting yesterday in Boom where you were told all senses were mended?" Hon. Jose Mai, OW South Representative "I will be at the rally Jules in blue." Jules Vasquez "Is that an indication that all is fine and the PUP is moving ahead with all 31 standard bearers on the same page?" Hon. Jose Mai, OW South Representative "All is not fine, but we hope that all will be fine very soon and I will be at the rally Saturday."

UB and Beltraide Team Up
Today, BELTRAIDE and the University of Belize held a ground-breaking ceremony at the University's of Management and Social Science campus in Belize City. They're building a new facility called the Belize Enterprise and Innovation Institute, or BEI2 - a moniker which seems meant to be both catchy and cool, but is neither. The building, though, will be thoroughly modern: in fact it is called Government's first green building, constructed with energy efficiency and low environmental impact in mind. That means it will be outfitted with solar panels, and energy efficient air conditioning systems. It's envisioned as a hub for enterprise research and innovation, where entrepreneurship, innovation and business development will be fostered. We stopped by and spoke with the facilitators about the need for such an initiative within the University: Stephanie Daniels-Moody, Public Information Officer - UB "The Belize Enterprise and Innovation Institute or BEI2 proposes to be the hub where this interaction is nurtured and where research and teaching accelerates the creation of new products, new companies, new jobs and increase economic opportunities. The University therefore is committed to this project and all it will do for the growth of Belize."

BEL Blackout "Hecho En Mexico"
If you were plunged into blackout during the news last night, you weren't alone; we all experienced the same thing in the countrywide outages. This morning BEL said the two outages, at 7:20 and 8:35 were caused by a lightning storm in Mexico. BEL says there was a system trip at the CFE plant in Mexico - which supplies power to the entire country - more so when it's not raining and the hydro-electric power is in scarce supply due to no rain and low water levels. BEL says that to avoid a recurrence, they have connected the transmission line to local power sources. Right now only the North is connected to CFE in Mexico so if there is another power outage only Orange Walk, Corozal and San Pedro will be affected.

Police Do Downtown
Once every week, the Police Department's Eastern Divisions go out into the community, especially in hotspot neighborhoods, to meet with residents, and find out what they want and need from police. It's part of the new community policing strategy to improve the relationship with those they serve, and it gives the citizens an opportunity to make suggestions on what the police could do better. Today, we found officers of Eastern Division South touring Orange Street, Albert Street and King Street in the city's downtown area. Daniel Ortiz spoke with the second in command for the Eastern Division southside about the feedback they've been getting: Alden Dawson, OC - Police Precinct 2 "Today we see the police from southside visits the businesses on the Orange, Albert and King Streets. Whilst on the business side we still as well interviewed citizens who we meet inside the businesses and it's the same objective, to find out about the service that the police are rendering to the business owners and the public at large and how we could better serve the public. So far it has all been positive. All the businesses that we have stop so far, they are positive about the police service and they are very much appreciate it and they want it to continue. It you would take the time out to visit one or two of them, they might just say the same thing."

Mimie!
September is the celebration season, and every year, foreign acts dominate the entertainment offerings. Just last week to bring in the 10th., as many as eight thousand Belizeans shelled out major money to see Chronixx and Destra on different stages. For 14 years Tony Wright has been fighting the foreign trend - with the Sound Fest where he features and celebrates Belizean artists. This year, he's bringing back one of the most electrifying performers of the Punta genre. He told us about it today:.. Soundfest will be held at the Bird's Isle tomorrow night.

Channel 5

Maternal Death at Western Regional Hospital…
First it was rats that took over the Western Regional Hospital, then recently a huge rodent bit a newborn baby. There is also the case of a snake that bit [...]

…Mother Bleeds to Death After C-Section
According to Romero, his wife was transported by ambulance to Belize City.  Upon arriving at the K.H.M.H., doctors immediately went to work and identified that a substantial amount of blood [...]

Chairman Giuseppe says IRS Summons Has Nothing to Do with Belize Bank
The United States Treasury is tightening the noose on US citizens who hold accounts overseas and have not paid up taxes in the US. Essentially, a US Federal Judge today [...]

Drought Devastates Agriculture Sector
In mid-August, News Five brought you the story of devastating losses suffered by farmers in southern Orange Walk – the result of a prolonged drought. Actually, the first we’d heard [...]

Is Government Taking Drought Crisis Seriously?
The drought was first reported as a crisis in August, and it has very perceptibly worsened. In fact, Mai today classified the drought as a disaster, and claims that just [...]

G-Eleven Member Says Accord is One Step, P.U.P. Isn’t One Big, Happy Family
On Wednesday the People’s United Party announced a mending of the fences between those faithful to the P.U.P. Leader, Francis Fonseca, and those rebellious standard bearers, unofficially dubbed the G-eleven. [...]

What’s Telemedia’s True Worth after Settling Massive Debts?
With the annual general meeting scheduled for September twenty-ninth, Belize Telemedia has released its Financial Statements for the Year ending March 2015.  The company has been at the center of [...]

Chamber of Commerce on B.T.L. Settlement
Still on the issue of the B.T.L. settlement, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry sent out a release today saying that while it had no fuss with the settlement [...]

COLA Writes Open Letter to National Assembly
COLA is tonight ramping up its ongoing campaign to have Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington removed from office immediately, to start construction of a forward operating base on Sarstoon Island and [...]

BTV Spreads Awareness on Border Issues to Belize City Youths
On the heels of those letters, BTV front man Wil Maheia was present in Belize City today where he addressed a gathering of youth apprentices on the Belize/Guatemala issue.   Maheia [...]

Police Investigation into Rape at Palm Center Continues
On August thirty-first there was a very disturbing incident at the Palm Centre, which is a residential psychiatric care facility in Belmopan. Because of the nature of the allegation, and [...]

Still No Arrests in Russell Hyde’s Murder
Belmopan Police have made no arrests in the very sensational murder of Roaring Creek underworld figure Russell Hyde. Hyde, along with his companion Marcy Humes, was gunned down on August [...]

Was Devin Neal Flowers Killed by a Relative?
But while things may have calmed down somewhat, there was another murder last week. Roaring Creek resident Devin Neal Flowers was riding his motorcycle on the Valley of Peace Road [...]

Policeman Wasn’t Alone When Nicaraguan National was Killed
There is also an update on the investigation into the murder of Nicaraguan Eduardo Perez Sanchez. He was shot in the head twice and his body dumped on the Young [...]

Illegal Cuban Immigrants Busted in Belizean Waters
On Tuesday, five Cubans who were heading to the United States ended up in Belize when their vessel shipwrecked after they set sail from Honduras. They ended in Belizean waters [...]

Ground Broken for G.O.B’s First Green Building
Ground was broken today for a green building for which BELTRAIDE is partnering with the University of Belize. B.E.I.-Two, as it is called, is being built at the university’s Belize [...]

Healthy Living Gets an Early Flu Shot
At this time of the year and in the month of October, the number of persons affected by the flu or respiratory diseases goes up.  While many persons resist getting [...]

CTV3

Equipment Goes Missing At The Corozal Community Hospital
The Ministry of Health will be inaugurating the operating theater at the Corozal Community Hospital tomorrow, Friday. Minister of Health Pablo Marin made the announcement today in a morning show hosted on his radio station UMUZIK. The Minister was in the company of Corozal Mayor Hilberto Campos. But as he made the announcement, he followed it with some rather disturbing news of things that are taking place at the hospital. We will share what the good news is but first, according to the Health Minister, some very expensive medical equipment was stolen from the hospital. He did not give much specifics but Minister Marin says that they are looking into the matter. Here is what he said. “Although we had some misfortune in the hospital and I have to bring it up; you have people in the hospital doing mischief, they stole an equipment that cost I think over $20,000.00 nobody saw it but if anybody or any person know about this thing please here in Corozal, it is two brand new equipment to do the operations to cut and to fix the person whenever they do the operation it is two of them and they stole one of them and definitely the only person that can use it is somebody in the medical field to do an operation and this was somebody from the hospital did that and we don’t know who it was but if anybody have information please send it to the police because whose ever did this he is going to jail and I don’t care who it is and it is sad because we are working so hard for us to be able to open this operating theatre here in Corozal and this is what happened.”

Minister Of Health Addresses Rat Infestation At WRH
The Ministry of Health has been receiving some very embarrassing and disgraceful media coverage after reports of rat infestation and bites took place at the Western Regional Hospital. Minister of Heath Pablo Marin has shied from the media but while on the morning show at his radio station in Corozal, he addressed the matter. Marin claims that he has done his part to mitigate the problem but says that the hospital’s leadership has been lax. Marin says that he has spoken to the hospital manager on dealing with the matter but that has not resulted in any success. “It is all over the media with the rats and the snakes and people trying to blame the minister and having people on Facebook defending me and I need to give them thanks but I will tell you a little scenario of how things happen there; when the situation and this is how the system works and it is sometimes hard for us to deal with, this happened some months ago with the rats and we did ask the manager and the deputy to deal with it, I went again last week when I heard with the situation with the rat inside the incubator...

Drought Continues To Impact Agricultural Sector
The ongoing drought in the north of the country has farmers of the southern Orange Walk District losing in earnings of millions of dollars. But while they are establishing new alternatives, farmers in Little Belize, an area that has always been known for the largest production of corn, is beginning to feel the effects of the drought which has already resulted in the loss of millions of dollars. According to Corozal District Agriculture Coordinator, Fulton Barry Palacio, a total of 8,000 acres of corn amounting to 8 million of dollars have been lost in the Little Belize area and Corozal. “The drought have severely impacted the agricultural sector, the hardest hit to date is the corn farmers of which Little Belize represents the biggest block, we have 6500 acres of being planted and loss due to this drought and another 1500 acres in the rest of the Corozal District which also has been loss due to this unusual and heavy drought and when we totaled that in terms of money figures it translates almost into based on our figures something like 7 to 8 million dollars.”

BCCI Weighs In On BTL Settlement
Today the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry weighed in on Governments settlement with Lord Michael Ashcroft which is causing much controversy. BCCI states in its release that it is most concerned at the method of Prime Ministerial Governance displayed with regard to the BTL settlement. The Prime Minister, says BCCI, unilaterally negotiated and bound our country to make a $162.7 million payment with the possibility of yet further payments due at the conclusion of the still outstanding Dunkeld arbitration case. BCCI believes that the hasty move by the Government to announce the settlement of BTL has caused major confusion among Belizeans who are trying to comprehend how a settlement can be made official when the true and final financial cost of the said settlement is as yet unknown. The uncertainty of such action is far reaching and continues to leave us in the dark as to the quantum of Belize's full national debt, says the release.

Severe Weather In Mexico Caused Power Outage In Belize
Last night, the entire country of Belize was plunged into darkness after two unscheduled power outages was experienced between 7:00 and 9:00. Today, while the Belize Electricity Limited has stabilized power, they issued a statement saying that the nationwide outages were caused by weather conditions that affected Mexico last night. The release says the country experienced outages at 7:20pm and 8:35pm and within twenty minutes, it was stabilized. BEL says that low water levels at the major hydro plants and maintenance at two of the power plants in the country are presently limiting the Company’s contingencies to mitigate against weather-related instabilities and that plans are in place to resolve the maintenance issues by weekend. Of note is that Belize’s national grid is powered by Mexico’s Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) Ticul Substation.

A Deeper Look At Road To Independence
The road to independence as we learnt last night, started with the resistance of the Mayas in 1951 and it was an arduous one. This projection, established a foundation for an icon to achieve total Independence through what he calls a peaceful revolution. This icon, named years after as a national hero, warrior of the Belizean people and country, was no other than George Cadle Price. Because of his constant determination to make Belize an Independent Nation the Right Honorable George Cadle Price is today considered to be one of the principal architects of the Belizean Independence. It was Price’s ideology, integrity and philosophy that not only awarded him the recognition of a National Hero but also his title as Father of the Nation. Tomorrow, the 19th of September, Belizeans will remember the loss of a great hero, forefather and pioneer of a nation. Carib’s Nation Television, Dr. David Hinds, uploaded on you tube an interview he did with Price on his 58th, birthday, where he proceeded to ask him if an opportunity would be granted to do things again, would he do it differently. This is what the Father of the Nation responded.

IRS To Summons To Reveal American With Offshore Accounts In Belize
The offshore banking system of Belize has for a while been slowly taking over the airwaves and today, that banking sector is wading troubling waters says the Internal Revenue Service IRS of the United States. A report published today revealed that a federal judge has issued an order allowing the IRS to serve a John Doe summons to reveal Americans with offshore accounts in Belize. The report says the IRS wants to know who has accounts at the Belize Bank International Limited, Belize Bank Limited, and others, but that the order entitles the IRS to get records of correspondent accounts at Bank of America and Citibank. Citibank will need to produce records identifying U.S. taxpayers with accounts at BBL, BBIL, and affiliates, including correspondent accounts to service U.S. clients. Transactions in correspondent accounts leave trails the IRS can follow. The IRS obtains records of money deposited, paid out through checks, and moved through the correspondent account through wire transfers.

Santa Martha Resident Charged For Drug Trafficking
At around 8:15 this morning the team conducted a search at a residence situated at mile 54 of the Old Northern Highway on the Santa Martha Road. Reports are that when police arrived at the residence they saw 23 year old Ernest Hinds, Belizean farmer, running towards the bathroom. Cops also saw when he threw a black object inside the bathroom. Upon inspecting the bathroom police found a black plastic bag containing suspected cannabis. As a result Hinds was arrested and charged for the offence of Possession of Controlled. The drugs weighed 17.3 grams.

LOVE FM

Family Seeks to Sue Western Regional Hospital for Negligence
A 29-year-old mother of four was laid to rest less than a week ago after she gave birth at the Western Regional Hospital. It is a case that has left the family forlorn and has prompted them to seek legal recourse for what they deem as neglect on the part of the medical officers at […]

Second Family Blames Hospital for Young Woman’s Death
And while relatives of Norberta Sanchez are in mourning, they are joined by their neighbours whose relative experienced a similar ordeal at the Western Regional Hospital and died one day after Norberta Sanchez. 19-year-old, Lucia Cal will be laid to rest this weekend after she was moved from hospital to hospital last week. Love News […]

IRS Digs Deeper for Bank Accounts of Its Citizens Suspected of Evading Taxes
The United States of America is clamping down on their citizens who are suspected of evading taxes by hiding their income and assets in offshore accounts. Once a tax haven for foreigners, financial institutions in Belize are now being targeted to reveal information on accounts belonging to American nationals. An online article has indicated that […]

Rotary District Governor Meets with Dangriga Rotaract Club
The Rotaract Club of Dangriga meets with District Governor, Dr Rene Villanueva Senior. Harry Arzu reports. COLA Writes to the National Assembly on 3 Points
Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, COLA, has taken the initiative to write to all the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. President of COLA, Geovanni Brackett, spoke to Love News about the content of the letter. GEOVANNI BRACKETT “The Executive of COLA came up with the idea that we should engage […]

Bad Weather in Mexico Leaves Belize in the Dark
Just after seven o’clock last night there was a countrywide power outage. It was a brief outage that lasted for about twenty minutes with some areas experiencing subsequent outages lasting not more than three minutes. This morning the Belize Electricity Limited sent out a release explaining the cause for last night’s blackout, citing bad weather […]

EU Ambassador In Belize For Celebrations and Other Business
Head of Delegation for the European Union to Belize, Ambassador Paola Amadei is in Belize. During her visit, Ambassador Amadei will meet with several government officials. Next week the Ambassador will be on hand for the handing over of Vocational Training Equipment to Georgetown Technical High School in the Stann Creek District. This project, funded […]

PlusTV

Ministry of Rural Development hands over mowers to communities
The Sen. Hon. Godwin Hulse, Minister of Rural Development, held a Handing Over Ceremony today at the NEMO Warehouse in the City of Belmopan. The ceremony was to officially hand over five riding mowers, $10,000.00 worth of PVC pipes, fittings, submersible pump and motor and electrical materials. Hon....

Belizean youths having intercourse at an earlier age
Our young people are having sexual intercourse, many out of wedlock and school, and at an age very close to the legal age of consent. If that’s news to you, and even if it isn’t, the National AIDS Commission, assisted by the Statistical Institute of Belize, has the statistics to prove it...

Minister of Sports gives progress updates on major Belize City stadiums
For most of his term, Minister of Youth and Sports Herman Longsworth has been bedeviled by the construction and development of three sport stadia in Belize City. The biggest project is the Marion Jones Sporting Complex which broke ground six years ago, when Elvin Penner was the Minister and Longswor...

First ‘green building’ will house BELTRAIDE units
A Belize Enterprise and Innovation Institute is scheduled to be built at the University of Belize’ Faculty of Management and Social Sciences in West Landivar, Belize City. In a collaboration between the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) and the University, the new fac...

Sports Ministry starts skipping rope program for primary schools
Skipping rope – it is a favorite but rarely practiced pastime among primary school students, but the Ministry of Sports believes it can be good for your physical health and in an effort to end the couch potato syndrome among our youngest, it has started a program for skipping rope in primary schools...

NEMO PRAYING FOR RAIN
The communities of Biscayne and Gardenia are among first villages affected by the unusually long dry season. But of course those are not the only communities prone to the effects of drought. In fact, many rural communities are still using the well and pump system, which is affected by the long , dr...

Water Relief in Belize Rural North
The lack of a proper water system coupled with an unusually long dry season has left the communities of Biscyane and Gardenia in Belize Rural North, struggling to meet their water needs. As a result, Major Lloyd Jones, PUP Standard Bearer for Belize Rural North, mobilized to bring some much needed r...

The Guardian

BTL bought and paid for
On Monday September 14, the government announced that it had come to a settlement in the BTL matter putting to an end 6 years of litigation over the price for the company. In making the announcement, Prime Minister Dean Barrow explained that the negotiations were completed after two meetings with Michael Ashcroft in May and August of this year and thereafter correspondences via e-mail. The negotiations were described as fast and furious by the Prime Minister and it culminated with government agreeing to a payment of 162.7 million Belize dollars to be paid to British Caribbean Bank (BCB) and the former owners of BTL. When government nationalized BTL it assumed a 22.5 million dollar loan which BCB had given to BTL but even as it did so BTL’s new management maintained that the loan was illegal. That led BCB to initiate arbitration under a 1982 Bilateral Investment Treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of Belize for the promotion and protection of investments. On December 19, 2014 the Arbitral Tribunal ruled in favor of the Bank and ordered the Government to pay compensation. As part of the settlement, the Government agreed to pay the Bank US$48,544,927.78 representing compensation, including costs, expenses and interest on the original 22.5 million dollar loan.

Drought cost farmers 28 million dollars
Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Jose Alpuche is reporting that the ongoing drought is costing farmers in the north western part of the country some 28 and a half million dollars in damages. Alpuche says that the most severely hit agricultural product is corn suffering some 18 million dollars in damages followed by soy bean which is experiencing some 5 and a half million dollars in damages and rice with 2 million dollars in damages. While these are suffering currently there is a projection that sugar cane will also suffer some losses where it is estimated that a 25% decrease in production will occur. With projections of the drought lasting up to November of this year as a result of the ‘El Nino’ weather phenomenon, Alpuche says that government is looking at ways in which it can help mitigate the adverse effects of the drought. He says that already DFC is contemplating the possibility of interest forgiveness for farmers being affected as well as making seed money available for replanting. He added that they are also looking at the market shortages that may occur as a result of the drought and looking at how these can be ameliorated.

House meeting filled with PUP jokes and jokers!
At Tuesday's house meeting we were treated to our usual bellyfull of laughter stemming from the jokes we hear in the presentations of some of the members of that house. First up to bat was the PUP Leader. His entrance alone is funny. This gentleman must have been a cowboy in another life because he walks as if though he were sitting on a horse for quite a long while. That was not the only joke from him though. In trying to sound eloquent he has taken the letter "A" out the alphabet. Someone needs to tell him there is no "O" in heart because he said heort. We will skip the biggest joke of the day for now because it was so big and go to Dolores. She said that she could not really pay justice to the debate because she was not given her paper on the bill until she arrived at the meeting that morning. Even though she said that she still went on to debate the bill. That must have accounted for the gibberish she spoke during her presentation, because she certainly made no logical statements.

New school building at All Saints Primary
It has been three years since infant one students of All Saints Primary had classrooms to call their own. The building that once housed first graders was deteriorating and sinking; therefore, it had to be demolished in 2012. The Government of Belize promised the institution a new building and gave the Social Investment Fund (SIF) the responsibility to complete the project. While the construction project was underway, the young students needed a place to stay. Therese Roches, Principal of All Saints Primary, had to come up with ideas to create five temporary quarters for learning. School administrators decided to move out of their office to provide space for the children. The Parish allowed the school to use its hall for classes. Two classrooms at the school were split in two. It was far from an ideal situation and comfort was sacrificed for the sake of learning. On Monday, September 14, 2015, administrators, teachers, parents and students invited Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education, and Hon. Santiago Castillo, Minister Responsible for SIF, to celebrate the opening of their new school building.

KHMH employees get 14% salary increase
Employees of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital are looking forward to a 14% salary increase following negotiations between the KHMH’s management, 4 cabinet ministers and a negotiating team from among the employees. In mid July employees of the statutory body had requested a salary increase from the management and board of directors of the institution which in turn made a request from the government. The request was not fulfilled after the government indicated that the employees had to negotiate as a group for their salary increase. This led to just under a week where the employees went on a go slow stopping elective procedures from taking place. Shortly thereafter the negotiating team was set up and it included Ministers John Saldivar, Patrick Faber, Pablo Marin and Godwin Hulse. After weeks of negotiations which included the employees setting up various committees to look at cost saving measures at the hospital, the board has agreed to give the employees their salary increase.

Use the bus stops please!
The Belize City traffic department through its manager Kevan Jenkins and councilor B.Q. Pitts has been taking a proactive approach in resolving some of the traffic issues which affect motorists in the old capital. In the last week of June a productive meeting was held to address concerns with the taxi operators and since then there has been marked improvement in that sector. The “Dollar Van” sector continues to be a problem but steps will be taken shortly to address that concern. Last week once again the Traffic Manager Kevan Jenkins held yet another meeting with, this time, the city shuttle service operators. On September 7, a meeting was held at the traffic department office on Youth for the Future Drive between Mr. Jenkins on the one hand and Belize Transit Services and Lopez Shuttle on the other. The purpose of the meeting was to address the operators’ lack of compliance with and breach of the road service permit regulations and policies. In a letter written to both operators back in October 2014, Jenkins warned about serious ramifications for failure to adhere to routes and approved bus stops. He warned that “The blatant refusal of these companies to comply with these stringent measures incorporated will not be overlooked or allowed to go on without serious ramification…”. These ramifications include the temporary suspension of road service permits in the first instance and eventual cancellation if the violations persist.

Carnival 40 years later, serious business!
The Carnival Road March started 40 years ago, in 1975, to bring some flare to the Tenth of September celebration. A few girls were dressed in costumes of the most basic designs and they danced through the streets in celebration of the Battle of St. George’s Caye. The costumes were not glamorous. The music was not heart pumping. The energy was not off the charts. There was no great prize to be won. However, the satisfaction these “revelers” felt after the road march was immeasurable. Today, thousands of dollars in cash and prizes is up for grabs. The road march is as big as it has ever been. The music is as loud and clean as ever. The costumes are the best we’ve seen in Belize; but where is the love? What was a celebration of past victories and future opportunities seem to have evolved, or regressed, into a high stakes all or nothing competitive exercise. The practices leading up to the road march get more strict and joyless each year. Going to a Sunday practice for your community’s carnival group is like watching an episode of “Dance Moms”. It is all about getting the steps right and getting the group ready for competition. Even the senior revelers have been transformed into dancing mercenaries. It seems like nobody remembers that Carnival is supposed to be a celebration.­

Cayo Welcome Center gets new chairs
The Spanish Lookout Community has undertaken another effort to assist the Cayo Welcome Center in San Ignacio Town. On Friday of last week, 30 plastic chairs were handed over to the Mayor of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, Earl Trapp Jr, in Spanish Lookout. In receiving the chairs, Mayor Earl Trapp thanked Ben Barkman from Econo Diesel and community members for their generous contribution. Mayor Trapp promised that the chairs will be put to good use. At the handing over ceremony, Ben Barkman took the opportunity to give Mayor Trapp a tour of his business, Econo Diesel, where the focus is on Diesel engine repairs; especially fuel injection engines.

Horse and Jockey dead
As predicted 2 weeks ago that the borrowed horse would be taken out the General Election Triple Crown Derby, has now come to reality. The previous MAJORITY Shareholders of BTL have now settled with the new MAJORITY Shareholder the Government of Belize. PM Barrow made the announcement to the Nation of Belize at a 2 pm Press Conference on Monday. That must have been well received by many Belizeans, Social Media lit up like lightening across the sky. All sorts of praises have been offered to the Government of Belize under the able Leadership of Prime Minister Barrow. There is a major wrinkle in this situation, in making it’s exit the horse threw it’s JOCKEY. That jockey broke his neck and died. Now at the PUP Headquarters on Queen street there is plenty bawling and fainting. Some of the PUP higher-ups who had dreams of becoming Ministers in what they view as a soon to come PUP Government following up on a PUP VICTORY AT THE POLLS aka Derby, have taken it much harder though. They are suffering from HYGOPOOPHA locally known as 7th degree Makobie. A run has been made on those places that supply TOILET PAPER, because the main symptom of Hygopoopha is UNCONTROLLABLE BOWEL MOVEMENT. The scent coming from PUP HEADQUARTERS is fowl. They may have to go to Chetumal to get an additional supply of toilet paper, but to do that they would have to go through Johnny and it seems Johnny is too busy celebrating to lift a hand to help them.

Hummingbird Highway rehabilitated
A contract was signed between the Ministry of Works and A &N; Construction Limited for the rehabilitation of the 54 mile stretch of the Hummingbird Highway on Tuesday September 15. The contract comes after the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the Opec fund agreed to fund the road’s rehabilitation in February of this year. Under the rehabilitation, the highway was divided into four segments for management purposes from Belmopan Roundabout Junction to Sibun Bridge and Alta Vista Bridge to Dangriga Town. The project will see the improvement of the road’s surface as well as better vertical and horizontal alignments. There will also be the replacement of existing single lane bridges and the paving of the road’s shoulder. The road will also feature high visibility line marking, reflective road studs, bus lay-bys and other road furniture to bring the entire road to international standards.

Kareem Musa Grabbing at straws
For the last month or so Kareem 'Mini-Me' Musa has been on an attack Darrell Bradley campaign. You see Mayor Darrell Bradley who is his political opponent in the Caribbean Shores is of an impeccable character and as such there is no scandal to tie him to unlike Mini-Me's family where there is always a scandal or some sort of Backa-post operation that they can be linked to. Darrell Bradley does not come with baggage; he only comes with the record as being the best Mayor Belize City has ever seen. Mini-Me on the other hand must look his father's misdeeds square in the face and take ownership thereof. We say take ownership because we are using his rational, that so is a man so is his son. In other words BWOI UH DAH JUS LIKE UH PUPPA! First he tried to make an issue, that according to him Caribbean Shores pays the biggest property taxes in the city. Even if that is so they have some of the most valuable properties in the city. Those streets where those properties are located are well cleaned and they don't suffer from the commercial activities the other parts of the city endure. Also they once paid the least taxes even though then got the best service.

New library for August Pine Ridge
On Friday September 11, the National Library Service inaugurated a completely new library in the village of August Pine Ridge. The new structure came at a cost of some 100,000 dollars and was financed by the government of Belize. The library is fully furnished with books as well as internet ready computers. Present at the opening ceremony was Minister of Education, Hon. Patrick Faber and UDP Standard Bearer in Orange Walk South, Guadalupe Magaña Dyck. The building was constructed on a parcel of land which was contributed by the village council while preparation of the land with filling and leveling was done through the efforts of Magaña, who also lobbied government for the building to be built. Construction on the structure began on August 21 and was completed in less than a month.

Musahahahahaha!
What do Richard Prior, Dennis Miller, Kevin Hart, Chris Rock and Said Musa have in common? That’s right, they are all great comedians.The one that stands out most however is Said Wilbert Musa. In his younger years Said made a living as a teacher and later on as a politician. He reached the pinnacle of his political career when he became the Prime Minister of Belize. He made a disaster out of the latter. Said’s ambition to serve the Belizean people did not stop there. He has rededicated his life to the people and has decided to serve them as a comedian and clown now. He has tried many forums to divulgate his wisecracks and jokes but none seem to serve him better than the National Assembly of Belize. His last performance on Tuesday September 15 was the best. He had young and old rolling with laughter at his witticisms. The one that took the cake was when he said, “you can accuse me of all kind ah thing but you cannot accuse me of corruption.” The collective laughter was heard starting from the Rio Hondo all the way to the Sarstoon.

Cousin shoots cousin in Placencia
While the rest the nation was celebrating the Battle of Saint George’s Caye, the family of 45 year-old Vance Edward Cabral, a Placencia Village resident, was morning his tragic loss. It appears that his cousin shot him to death, and police believe that it was intentional, and so, he’s on remand at the Belize Central Prison. According to police, at around 3:10 p.m. on Thursday, September 10, they responded to a shooting at a marina in Seine Bight Village, in the Stann Creek District. That’s where they found a blue and white boat, “Island Dancer”; inside the vessel, they found Cabral’s body with a single gunshot wound to the head.

Former police officer acquitted of Hopkins murder
Former police officer Wilfred Anthony Garcia, 51, is a free man after he was acquitted of the charge of murder by Justice Denis Hanomansingh in a trial without jury that ended Wednesday, September 16, 2015. Garcia was arrested by police for the chopping death of 17-year-old Luke Nunez, Jr. According to police reports, Nunez and Garcia were involved in a misunderstanding at a bar on the north side of Hopkins Village sometime after 8 p.m. on Wednesday, December 26th, 2012 and it led to Garcia chopping Nunez to the right side of the chest, center of the head and the upper left side of the chest. Nunez was rushed to the Southern Regional Hospital for treatment but later succumbed to his injuries.

Allegedly broke into cop’s home and stole gun
Clive Sutherland, 29-year-old Wagner’s Lane resident, is at the Belize Central Prison on remand after he was denied bail when charged in connection with the burglary of a cop’s house in which a 9 mm pistol was stolen. PC Aldo Valdez reported to CIB that at about 12 noon on Sunday, September 13, he was home, at # 3708 Louise Bevans Street in the Jane Usher Boulevard area, socializing with Clive Sutherland when he decided to leave for Unity Street. Valdez left Sutherland by himself at the house since he would only be gone for a short period of time. According to Valdez, when he returned about 20 minutes or so later, he noticed that Clive was gone and when he checked inside a draw of his bureau inside his room he discovered that his gun and magazine containing 15 live rounds was missing. He immediately reported the matter to police and Sutherland was apprehended.

Shakeem Humes charged for Carnival night shooting
Shakeem Humes, 23, is at the Belize Central Prison on remand for charges of attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm, dangerous harm and wounding upon woman police corporal, Christine Avila, and her boyfriend, Joseph Debride. At around 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, September 12, police responded to a shooting incident on Curassow Street where they found Debride suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck. Avila reported to responding officers that a man they know well approached them and told them he was armed. Though she was off duty, being an officer of the law, Avila tried to take the weapon away from him. Debride came to her aid after seeing the struggle between the two. However, the gunman managed to break free. While fleeing, he aimed the gun at them and fired several shots at the couple. Debride, Avila’s boyfriend, was shot in the neck. He was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial with critical injuries but he has since been stabilized.

Tortilla delivery man charged for stealing sales money
Francis Mai, 40, is serving the first days of a three year sentence for failing to pay a fine for drug trafficking. Mai appeared in court on Monday, September 14, for a charge of theft from his boss, Jason Musa, when it was discovered that he had not paid a fine for an old drug offense conviction. Allegations being made against Mai by Jason Musa, owner of a corn tortilla shop, is that for July 29 and 30, 2015, he received 262 pounds of corn tortilla to sell to local business people in Belize City. However, Mai failed to show up back at work with the money for the tortilla and that was when Musa made a report to police. Musa said that he did not bring in the money from sales and has not returned to work since. He was supposed to turn in $527.28.

Corozal Sailing Association
Dear Members and Friends; This report it long overdue sorry for the delay. As you probably know by now our former board member David Bartz suddenly passed away. He will be missed by all, the board has approved that one of the Optimist boats be named after him. Not only did we lose David , but also his wife Dari, our secretary. Now to Antigua, the first major international competition for “ Team Belize”. Our sailors did not bring home medals but had a good showing overall. Thank you all for supporting the sailing club and our sailor Jasmine personally. Without your support this would not have been possible. The St. George regatta. The boat left from Marriott pier at 8 am in Belize City and returned early afternoon. We sent 4 Optimist and 1 Laser sailor. This was a camping weekend. Report to follow. The next regatta is on Caye Caulker early October 10&11 2015.

Joslyn Chavarria captures Annual September Criterium
The Belize City Council and Leslie’s Imports with collaboration with the Cycling Federation of Belize sponsored its 6th Annual September Cycling Criterium on Sunday September 13, 2015, on Albert and Regent Streets in Belize City. The Criterium commenced at 10:00 am with the Youth Development Programme Races and this was followed by the female race which went 15 laps around the two streets. The first female rider to cross the finish line was Patricia Chavarria of C-Ray, second place went to Kaya Cattouse also of C-Ray while third place went to Paulita Chavarria of C-Ray Cycling. In the Junior Race which went 20 laps, first place went to Kaydine Pinelo in a time of 49:40, second place went to Ernest Bradley in a time of 51:41, third place going to Shaun Codd in a time of 52:49 and fourth place went to Darien Anderson in a time of 52:57.

Minister Herman Longsworth to present Jump Ropes to school
The National Sports Council of Belize will on Thursday 17 September, 2015, present Jump Ropes to the schools in the Belize District that participated in the Jump Rope for Health Training that took place in June of 2015. The Hon. Herman Longsworth, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports with direct responsibility for Youth and Sports will distribute the ropes at an official ceremony scheduled for 10:00 am on the Basketball Court at Rogers Stadium. Each school that has participated in the training will receive a Jump Rope for Health Training Kit which includes a total of 35 ropes of varying lengths and a Skill Development Cue Cards.

2015 Bart’s Bash Regatta Announcement
The Belize segment of the 2nd Annual Bart’s Bash International Regatta will take place on Sunday, September 20, in the waters off Caribbean Villas and will start at 9:30 sharp, with a race brief Saturday 6pm at Caribbean Villas. This is a highly entertaining and one-of-a-kind sailing race in which sailors all over the world and in every kind of sailboat imaginable take to their home waters on the same day and sail courses that have been designated as comparable by a computer program in the hands of the Bart’s Bash Committee, who also have a computer program to handicap the various classes. Last year 16,780 skippers of all ages competed. It is a fully legitimate regatta, formally recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, which proclaimed last year’s Bart’s Bash the largest boat race in history.

Verdes in Querétaro Mexico for CONCACAF play
The National Football champions of Belize, Verdes FC, left the country on Tuesday 15 September, 2015 for Querétaro, Mexico, where they will compete in their away portion of the Scotiabank CONCACAF home and away series. The away game for Verdes FC is scheduled for Thursday 17 September, 2015, at 8:00 pm at the Estadio Corregidora in Querétaro, Mexico, against the Gallos Blancos Querétaro. In Verdes’ home game played on Tuesday 18 August at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan against the Gallos Blancos Querétaro the game ended in a 0-0 draw. The State of Querétaro is located in north-central Mexico. The team is expected to return home over the weekend. The Verdes FC will compete again on Tuesday 22 September at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan against San Francisco of Panama.

Groundbreaking for new chapel at KHMH
Representative of the Belize Council of Churches and the Belize Evangelical Association were present at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital on Monday September, 14 as ground was broken for the construction of a chapel at the hospital. Bishop Roosevelt Papouloute, President of the Belize Council of Churches, noted that the new chapel will be a place for reflection and meditation for patients, families and even staff at the KHMH. Sharing that sentiment was KHMH’s CEO Adrian Coye who stated that he himself will be using the facility when it is complete. He explained that the chapel is a gift for the people of Belize because the KHMH is about healing people but that it is not just a matter of physical well being rather one which includes social, mental and spiritual wellness. With the chapel he stated that the KHMH will now be covering all bases. Coye added that those who will use the chapel are not just patients but also families who would want to come to terms with what is taking place in their lives. He added that the non-denominational space is a valuable gain for the people of Belize no matter the rooting of how it arrived. He concluded that he was grateful to those who envisioned it and brought it to fruition.

Braun and not Brain, the CWU demise
1. The previous FCIB Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expired on 31st December 2013. 2. In February 2014 CWU notified the Bank that they would not be ready to submit proposals until after June 2014. 3. CWU submitted proposals in May 2015. This is almost one year after indicated date. 4. CWU agreed to a first negotiation meeting for July 14th, 2015, two and a half weeks short of the August 3rd, 2015 announcement of the agreed sale. 5. At the initial meeting, CWU refused to engage the bank in discussions on its counter proposals because some members of the Bank’s negotiating team were not physically in Belize. 6. CWU after being a year and a half late was pulling rank on the bank and utilizing bullying tactics. 7. The Bank appealed to CWU to at least take a look at the counter proposals. 8. CWU refused to bargain unless the Bank’s none resident negotiators were physically present in Belize. 9. The Bank tried to accommodate by arranging video conferencing, but this was unsuccessful.

When the elephants fight only the bankers get trampled
He said. She said. They did this now. They should have done it then. NONSENSE!!! The nightly news bickering does nothing for the sixty plus professionals who will be out of a job in a few weeks time. First Caribbean International Bank is closing its doors in Belize, fact. Heritage Bank is buying over its assets, fact. Individuals will be losing their jobs, fact. Those individuals deserve every single benefit due to them for years of committed service to the institution, fact. What is due to them??? The FCIB Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expired on 31 December 2013. Since there has been no new agreement since, then common law would declare the existing CBA as the governing document. The easiest thing to do; therefore, would be to base severance packages for employees based on what is set out in the existing CBA. But how fair would that be to the workers?

Fight or Flight? 217th Anniversary of the Battle
“Two hundred and seventeen years ago, on September 10th, 1798, the Governor of Yucatan and his Spanish armada retreated from our waters, their mission a complete failure.” – Hon. Manuel Herredia, Chairman of September celebrations Commission. Every tenth day of September the Belizean people parade through their community streets because of two reasons: one is because we remember and two is because we know. We remember when word came that the Spaniards were planning to attack the settlement there was a vote on whether we should fight or take flight. We remember that when the slave owners were split down the middle on that decision they decided to call for the coloureds from Flowers Bank to vote. And we remember that they voted unanimously to stay and put up a defense. We know that this decision to stay and defend the settlement is the cornerstone upon which an independent nation was built. We know that we are descendants of those very brave men and women and their blood runs through our veins. And we know even today, that no matter how big and powerful they may be, Belizeans will stand up to any bully in defense of our territory and control of our destiny. Belizeans parade through the streets on the tenth of September because we know that if that vote was held today, 217 years later, the results would be no different.

Government of Belize Contributes to Relief Efforts in Dominica
alth of Dominica and has the honour to refer to the letter dated August 31st, 2015 from the Prime Minister of Dominica, Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit, and Savingram, CDEMA/15/OB/34, dated August 31st, 2015, appealing for emergency relief following the damage caused by Tropical Storm Erika on August 26th, 2015. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belize is pleased to inform that the Government of Belize will make a cash contribution in the sum of US$125,000 to the Government of Dominica for its relief efforts. The contribution will be deposited on September 9th, 2015 into the account provided in the damage assessment report.

Quarantine lifted on poultry farms in Cayo after 6 Million dollars in losses
Poultry farmers in the Cayo District can now breathe a sense of relief, following the lifting of quarantine measures on Wednesday of last week over their farms. A joint press release from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture, the Belize Agriculture Health Authority BAHA, the Ministry of Health and the Belize Poultry Association declared last Wednesday that the formerly Avian Influenza infected areas in the Cayo District had regained a free status and in compliance with the World Organization for Animal Health International Standard. Such a victory declaration comes nine months after the H5N2, low pathogenic; Avian Influenza Virus had infected the poultry sector in Spanish Lookout, which triggered an unprecedented series of responses from both the Government of Belize and its many partners in development. As a result of the Avian Influenza, farmers suffered some great economic losses; as some 84,000 layer birds and half a million eggs had to be destroyed. Then there were the after effects of those losses, where the birds had to be buried and affected areas decontaminated, all adding to losses of a little over six million Belize Dollars. Just in operational costs, the Government of Belize had to spend over a million dollars.

Press statement by Senator Ray Davis
In view of recent comments made in the media regarding my position as Senator, particularly my attendance at the most recent Senate meeting, I consider it is necessary at this point to make the following statement. Hopefully, it will assist in sorting out the confusion regarding my tenure as Senator. 1. On 28th August 2015, I received by way of email from the General Secretary of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), a copy of a letter dated 25th August addressed to me and signed by the President of the NTUCB, Mr. Marvin Mora. The purpose of the letter was to inform me that I have been “removed as Senator for the NTUCB” and that “the Civil Society Steering Committee will also be informed of [the] decision and the Governor General will [be] subsequently notified”. 2. The letter was prefaced with a notice of the results of the votes at a meeting of the General Council of the NTUCB held on 22nd August 2015. I was informed that the majority of the Council had voted at the 22nd August meeting that the NTUCB was “not satisfied with [my] performance as Senator” and that “the Congress should replace [me] as a Senator”. The letter also referred to the “concerns” raised by the General Council regarding my performance, which I was invited to address at a meeting of the Council on 4th August 2015.

Large percentage of youths having sex
The Statistical Institute of Belize was commissioned by the National AIDS Commission to conduct a survey on the sexual behaviour of youths from the ages of 15 to 24. The survey revealed that youths are engaging in sexual activities at a very young age but, if you are looking for a silver lining, most of them are adhering to the recommended safety measures while doing so. A report on the study entitled KAP (Knowledge, Attitude and Practices in Sexual Behaviour & HIV in Belize 2014) was released on Wednesday, September 16, by the National AIDS Commission. The study shows that 61.2 percent of the 73,369 youths age 15 to 24 have had sex already. The rate is even higher for youths in this group that are out of school. 74.4 percent of those have had sex compared to only 38.7 percent of youths still in school.

Belize Bank Bulldogs captures Central American Softball championship Silver Medal
The Belize Bank Bulldogs, the National Softball Champions of Belize, represented Belize at the XIV Central American Senior Female Softball championship that was held in Managua, Nicaragua, from September 10-13, 2015. On Friday 11 September, in the first game that Belize played at Estadio LA Tribuna, Belize Bank Bulldogs fell to El Salvador by the score of 7-2. The losing pitcher for the Belize Bank Bulldogs was Kenreen Gillett. In game two, Belize Bank Bulldogs defeated Guatemala by the score of 7-1. The winning pitcher was Ashley Lucas. In the Belize Bank Bulldogs third game of the day, the team blanked Costa Rica by the score of 12-0. The winning pitcher was Leandra Guy.

Joslyn Chavarria captures Annual September Criterium
The Belize City Council and Leslie’s Imports with collaboration with the Cycling Federation of Belize sponsored its 6th Annual September Cycling Criterium on Sunday September 13, 2015, on Albert and Regent Streets in Belize City. The Criterium commenced at 10:00 am with the Youth Development Programme Races and this was followed by the female race which went 15 laps around the two streets. The first female rider to cross the finish line was Patricia Chavarria of C-Ray, second place went to Kaya Cattouse also of C-Ray while third place went to Paulita Chavarria of C-Ray Cycling. In the Junior Race which went 20 laps, first place went to Kaydine Pinelo in a time of 49:40, second place went to Ernest Bradley in a time of 51:41, third place going to Shaun Codd in a time of 52:49 and fourth place went to Darien Anderson in a time of 52:57.

Verdes FC maintains lead in Premier League
The Premier League of Belize Opening Season Tournament continued over the last weekend with three games across the country. On Saturday 12 September 2015, at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium in Independence Village, the visiting national defending champions Verdes FC edged out the host team Wagiya FC by the score of 3-2 to maintain its lead in the competition. The host team Wagiya was the first to get onto the scoreboard when Kyle Valerio scored his team 1st goal of the game in the 14th minute of play to give his team a 1-0 lead. The visiting Verdes FC was able to get onto the scoreboard when Deon McCaulay scored the 1st of his 3 goals in the 37th minute of play to tie the score a 1-1. Meanwhile, the host team Wagiya took a 2-1 lead into the second half of the game when Brandon Cacho scored the go-ahead goal in the 46th minute of play.

American man killed outside of Xaibe Village, Corozal
American John Ross, a 47 year-old chicken farmer who lived just outside of Xaibe Village in the Corozal District, was found brutally murdered on Monday, September 7. He had been living in Belize for the past 10 years, and he sold chickens and eggs right from his farm. A group of men, who are some of his usual customers, showed up on his property expecting to do business as per normal. What they found that morning was Ross’ body beside a septic tank. He had suffered chop wounds to the neck, face, and right arm. The American national lived by himself, but police had detained his son who had been living with him until recent weeks.

Cousin shoots cousin in Placencia
While the rest the nation was celebrating the Battle of Saint George’s Caye, the family of 45 year-old Vance Edward Cabral, a Placencia Village resident, was morning his tragic loss. It appears that his cousin shot him to death, and police believe that it was intentional, and so, he’s on remand at the Belize Central Prison. According to police, at around 3:10 p.m. on Thursday, September 10, they responded to a shooting at a marina in Seine Bight Village, in the Stann Creek District. That’s where they found a blue and white boat, “Island Dancer”; inside the vessel, they found Cabral’s body with a single gunshot wound to the head. His cousin, Jeffrey Cabral, told police that he and his cousin, Vance, were socializing on the boat with 3 other men.

Mental patient pleads guilty to damage to property
Heidi Reid, 51, was spared from going to prison for damage to property due to her mental status. According to police report, on Saturday, September 12, Reid passed by the Queen Street Police Station, took an object she had in her hand and slammed it into the glass door, causing damages to the sum of $275. She was apprehended by officers at the station and charged for damage to property. Reid appeared unrepresented in the courtroom of Magistrate Ladonna John on Monday, September 14. She was making noise of discomfort, claiming she was in pain. Reid told the magistrate, “they beat meh up.” She asked to see a doctor. However, the charge was read to her. Reid wasted no time and pleaded guilty. Magistrate John told her that it is wrong to go around causing damage to people’s property.

Lenford Harris charged for Sandhill shooting
Teenager Lenford Harris, 18, is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after he was charged for shooting at Bryan Davis,27. In a report to police, Davis, a construction worker of Sandhill Village, said that he was at home sleeping in his bed at about 12 midnight on Monday, September 14, when he heard a noise from outside the house. He decided to go take a look and that was when he saw Harris and three other men standing in his yard. They were armed with a handgun and a shotgun. Davis said that Harris then pointed the firearm at him and he ran to avoid getting shot. Police later responded to the incident and took a statement which led to the arrest of Lenford Harris.

Sheep thieves kill farm caretaker in Maypen
The body of 51 year-old Salvadoran Jorge Eduardo Aguirre, a caretaker of a farm in Maypen Village in the Belize District, was found floating in the Belize River on the morning of Saturday, September 12. It appears that he was killed on the farm that he cared for, and then dumped into the river, most likely to try to get rid of evidence. According to police, they found Aguirre’s body in an advanced state of decomposition in the river. That’s after a resident found his severed right foot, and later inspection revealed that his right hand, at the area of the wrist was also chopped off. They also observed other chop wounds to the neck, foot, hands and head. At this time, police are investigating the murder, and they suspect that the theft of sheep may have been the motive of the killing.

3 shootings on carnival day, none was fatal
On Carnival Day, Saturday, September 12, there were 3 shootings in the city, despite the very best efforts of the Police Department, who were trying to contain the violence, especially during the September festivities. According to police, they found 19 year-old Gary Young, a resident of Kraal Road, at the KHMH suffering from a gunshot injury to one of his wrists. He told police that he and a 16 year-old minor were walking on Barrack road. As soon as they arrived at the Pickstock Street intersection, they were approached by 3 men. Young and the men had an exchange of words, and while they were walking away, someone from the group started firing shots at them. Young was injured on the wrist, while the minor suffered an injury to the left buttock. They were both transported to the KHMH where they arrived in a stable condition.

Breaking Belize News

PUP prepare to observe National Service Day
The People’s United Party (PUP) has released its list of planned activities for National Service Day, which falls on a Saturday this year. Observation begins on Friday with the annual wreath laying ceremony at 9:00 a.m. at the burial site of the dearly departed Father of the Nation and Leader Emeritus of the PUP, the […]

Victim with troubled past pleading to police for justice
Thirty-three-year-old Andres Moreno, a resident of Carmelita Village says that he was lured from inside his house on Sundaynight and viciously attacked by three men with the intent of robbing him. Moreno, who himself is no stranger to the police and has had a few run-ins with […]

Kids having sex before 15, new survey says
The 2014 survey of Knowledge, Attitudes and Sexual Behavior was released in Belize City and showed that the South still has the highest infection rate of HIV/AIDS. Data also showed that Garifuna youth are sexually active from the earliest ages, followed by Creole youth, a significant amount of them having […]

Belize ~ Analysis of settlement between G.O.B. and Ascroft alliance over B.T.L.
By Richard Harrison: In 2009, with follow up in 2011, the Government of Belize took by force, without compensation, the shares of the Ashcroft Alliance in Belize Telemedia Ltd (B.T.L.), which at the time totaled 94.2% of the 50,000,000 shares. This was part of its thrust to nationalize utility companies using a […]

Muffles Highschool holds annual symposium
Over 500 students from the Muffles High School participated in their annual symposium under the newly built auditorium. The symposium which is held just before the Independence Day festivities sees one student from each form level, write a speech surrounding the September Celebration’s theme and present it […]

Minister of Sports gives progress updates on major Belize City stadiums
For most of his term Minister of Youth and Sports Herman Longsworth has been bedeviled by the construction and development of three sport stadia in Belize City. The biggest project is the Marion Jones Sporting Complex which broke ground six years ago, when Elvin Penner was the Minister […]

Guatemalan killed in PG identified
Earlier this week we reported on the Guatemalan merchant that was ambushed, robbed and murder in Punta Gorda between the villages of Corozan and Otoxha. The victim has since been identified as 20-year-old Oscar Xol IC from San Pedro Carcha Alta Vera Paz, Guatemala. A post mortem examination on the […]

Police burn marijuana plantation
Over 350 mature marijuana crops were set ablaze by Orange Walk Police. During an anti-drug operation on mile 54 of the old Northern Highway in the out skirts of Orange Walk Town (Santa Martha Road), police discovered a 75 ft. by 75 ft. marijuana plantation with mature plants ranging from […]

Police confiscate over 300 grams of weed
Belize City Police, in two separate searches, seized over 373 grams of cannabis. The first search was conducted on Cadle’s Alley sometime around 4:00 a.m., where officers discovered a black plastic bag containing 164 grams of Cannabis. An hour and half later they conducted another search, this time on Pinks Alley where […]

Sports Ministry starts skipping rope program for primary schools
Skipping rope – it is a favorite but rarely practiced pastime among primary school students, but the Ministry of Sports believes it can be good for your physical health and in an effort to end the couch potato syndrome among our youngest, it has started a program for […]

Nurse snakebit at Western Regional
Reports have surfaced of a snake attack inside the Western Regional Hospital grounds in Belmopan nearly two months ago, in which a nurse walking to the quarters on the hospital grounds was bitten by a non-poisonous snake in her left ankle. According to 7 News, the incident occurred […]

EU Ambassador in Belize for Independence celebrations
Her Excellency Ambassador and head of delegation of the European Union (EU) to Belize, Paola Amadei, touched down today, Thursday for a week of activities highlighting contributions by the EU to Belize. According to the Ambassador in a press release statement, “The Belize-EU relationship has blossomed this year, […]

BEL explains Wednesday night blackouts
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) has released a statement explaining what caused the two power outages that affected the country last night at 7:20 p.m. and again at 8:35 p.m. It states that ongoing inclement weather in Yucatan, Mexico caused faults at one of Comision Federal de Electricidad’s (CFE) substations and as a result, […]

Warm temperatures to continue in Belize
Warm and mainly fair weather will continue during the next couple of days. The National Meteorological Service of Belize is predicting mostly sunny skies today and partly cloudy skies tonight, with showers being isolated inland this afternoon and in the South tonight. Winds will be blowing from the East at 5-15 knots […]

US IRS crack down on American Belize account holders
As part of continued financial tightening in the US to combat tax evasion and money laundering a federal judge in the US has issued an order allowing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to serve a John Doe summons to reveal Americans with offshore accounts in Belize. The order specifically targets […]

Blogs

Famous Artists in Belize
ART, three little letters that can easily mean big talent and big bucks. Once upon a time when you heard someone speak about art, you could almost guarantee they were speaking about a painting or a drawing. Today, when a person classifies himself as an artist, the first question that comes to mind is “what kind?” Art is a personal and cultural phenomenon that allows people to express themselves and their ideas in a variety of ways. There’s modern and contemporary art which includes not only pictures anymore, but also dance, music, gastronomy, writing, acting, sculpting and so on. And while the world moves toward including art in every industry, Belize is equally involved in showcasing its artistic talents through some famous and not so famous artists of our own. Here are some Belizeans whose work categories them as nothing less than famous artists in Belize: Dance, Music, Gastronomy, Sculpting & Painting.

Key Facts Expats Should Know About Living in Belize
A couple weeks ago we brought to you some key information on what Expats moving to Belize should know. If you’ve made the move to Belize or you’re still looking for more information on what living in Belize is like, here are some key facts that will help make your stay much more fun. The point is, Belize is different. Many people choose to retire here and love their new home but do realize that, like anywhere else, it’s not perfect. Our culture is different. If you are aware of these 9 Facts and you bring an open mind, it will be easier to adapt, assimilate, and enjoy. Not everything that is different has to be scary, in fact, it might just very well be unBelizeable.

Heading Over to The West Side of Ambergris Caye And An Exciting New Project
Monday I took a trip to the west side of Ambergris Caye. The “reef-less” side. Tiny islands…mangrove shore lines with a smattering of sandy beaches. And a handful of houses…maybe less than 5? There is no power, sewage or water supply on the lee ward side but it is absolutely beautiful. I drove over the bridge from San Pedro town…a beautiful day. And then all the way west and…here. The “Secret Beach”. We were on our way to an exciting project, Cayo Frances, that is under construction…to open in 2016. We ducked through a tiny break in the shoreline into a BEAUTIFUL lagoon…super shallow crystal clear water (perhaps two feet?) and an area, black dirt on sandy Ambergris Caye, soon to be a very very exciting business… …for fly fishermen, nature enthusiasts and for those who really want to get away from it all.

2015 See and Taste Belize Festival: Feel Good News!
This unique fundraiser is for a very good cause & shows how far Belize’s culinary culture has come over the years. We just heard about an event being held in Florida that combines some of our favourite things – Belizean cuisine and help for children in need of help. Yes, word’s come across our desk that the Consulate of Belize in Florida has joined forces with the Office of Special Envoy Belize to support children’s health by hosting a “See & Taste Belize” Festival to be held in Miami October 10th 2015. Organised in conjunction with the Belize Tourism Board (aka the BTB), Beltraide, Flavors of Belize and Florida International University’s School of Hospitality Management and Tourism, the festival will raise money for Belize’s first, and much needed, Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Check Out This Belize Resort with Waterfront Cabanas on a Private Caribbean Island
The Belize Barrier Reef is the second-longest reef in the world. It’s dotted with hundreds of islands, or cays, just off the coast of Belize. Eight miles from the mainland, Yok Ha Belize Island Resort has one of these private Caribbean cays all to itself. The resort has exclusive access to some of the best snorkeling, fishing, and scuba diving in the world. And Dangriga, the cultural capital of Belize, is just a short boat ride away. Yok Ha Resort comprises five brightly colored cabanas scattered along the edge of the Caribbean Sea. One is red with yellow trim, another is fuchsia, and a royal-blue unit opens onto a yellow-and-orange porch. Some have ocean views and private verandas. There are plenty of ways to enjoy the island. You can hop into one of the complimentary kayaks or go snorkeling and explore the offshore coral reefs. The resort also offers a number of half- and full-day tours. One takes you to Belize’s famous jaguar preserve, which also has howler monkeys and pumas. Back at the resort, Chief’s Place serves complimentary meals, including three-course dinners with fresh seafood specials.

Bon voyage San Ignacio, hello Belmopan
This afternoon we said good bye to San Ignacio and hello to Belmopan. After 3 days of luxury at the San Ignacio Hotel, we are about to get back to nature and enjoy a tropical Hobbit house experience before going home to the San Pedro rat race. Not wanting us to schlep our bags down the hill, the front desk offered to call us a cab and although we had originally planned to walk we agreed. The cab was $5 and the bus station attendant double checked with us when he saw who our driver was. He said sometimes the guy charges tourists more. Our bus pulled up within 5 minutes. Cost to get to Belmopan was $6 for both of us and the trip took about one hour. All pricing in Belize dollars. I have Leisa Carr-Caseres to thank for the idea of more mainland time. Emailing back and forth with her on a non related topic got me extending our downtime and heading in the Banana Bank Lodge direction. She also gave me the following recommendation “Trey’s Barn & Grill (best steak in Belize – not kidding)”

“Wings of Hope” lands on YouTube
BFREE’s new film, Wings of Hope, was released on YouTube in August. The 20-minute documentary chronicles the re-discovery of a population of wild Harpy Eagles in the Maya Mountains of southern Belize. The film showcases the history of the BFREE and University of North Carolina, Wilmington initiative born from this discovery – the Integrated Community-based Harpy Eagle and Avian Conservation Program. Created by Emmy-award winning filmmakers, Richard and Carol Foster of Wildlife Film Productions, and narrated by Jacob Marlin, this film is rich with breath-taking footage of adult and juvenile Harpy eagles and other wildlife and vistas found in the pristine tropical forests of the Bladen Nature Reserve. Over the seven year duration of the project, the Fosters followed project trainees William Garcia, Liberato Pop, Alejandro Cholum and Thomas Pop as they work to learn about and attempt to save this rare bird and its diminishing habitat.

International Sources

U.S. tax-evasion probe expands to Belize
U.S. authorities have targeted Belize-based banks in a new expansion of their hunt for Americans suspected of evading taxes by hiding income and assets in offshore accounts. A federal court in Miami on Wednesday approved special "John Doe" legal summonses seeking information about U.S. taxpayers who may hold undeclared accounts at Belize Bank International Limited or Belize Bank Limited. The court order gave federal investigators authorization to seek records of so-called correspondent accounts the Belize banks maintain at Bank of America and Citibank. Information from those accounts, which enable foreign banks without a U.S. presence to handle transactions in U.S. dollars, is expected to help the IRS identify U.S. taxpayers who hold or held accounts at the Belize financial institutions. "These John Doe summonses will provide detailed information about individuals using financial institutions in Belize and, to the extent funds were transferred, other jurisdictions," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline Ciraolo. "But rest assured, we are receiving information from many sources regarding hidden foreign accounts and offshore schemes."

IRS targets US taxpayers with accounts at Belize banks
A federal court in Miami, Florida, entered an order on Wednesday authorizing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to serve a “John Doe” summons seeking information about US taxpayers, who may hold offshore accounts at Belize Bank International Limited (BBIL) or Belize Bank Limited (BBL). Belize Bank is the first, oldest continuing, and largest bank in Belize, with over BZ$825 million (US$413 million) in assets (2007) and BZ$182 million of capital reserves (2007). Its network of 13 branches covers the entire country. It has a 44% market share in loans and 38% market share in deposits. It also has a banking subsidiary in the Turks and Caicos Islands – British Caribbean Bank. The bank’s executive chairman is Lord Michael Ashcroft, former deputy chairman of Britian’s Conservative Party and the 37th richest person in the UK, as ranked by the Sunday Times Rich List 2009, with an estimated fortune of £1.1 billion (US$1.5 billion). The order granted permission to seek records of BBIL’s and BBL’s correspondent accounts at Bank of America and Citibank. Those records will allow the IRS to identify US taxpayers who hold or held interests in financial accounts at BBIL and BBL, as well as other financial institutions that used the same correspondent accounts.

Videos

September 17, 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

San Pedro celebrates Central American and Mexico’s Independence
On Saturday, September 12th the San Pedro Town Council celebrated the independence of Central American and Mexican communities. The island is home to many people from these areas and thus, the island authorities held a celebration in honor of their country’s national day. The event, which is held annually and is listed under the San Pedro’s September Celebrations Calendar of activities, took place at the Central Park where hundreds of residents and visitors enjoyed the showcasing of each country’s culture, food and music. After the welcome address, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr delivered his remarks. “Tonight we commemorate the Independence of our neighbors in Central America and up north with our Mexican brothers. Belize has always maintained a strong and good relationship with our neighbors and tonight I invite everyone out here to enjoy this Noche Centro Americana, taste their food, get to know a bit more about the different countries through their booths, and don’t forget that we also have a Belizean booth. Let’s continue working together for a better island and for a better country,” said Heredia.

Mayor Daniel Guerrero given demerit over unauthorized holiday
After declaring an unauthorized holiday for Friday, September 11th, Mayor of San Pedro Town Daniel Guerrero has been chastised by the Ministry of Education (MOE). During the St. George’s Caye Day celebrations on Thursday, September 10th, Guerrero announced that he was granting a holiday for all island schools on the following day. But that holiday was not sanctioned by the MOE. As a matter of fact, Guerrero’s petition for the holiday before September 10th had been denied. In a press release, MOE started “The arbitrary decision at a municipal level cannot be condoned. The determination of Public and Bank Holidays, or the declaration of non-school days, is not within the jurisdiction of municipal authorities. The Ministry condemns the ill-advised and unauthorized decision of the Mayor.” MOE also indicated that on Wednesday, September 9th a letter had been issued to Guerrero denying his request to give the holiday no matter the reasons he had made.

2015 Carnival Road March brings color and culture to Belize City
The 2015 Carnival Road March took place on Saturday, August 12th and saw thousands of Belizeans making their way to Belize City for the highly anticipated event. Held annually since 1975 as part of the September Celebrations, carnival has been growing each year and has become one of the biggest shows of culture and patriotism in the country. The event starts with pre-dawn J’ouvert and ends with a jump up party at BTL Park immediately after the parade. Prior to carnival day, organizers held the King and Queen completion on Saturday, September 5th. During this event, judges got the first look at the groups’ costumes and selected the best in both categories: junior and senior. Winners for this competition are as follows: Junior Queen- 1st Mahogany Masqueraders, 2nd Jump Street Posse, 3rd Collet Royal; Junior King- 1st Jump Street Posse, 2nd Pickstock Carnival Band, 3rd Sunshine Masqueraders; Senior Queen- 1st Titans Mas Band, 2nd Mother Nature Creation, 3rd Evolution Mas Band; Senior King- 1st Titans Mas Band, 2nd Soca Moca Carnival Band, 3rd Mother Nature Creation.

Ambergris Today

25 Years Ago - Remembering When WE USED TO… in San Pedro Village No. 4
TROLLING: When you talk about trolling today you are talking about navigating slowly with your skiff and dragging behind you one or two fishing lines. Well, trolling is trolling and won’t change but what if you did not have a skiff. Back then we used to go trolling with sailing boats. This was the perfect speed for trolling and when you had a barracuda or tarpon on your line, you simply turned into the wind direction and let your sails flap back and forth while you fought with your catch. HANDLINE FISHING: Tourist guides, professional anglers and even amateur fisher folks today can only do so with expensive rod and reels. Give them a hand fishing line and see what they would do with it. I think I can safely say I would be able to handle it because I learned fishing with hand lines. There are only a few things that you have to take into consideration. BUOY FISHING: For those of you who do not know what is a buoy, let me quickly say that it is an object, any shape or size that will remain afloat in the sea. We USED TO GO beachcombing for buoys made of plastic, glass or aluminum. They were plentiful along our beaches of Ambergris Caye. My father said they were used by fishermen in Japan or China on their seine nets and became loose and drifted to our shores.

Sailing Club Invites to Bart’s Bash Venue Race in San Pedro
Last year it was a Guinness World Record breaking event. This year it is a fundraiser and it will be an annual event. The San Pedro Sailing Club will be hosting a Bart's Bash Venue race at Caribbean Villas Hotel on Sunday, September 20, 2015. All sailing boats are invited to attend; to be entered into the official rolls participants can sign up on the Bart's Bash website. Captains and their crews can sign up. Some boats may have room to accommodate passengers; please check with tour operators for details if you wish to book a seat on a boat. The race will see optimist dinghies, lasers, large catamarans and hand built wooden boats. The Captain's briefing will be at Amber Beach Bar and Grill on Saturday, September 19 during the late afternoon and the race will start at 9:30a.m. Sunday morning. The San Pedro Sailing Club asks participants to arrive at least one hour ahead of race time. After the race enjoy a beach party setting at the resort - Music, Barbeque, Good Friends and Family - What a great way to celebrate during the Independence Day holiday weekend. For further details please contact Cindy Vigna at tel: 624-4659.

Program Started to Support Small Business Startup in San Pedro
The San Pedro Town Council has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Caribbean Local Economic Development Project (CARILED) for the implementation of a program that is aimed to promote local economic development through the support of small business start up incentives. The signing took place on Friday, September 11, 2015, which is being implemented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), a project funded by the Government of Canada. San Pedro is the first municipality to be signed up into the project’s second phase, with Belize City, Belmopan and San Ignacio benefiting from the first phase already. This initiative is being held in seven Caribbean countries and now including Belize. The approach of the program focuses on local authorities to work in partnership with the private sector, non-government organizations and local residents to stimulate and encourage business activity in the community. CARILED will provide technical assistance to small business startups in San Pedro. They have already looked at the general economic environment of the town and conducted a local economic profile study that gathers data that will be used to assist participants.

Misc Belizean Sources

Belize Enterprise and Innovation Institute
The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE), focused on fostering Belize’s prosperity through entrepreneurship and innovation, is pleased to announce a collaboration with the University of Belize (UB) for the construction of a new facility, Belize Enterprise and Innovation Institute (BEI2). This collaboration is part of an extended partnership between BELTRAIDE and UB, where UB’s Faculty of Management & Social Science (FMSS) Campus would become an enterprise, innovation, and research hub. BEI2 is foreseen to provide a hub where entrepreneurship, innovation, and business development will be nurtured and supported. The facility will headquarter two technical units of BELTRAIDE, its EXPORTBelize and SBDCBelize. It will, also, provide for a series of advising/meeting rooms, more trained staff, several small business incubators, and a resource centre. BEI2 has been designed to inspire and nurture entrepreneurship and innovation. BELTRAIDE and the University of Belize invite the media to the launch, agreement signing, and ground breaking, which is scheduled for Thursday, 17th September, 2015 at the 10:00am at the University of Belize, Faculty of Management & Social Science (West Landivar). The facility’s design incorporates Green technology, suitable for sub-tropical climate, as well as taking advantage of SMART technologies. Mr. Hilberto Riverol Jr. is designing the new facility.

Benque HoC's 14th Anniversary
Happy 14th, Benque HoC! They had a big celebration in its honor, and launched the Old Benque exhibit simultaneously. "Old Benque Anniversary Exhibition Launch @ 25, Exhibition will be open to the general public at the Benque House of Culture, until November 27th, 2015 and travel around the country of Belize at the various House's of Culture, Art Galleries and supportive Institutions, make your way, learn, preserve and enhance cultural learning of our Belizean folklore"

Panyaad Steel Band Concert
This Saturday at House of Culture 7PM

Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Ambergris Stadium Friday Sept. 18th
Everyone is invited to this momentous occasion which is the beginning of a huge milestone for San Pedro.

Poets Corner: Golden Parachute
By Abdulmajeed K Nunez. The BEL/ Fortis deal is a golden parachute Fortis’s power is now absolute If Rodwel Barrow’s law partner is BEL’s chair For as long a UDP wins he’ll always be there Lynn Young is the director for Fortis Fortis will have a total of three in practice Including K. Menzies and an expatriate to replace Stan Marshal of Fortis Making the board pro GOB and pro Fortis People realized from the time Fortis Was allegedly nationalized That Barrow was pulling wool over the people’s eyes But they were quickly neutralized Labeled naysayers and makers of noise He remained poised Until their secret deal was crystallized Essentially both BECOL and BEL should have been nationalized Due to the service BEL provides

Belikin Beer Fest
The Belikin Beer Fest will be this Saturday at Falcon Field, starting at 6:00pm.

ROOTS: AN ANDY PALACIO CELEBRATION CLASSIC!
Roots is the 1994 hit single by the Belizean Garifuna Punta Rock artist Andy Palacio. It was released in November of 1994. It was produced by Andy Palacio and Micheal Hyde under the Belizean music label Kalifa Records owned by the Belizean Executive Producer Bilal Morris. Roots is a hit from the the 1994 Andy Palacio album that became the artist's first full CD album called Andy Palacio. It includes other hits like Albert Street, Jammin', Se Busca, Time for Peace and Samina Humein.

JAMMIN': A BELIZEAN LEGENDS CELEBRATION JAM!
The hit single Jammin' by the undisputed King of Punta, Andy Palacio. Written by Andy Palacio. Produced by Andy Palacio and Michael Hyde for Kalifa Records 1994.

ALBERT STREET: THE MOST CELEBRATED STREET IN BELIZE'S SEPTEMBER CELEBRATIONS!
Albert Street is the 1994 hit single by the late Andy Palacio released on September 5, 1994 under the Kalifa Records label. It depicts the famous Belize City street named Albert Street where all the parades and festivals would pass on during the country of Belize September festivities called the 10th. of September or the Battle of St. Georges's Caye. It was written and produced by Andy Palacio and produced by Andy Palacio and Michael Hyde.

Channel 7

Western Regional: A Hospital Or a Zoo!?
From a rat biting a baby’s toe to a snake biting a nurse’s ankle!! That’s right: another appalling case of animals attacking at the rundown Western Regional Hospital. This one happened a couple months ago on July 26th. A nurse was walking to her room in the nurse’s quarters after a late shift when a snake bit her on the left ankle! She went back to the hospital and she was treated immediately – a series of blood tests were conducted and the results came back normal indicating that it was not a poisonous snake. The nurse only had swelling on her ankle. But while the swelling has gone down and the nurse has resumed her duties at the hospital, this incident further highlights that major issue of infrastructural dilapidation at the 40 year old hospital. It started off with the pantry where there was a rat infestation: that room was renovated.

PUP G-11, Rebels No More
The PUP G-11 – they’re the rebels who’ve been at odds with the party leadership since mid-July. That’s two months of alienation form their own party boycotting meetings and rallies. But tonight the news is that they are back under the big blue tent. That is after a meeting today in Burrell Boom where Party Leader Francis Fonseca and ten of the 11 agreed to put their differences behind them and move forward. We say ten of the eleven, because Dan Silva is out of the country. But, best information says that he is on board with his 10 comrades. And why not? We are told that the meeting was a breakthrough where Party Leader Fonseca agreed to the three major demands of the dissidents, including an open convention where he can be challenged, and changes to the national executive. Now that is very major and a press release form the party announced, quote, “ At the conclusion of the meeting all present were satisfied that an agreed upon process and structure is now in place to positively and effectively respond to all concerns raised.” End quote.

Senate Sour over Supplementary
The National Assembly Building in Belmopan was crackling again today when the Senate met to consider the BTL Settlement deal that government has hammered out with the Ashcroft Alliance. But first they had to talk about the General Revenue Supplementary Appropriation – that’s to authorize government to get the 162.7 million needed to pay the first part of the settlement. The second part is blank – because the figure for that won’t be known until an arbitration panel decides what it should be. That blank part really raised the blood pressure of the Senator for Business, Mark Lizarraga. Here’s what he said: Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator "This blank cheque that we agree to give government today; that we will agree to pay the Ashcroft Alliance has, we don't believe ever been attempted in our history. This indecent proposal before us today Mr. President has gone way too far and is now clearly the full blown cancer the CCJ talks about."

Business Senator Says No Settlement At All
And that skirmish over language was only the start of a much bigger war over the actual terms of the deal – contained in the deed of settlement and compromise. and how it was negotiated by the Prime Minister and Michael Ashcroft. Again, the business senator had a whole lot to say about that – in fact, he said, it signals the end of democracy:.. Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator "We seem to have before us today a settlement bill that in fact doesn't settle very much at all. What has now proven to be ill-advised and heartiness driven protracted arbitration proceedings have led to what was once a 45 million dollar loan, now being settled at 76 million dollars. This decision to litigate, rather than negotiate; as was advised by the business community then, has cost us today 113% in interest alone. An unnecessary 51 million dollars Belize, wasted." "Now if I know for 6 years that I owe this money; and in the last 2 or 3 years I have had at my disposal 1% and 2% of it; why did we not attempt to take some of the famous Petro dollars to try and pay off this loan make we never had to pay 51 million dollars in interest."

Losing Faith?
Since August 28 th when we broke the story on the problems at Faith Nazarene Primary School, parents and teachers have been complaining about the leadership of Principal Policarpia Pech. There have been several meetings with teachers and parents but still no compromise, no agreement has been finalized and today about 20 parents staged an actual protest. We travelled west and here’s what we saw Courtney Weatherburne Reporting…. It might seem like a regular school day at Faith Nazarene with the kids in their pleated reddish brown uniforms eating their snacks during break time. But instead of running around the compound and playing, they all huddled together near the small snack shop – staring in bewilderment at the boisterous crowd of parents who had gathered outside. The parents stood under a tent outside the school grounds chanting loudly and demanding what they have been demanding for weeks. Crowd Chanting "We want a change, we want change."

He Has To Shepherd A Whole School through Tough Times
The man who has to manage this disruption of classes is the General Manager, Raymond Shepherd, who has temporarily taken over as Local Manager of the school just to deal with this crisis. This evening, we got an opportunity to speak with him, and we asked if there is any plan in place to deal with the 7 days of classes that the students are have lost so far. He told us that there is. And we apologize for that break – apparently due to a naitonwide blackout. We’re back with the news now and we resume with General Manager on Nazarene Schools, Raymond Shepherd talking about the plan for the kids who have missed so many days of classes: Raymond Shepherd - General Manager "Ever since the matter of the disruption of classes commenced the education board; of which I am the chairperson. We had drafted up a plan as to what will be required of our teachers. That plan has been communicated to our teachers in the first instance, to let them know that in fact they are required by the education rules to do make up classes. The teachers are willing and have received the plan very positively and so I am confident that the students will in the long run not lose anything. I have also tried to communicate this message to parents that while the students are missing out now, the teachers are required and will be conducting extra classes to make up for the miss times."

Business And Labor Go Separate Ways On FCIB Vesting Bill
The First Caribbean Vesting Bill also went to the senate today. This one is interesting because the labour senator – who is usually anti-government – couldn’t stand in the way of a piece of legislation which is to facilitate a business transaction. In fact, he ended up acting as the Bank’s spokesperson – and you’ll hear that shortly. But there’s also labour senator – Ray Davis and 60 bank employees are going to lose their jobs. The problem is that the labour senator has been cast aside by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, and even more so the Christian Workers Union, which is led by Audrey Matura Shepherd – who pushed hardest for his removal as Senator. Here’s what both of them had to say about the vesting:.. Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator "We have every expectation that the employees will receive all that is due to them under any existing law or agreement. And we continue to urge all the parties involved to continue to dialogue and to seek peaceful, mutually agreed upon and speedy resolution to this matter. We have been reassured by the employer; in this instance Mr. President that they will continue to be mindful of the needs of all concerns and involved in this process. And that they will observe at all times the highest levels of professionalism as they work to ensure a seamless and orderly transition of business to Heritage."

Shakeem Shot Debride?
On Monday, we told about 31 year-old Joseph Debride – who was shot on Carnival Day when his police girlfriend tried to take away an unlicensed firearm from a man. Well the man who police believe was the shooter is 28 year-old Shakeem Humes, a resident of the community at Mile 8 on the WESTERN highway. Tonight, he’s at the Belize Central Prison. As we told you, well-known Woman Corporal Christine Avila was off-duty on Currasow Street at around 9:35 on Saturday night. She was with her boyfriend, Joseph Debride, and that’s around the time when a man they recognized came up to them and told them that he was armed. Corporal Avila tried to take the gun away from him, and in the struggle, he escaped. Before he fled, he fired several shots at the couple and ended up shooting Debride in the neck. Well, after investigating the incident police charged Shakeem Humes with 2 counts of attempted murder, 1 count of wounding, 1 count of use of deadly means of harm, and 1 count of damage to property. The last offence was brought against him because according to police, in his spray of gunfire, he damaged a car that was parked nearby.

Hon. Lisa Lambastes Hon. Finnegan
Yesterday in the House of Representatives, UDP Party Whip Michael Finnegan set his targets on President of the CWU Audrey Matura Shepherd. She’s been calling on the Prime Minister to do more to protects FCIB workers. Honourable Finnegan jumped to his defence. Here’s some of what he had to say: "The lady must do her job as head of the union properly. Stop behave quarrelsome man. When you behave quarrelsome sir, from my 65 years of experienced you do not get things done. Especially if you are representing people. If you are representing your own self and you want to be an idiot and you want to be quarrelsome, that is different because nobody else get hurt in the process. Anytime this union leader get up and she talk, all she talk is Dean Barrow and Dean Barrow this and Dean Barrow that. I don't know what Dean Barrow do that lady. Or why that lady doesn't like this man. But you must have done that lady something, because every time that lady gets up, she is disrespectful of the Prime Minister of this country. I will not say that. I will be very respectful to the lady, because I think the lady have some abilities too sir."

Call It KAP
There is a new report out on the sexual behaviors of young people in Belize, and it seeks to be the most thorough one to date. It’s called KAP, or Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices in Sexual Behavior and HIV in Belize. The survey was conducted one year ago in September of 2014, and looks at the sexual practices of that section of the population between 15 and 24 years old. Today, 7News attended the launch of this report by the National Aids Commission, and we spoke with the statistician who helped to conduct the survey for this study. Here’s what she had to say about the report and it’s findings: Here are few findings which stand out. According to this survey, 71% of Creoles and 69.4% of Garifuna between 15 and 24 are reporting that they’ve already had sex. Those are the highest numbers of the ethnic groups. Mestizos are third with 60.3% and the other ethnic groups not placed in the other categories have also had sex. The Maya have the lowest occurrence youths having sex at that age, that is, 44.8%. The total from this survey says that 61% of persons aged 15 to 24 in this country have already had sex.

KHMH Kumbaya?
Yesterday, we told you about the ongoing negotiations between the Administration of the KHMH, the Government of Belize, and representatives of the KHMH employees. They were negotiating the possibility of a raise - similar to the one that the teachers and the public officers have been given by the Barrow Administration. As we told you, there was just one issue, KHMH is a statutory body by itself, and so technically, these employees aren’t public officers. Well, the negotiations between the different parties has led to a compromise which will ensure that the salaries of the workers will be increased. A joint release from the management and employees of KHMH says, quote, “There are a number of the breakthroughs with respect to strategies for improving efficiencies and customer service, as well as for implement cost saving and revenue collection measures.” End quote.

Channel 5

Is G.O.B. Handing Over a Blank Cheque in B.T.L. Settlement?
The settlement of the Belize Telemedia Limited nationalization with the Ashcroft Group was signed on September eleventh, taken before Cabinet on September fourteenth…to the House on September fifteenth and today [...]

Opposition Senator Says Request to Settle Arbitration is an Indecent Proposal
Senator for Government Business, Godwin Hulse, insists that the Senate is only being asked to approve the specific sum of one hundred and sixty-two million outlined in the schedule, and [...]

Lisa Shoman on B.T.L. Settlement
As we told you, the settlement was penned and approved in both houses of the National Assembly in a matter of four business days. Senator Shoman says that’s just plain [...]

Has National Assembly Been Asked to Approve 2 Billion Dollars in One Fiscal Year?
But blank check or not…the appropriation bill was pushed through the Senate today. According to Opposition Senator Anthony Sylvestre, all be told, the National Assembly has been asked to approve [...]

P.M. Barrow Under Fire for Mishandling Nationalization and Settlement
The sixty million plus dollars being paid in this first instance to the Ashcroft Group is based on an estimate share value of one dollar and forty-four cents. But when [...]

Senate Majority Supports B.T.L. Settlement
The fact is that despite the fire and fury over the B.T.L. settlement today, any debate has been rendered purely academic because the government has the majority in the Senate. [...]

G-Eleven Kisses and Makes Up with P.U.P. Leadership
The People’s United Party issued a release today signalling that it is closing ranks following a tumultuous period of internal rift.  A meeting was held today at Burrell Boom between [...]

Snake Bites Nurse at Western Regional Hospital! Does It Get Any Worst?
The Western Regional Zoo…sorry we meant Hospital, is back in the news tonight, and as our viewers have come to expect, it’s not good. Just over a week ago a [...]

Parents Protest at Faith Nazarene Primary
Another round of protests was held this morning at Faith Nazarene in San Ignacio where classrooms have been emptier than usual since the beginning of the school year.  Parents are [...]

Senate Passes Vesting Act for Sale of FCIB
While all the fireworks revolved around the B.T.L. settlement, the Senate also passed a vesting act which will facilitate the transfer of FCIB assets to the Heritage Bank. Members on [...]

Finnegan Gets Bukut for Lashing Out at Audrey
Seasoned parliamentarian Michael Finnegan, area representative for Mesopotamia, is once again making headlines for unsavory remarks made against CWU President, attorney Audrey Matura-Shepherd, in the House of Representatives.  On Tuesday, [...]

United Women’s Group Demands Apology for Finnegan’s Tasteless Comments
While Finnegan’s comments seemingly express disrespect towards women, Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, who has been on the receiving end of that vitriol in the past, maintains that he is not fit to [...]

Lisa Shoman Takes Finnegan to Task
Member for Mesopotamia Michael Finnegan took his licks from the UWG, but he was also a topic of interest in the Senate today. Before the debate on the vesting act, [...]

National AIDS Commission Releases Report on Sexual Behavior
Today at the ITVET in Belize City, the data of the 2014 survey on Knowledge, Attitudes and Sexual Behavior and HIV in Belize was officially released. The survey was sanctioned [...]

Ex-police Acquitted of Murder
Former police officer Wilfred Garcia, accused of the murder of Luke Nunez Junior, was acquitted of that charge earlier today in the Dangriga Supreme Court.  Nunez was stabbed twice to [...]

Shakeem Humes Charged for Attempted Murder of Curassow Street Resident
On Monday’s newscast, we reported on several shootings in the city following the 2015 Carnival Road March. The first occurred around nine-thirty p.m. on Curassow Street, about two blocks away [...]

Police Hold Meet and Greet in Kings Park
The eastern division of the police department has been on a community policing campaign for some time now. Officers from precincts around the city and in rural Belize have been [...]

CTV3

O/W Police Removes More Drugs From Santa Martha Resident
But that was not the only drug bust that police carried out. At around 8:15 this morning the team conducted a search at a residence situated at mile 54 of the Old Northern Highway on the Santa Martha Road. Reports are that when police arrived at the residence they saw 23 year old Ernest Hinds, Belizean farmer, running towards the bathroom. Cops also saw when he threw a black object inside the bathroom. Upon inspecting the bathroom police found a black plastic bag containing suspected cannabis. As a result Hinds was arrested and charged for the offence of Possession of Controlled. The drugs weighed 17.3 grams.

IMF, Is Giving Belize Not So Good Marks On Its Economic Outlook
The International Monetary Fund, IMF, is giving Belize not so good marks on its economic outlook. A report from the Fund reveals that and we quote, “ the IMF’s medium-term outlook for economic growth for Belize “is worse than envisaged” and that real gross domestic product (GDP) growth would be weaker than expected in the near term”, end quote. The Washington-based financial institution has concluded its Article IV consultation with Belize noting that real GDP growth plummeted to 0.7 per cent in 2013, from four per cent the previous year mainly due to continued declines in oil production and weak agricultural output, especially sugarcane and citrus. It said that unemployment stood at 14.2 per cent in September 2013 and is on an upward trend since it hit its lowest level in 2008. The IMF said average inflation eased to 0.5 per cent from 1.3 per cent in 2012, as commodity price pressures abated. It said that the primary surplus for the financial year 2013/14 is estimated to have fallen to one per cent of GDP, from 1.4 per cent of GDP in the previous financial year. Also noted by the IMF is that Belize’s revenue is expected to be better-than-budgeted, as robust tax revenues more than offset the decline in non-tax revenues.

Police Release Official Report On Marcos Villanueva Murder
Fifty two year old Alberto Hall was charged yesterday for Grievous Harm. This is after forty two year old Marcos Villanueva, Hall’s former employee and cousin was found badly beaten on Hall’s farm located behind the Village of Chan Chen in an area known as Santa Rosa. Villanueva’s family claims that on Friday night he was at his camp located in the same area when he was knocked out, tied, dragged to Hall’s farm and tortured. Reports are that when police arrived in the area after they were called by Villanueva’s wife who was informed of her husbands near death experience allegedly by Hall’s brother, Villanueva was seen thrown on the ground and his body was covered with a piece of cardboard. As mentioned, Hall was charged yesterday and while the family has given the media their version of the story, it is until today that police released an official report on the issue and their version is quite different from what Villanueva’s family related. Police say that on the 12th of September at around 6:00 in the morning they responded to a report of a male person being beaten. They visited an area in Chan Chen Village where they saw 42 year old Marcos Villanueva lying on the ground with head injuries, swelling on his face and mouth and bruises to his body.

How Much Will Lucilo Teck will Have To Pay SICB?
A few days ago news broke that Lucilo Teck, the cane farmer who had filed the suit for a writ of mandamus to persuade the court that the Sugar Industry Control Board is dictated by the law to start the crop is facing a court bill of up to sixty thousand dollars. This is after the case was struck out since the start of the crop was decided before the hearing took place but Teck pressed on with the case however but lost eventually to the SICB attorney Rodwell Williams. Now he faces a huge bill. Yesterday during her press conference, Teck’s attorney, Audrey Matura Shepherd was questioned about the legal fees and here is her response. "There is a hearing that we attended, but there is not a decision as far as I know. But I see that that suddenly comes up as an issue, while the court is in recess since the start of August to the 15th September. So how they have that, I don't know. But I can only think they are saying that to sidetrack from the fact that our prime minister, because this is the issue. If we want to talk about who cost who legal fees, our prime minister is paying legal fees for BEL acquisition to his own brother. Nobody talk about that. Right now, he signed off on a deal. He cost the country 6 years of interest.

Matura Sheppard Responds To Prime Minister's Comments
The First Caribbean International Bank vesting bill went to the house yesterday to facilitate the transfer of banking assets from FCIB to Heritage Bank. The vesting Bill was presented in the senate today and similar to the point raised by the Opposition yesterday, some senators expressed concern for the 60 employees of FCIB who will be without a job and the negotiation of the employees exit packages which is yet to conclude. When he addressed the issue yesterday after receiving several critiques from the Opposition, Prime Minister Dean Barrow stated that he has received assurance from Glen Smith, the current country manager for FICB, that the company will offer the workers a far better term of an exit package than what the labor act demands as a bare minimum. The Christian Workers Union, who represent the 60 employees have categorically stated that the Prime Minister is acting in bad faith and has practically betrayed the FCIB workers for taking the vesting bill to the house before the negotiations of an exit package have concluded. On Monday during a press conference held in Belize City the P.M was questioned about the FCIB issue and he lashed out at the President of the CWU, Audrey Matura Shepherd. He described her leadership as dense and dishonest. Yesterday the P.M also lashed out at Matura Shepherd and this time he held back no punches.

UWG Lashes Out At Michael Finnegan
As mentioned the First Caribbean International Bank vesting bill was tabled in yesterday’s House Meeting. The bill will provide for the transfer of banking assets from FCIB to Heritage Bank. And while Government is aware that 60 FCIB employees will join the ranks of the unemployed, both the Prime Minister and Member for Mesopotamia Michael Finnegan ridiculed the leadership of the CWU, Audrey Matura Shepherd. For his part Finnegan stated that Matura Shepherd must do her job as head of the union properly and stop behaving like a quarrelsome man. We revisit that verbal attack made by Finnegan in the Honorable House yesterday. “First of all I am not going to call her an empty vessel, I won’t be unfair to her and I am not going to say she was a low grade attorney, I will not do that I will be very fair to the lady but the lady must do her job as head of the union properly. Stop behave quarrelsome man. When you behave quarrelsome sir, from my 65 years of experienced you do not get things done. Especially if you are representing people. If you are representing your own self and you want to be an idiot and you want to be quarrelsome, that is different because nobody else get hurt in the process. Anytime this union leader get up and she talk, all she talk is Dean Barrow and Dean Barrow this and Dean Barrow that. I don't know what Dean Barrow do that lady. Or why that lady doesn't like this man. But you must have done that lady something, because every time that lady gets up, she is disrespectful of the Prime Minister of this country. I will not say that. I will be very respectful to the lady, because I think the lady have some abilities too sir."

Two Orange Walkenas To Receive Meritorious Award
Two members of the Orange Walk Community will be honoured and given recognition in the National Tribute to Belizeans night which will be held at the Bliss Center on Thursday night. From what we have been able to gather, Nurse Lupe Ack and Bahdra Coleman will receive meritorious awards for their contributions to the health service of the country. First, some background. According to The National Honours and Awards Act, there are four National Awards: The Highest Is the National Hero, Followed By The Order Of Belize, The Order of Distinction, and Meritorious Service which the Governor General of Belize, Sir Colville Young will be handing over.

O/W Police Removes More Drugs Off The Streets
Orange Walk Police have managed to remove more drugs off the streets. This morning between the hours of 6:30 and 10:00, a joint Orange Walk Police Team formed by C.I.B., S.B. & Q.R.T, conducted an Anti-Drug Operation about two miles South off mile 54 on the Old Northern Highway on the Santa Martha Road in the Orange Walk District where a 75ft by 75ft marijuana plantation was discovered containing 350 mature marijuana plants ranging from 1ft to 6ft in height. No one was found in the area and all 350 Marijuana plants were uprooted and destroyed by fire.

Leader Of The Opposition Mends Fences With G10
The concerns of several standards bearers from the People’s United Party were addressed in a meeting today with the Party Leader Francis Fonseca. A short release issued today states that Party Leader, Francis Fonseca met with 10 Standard Bearers of the Party to finalize discussions related to specific concerns raised by these Standard Bearers over the past several weeks. At the conclusion of the meeting all present were satisfied that an agreed upon process and structure is now in place to positively and effectively respond to all concerns raised. The release ends stating that all Standard Bearers have committed to working fully with the Party Leader and other Standard Bearers of the Party in advancing the Party’s agenda of Reform and Change and to unify against the corruption, mismanagement and incompetence of this UDP government. Missing from that meeting was Dan Silva, who we understand is presently out of the country.

LOVE FM

Senate Debates Vesting Act of CIBC FCIB
Yesterday the House of Representatives debated the Bank Undertaking (First Caribbean International Bank (Barbados) Limited Belize Branch) Vesting Bill, 2015 and today the Senate is doing the same. Most of the Senators touched on the situation revolving around the 60 staff members of the FCIB who also form part of the Christian Workers Union. Interestingly, […]

Belmopan Mayor and Area Rep Discuss Rodent Issue at Western Regional
The news of a rodent invading the incubator of an infant within the confines of the Western Regional Hospital in Belmopan, Cayo District was viewed as appalling and disgusting; not only because of the germs and threat of disease that it poses but also because it happened at a medical facility. The Minister of Health, […]

Belmopan Mayor Says Over Three Million Dollars in Taxes Are Owed
With social media being accessible to both young and old, many times our news centre gets information from its users. One recent tip that we felt compelled to look into was a report of the Belmopan City Council threatening to take away people’s property as a consequence of owing taxes to the council. Love News […]

Cabinet Gives Green Light for Municipal Bond in Belmopan
Cabinet has given its approval for the Belmopan City Council to float a municipal bond which will bring improvements and refurbishments to some thirty to forty thoroughfares. Love News spoke with the Belmopan Mayor, Khalid Belisle on the way forward with this bond initiative. KHALID BELISLE “The Belmopan City Council has commenced the process of […]

PUP Says Fonseca and G-11 Have Agreed on The Way Forward
There has been a lull in the movements of the G-11 of the People’s United Party in the last few weeks. The last we heard was that they were waiting for concerns to be addressed by the Party Leader Francis Fonseca, among them being a national convention and a one on one meeting with him. […]

AIDS Commission Releases 2014 Figures on Sexual Behavior in Belize
The National Aids Commission released their 2014 report on Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) in Sexual Behavior and HIV in Belize. The report provides the most recent indicators and trends in prevailing sexual practices among the younger population ages fifteen to twenty four years and existing knowledge and attitude towards sexually transmitted infections in the […]

Arthur Saldivar Still A No-Show For PUP BRN
As we mentioned earlier, Major Jones was chosen by the Party to replace Arthur Saldivar after the powers that be in the PUP had decided that Saldivar had too many issues going on outside his political aspirations. Back then, Saldivar was livid at the way the party removed him as the standard bearer for Belize […]

Major Jones Continues Campaign in BRN
The General Elections for Belize is expected to take place within the next five months where the thirty one seats in the House of Representatives will be contested. While there are several areas that the party supporters and members will be keeping a close eye on, there is one seat that the Opposition Party, PUP, […]

PlusTV

Senate debates FCIB Vesting Bill
The FCIB Belize Branch Vesting Bill, 2015 that provides for the vesting of assets in Heritage Bank of the business in Belize FCIB limited, was debated by the House of Representatives yesterday. Today it moved to the Senate. Senator Mark Lizarraga, as the senator for the private sector, opened the di...

Week Two: Still No Arrest In Russell Hyde Murder
A little over two weeks ago, notorious resident of Camalote Russell Hyde was killed along with a female companion. This, many said, was the culmination of a spree of murders that started with the murder of Russell Hyde’s common law wife Rosita Galvez who was gunned down near the junction of Gu...

Family questions death of teenager in hospital
A 19 year old store clerk from Toledo District is dead and her family wonders whether she could have been saved by health authorities if she had been properly diagnosed in time. Lucia Cal of San Antonio had just moved to the City to work and had just recently become pregnant. But a simple abdominal ...

Police Seek Cousin For Devin Neal’s Murder
And while police could not disclose much information as to the persons in question regarding that murder, police were more candid in disclosing the person’s name who is being sought for the murder of Devin Neal. Neal was gunned down last week while crossing the Agripino Cawich bridge while on ...

Health Sector needs financial attention says Toledo West Area Rep.
One of the main focuses of the debate at the House of Representatives yesterday was the BTL settlement bill and while the Government danced to the sound of another settlement reached by this administration, according to the member for Toledo West Hon. Oscar Requeña, at the end of the day, many rural...

UWG Condemns UDP Disrespect
The United Women’s Group (UWG) of the People’s United Party issued a press release today stating their disapproval of the, and we quote, “disrespectful and despicable behavior of the UDP members of the House of Representatives during House sittings. ” Yesterday at the House meeting, Hon ...

KHMH staff will receive pay raise
The Staff of Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital will be getting their salary increases retroactive to April 2015. That is the news coming from a press release issued by the KHMH this evening. As we have been reporting, a process of negotiation has been ongoing between the KHMH staff Ad hoc Committee, t...

Breaking Belize News

Three killed in late night earthquake off Chilean coast
CNN reports that three people are confirmed dead following a massive 8.3 magnitude earthquake off the Chilean coast northwest of the capital Santiago, late Wednesday night Chilean time. President Michelle Bachelet confirmed the deaths, including a 35-year-old woman who was killed by a falling roof, a 20-year-old woman who was […]

PUP pledge to mend fences and unite
With the exception of Dan Silva who is currently out of the country, the other 10 Standard Bearers who had been boycotting meetings and PUP functions, met with the party’s leader, Francis Fonseca earlier today to discuss concerns and hash out their differences. The PUP later released a statement proclaiming […]

BELTRAIDE and UB opening new resource center
A collaboration between BELTRAIDE and the University of Belize (UB) will launch a new facility to be inaugurated on Thursday, September 17th, that will headquarter the EXPORTBelize and SBDCBelize units of BELTRAIDE. The new facility, Belize Enterprise and Innovation Institute, designed to nurture entrepreneurship and innovation, is going to provide […]

Police recover unlicensed firearm
A .22 caliber revolver was recovered by police yesterday, September 15th, during a search conducted in the Chula Vista area of Corozal Town. No one was in the area at the time of discovery so the weapon was deposited as “Found Property”.

Man charged for beating alleged intruder
Corozal Police have charged 52-year-old Alberto Hall of Chan Chen Village for the offense of “Grievous Harm” after he beat 42-year-old Mark Villanueva half to death on Saturday, September 12th. Officers responded to reports of a fight around 6:00 a.m. and upon arrival, saw Villanueva lying on the ground with […]

ALBA group condemns Venezuelan “interference”
Venezuela continues to face a stand-off with Colombia over alleged incursions at their border of contrabandists and fleeing rebels of both countries. A statement from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – People’s Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) says they cannot accept alleged “interference in the internal affairs […]

Belizean Army veteran becomes U.S. citizen
After 43 years in the United States – 32 of those serving in its army – Belizean-born retired Sergeant Major Randolph Kelly formally became an American citizen after taking the oath at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Harlingen, Texas, this week, according to the Brownsville […]

With BTL settled, UDP could be set for November elections
Prime Minister Dean Barrow has been riding an unprecedented wave of success as his second consecutive term winds down and with the settlement of the Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) nationalization with Lord Michael Ashcroft’s interests, his administration is set for general elections as early as November as many have speculated. […]

Blogs

Hawkwatching Across The Globe - Belize Raptor Research Institute
October 15 to December 15.... here is your chance to learn your Belize raptors and contribute in citizen science.... Though our focus at HMANA is mainly on North America, there are hawkwatches happening across the globe. Between September 19-27 we will be celebrating hawk migration both in our region and beyond with our second annual International Hawk Migration Week (info here). During this period we will be sharing information about hawkwatches from around the world both here and on our Facebook page (link here). Time to get your bucket list out, you may want to start adding to it! First up let's hear from Belize Raptor Research Institute, and their relatively recently formed watch in, you've guessed it, Belize. For those that don't know Belize is often a big draw for British and American birders, not just for their incredible birds, but also because it's the only country in Central America that has English as its official language. Imagine being on the Caribbean Sea coastline with the humid ocean breeze on your face as you stand vigilantly under a coconut palm gazing into the hot sky at one of nature’s greatest spectacles, raptor migration. This may feel like a vacation, but this is our (Belize Raptor Research Institute) hawk watch site located in the southern extent of Belize in the Toledo District at a place called Cattle Landing, just north of Punta Gorda Town. This site is truly a special place for migration, as birds, specifically here raptors, get funneled by the geography as they make their migration south to their wintering grounds using the coastline as their leading line via island hopping from Cuba through the Yucatán, passing through Veracruz before making their way through Belize, or through a feat that was thought not to occur in raptors many years ago: crossing the Gulf of Mexico.

Mike the Kite is free!
A heart-warming rescue and release story involving so many people. Thank you to everyone involved. On August 24th we received a notification of a Facebook post by John (Trip) Tripodi regarding a hook-billed kite that he had rescued. Several people alerted us to the post: we love the power of social media! Eventually the connection was made, and Sarah travelled to Pamona village in the Stann Creek District, and 'braved the mountain' to meet Trip and take delivery of the bird. Mike the Kite had been shot: the pellet hitting close to his collar bone but miraculously missing bones and air sacks. He was going to be a challenge: not only was he a picky eater (he would only eat a certain species of snail that lived high in the bush canopy) he was wild and very unhappy with his situation. Poor Mike endured prodding and poking, surgery at Animal Medical Centre, being force-fed disgusting non-snail-like food, undignified catching and medicating daily and being confined in a small crate with only himself for company.

Community Resiliency Through Sustainable Development
Sustainable development requires an empirical means for understanding its complex relationships. Such devices as symbolism help create a certain mindset appropriate for sustainable development problem-solving. But sustainable development also requires systemic methodologies for assessment and analysis. Critical thinking and creative action implementation are two such methodologies that are invaluable to the seasoned practitioner. Critical thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality and objectivity in a fair-minded way. People who think critically consistently attempt to live rationally and sympathetically. Critical thinking in the context of sustainable development has been described as the artful questioning of the assumptions we make about community. Bob Gibson stated that in a much more comprehensive sense this concept has been characterized as the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.

Belize Postal Service, a dirty little secret and current internet pricing
Belize Postal Service is an area of question that often comes up for future expats, they want to know what options are available for mail delivery and in some cases need to have a change of address set up in advance. Our mail system is general delivery and we have no zip/postal codes, something that always mystifies people trying to send you mail. If you opt for this route your new mailing address would be your name followed by; Pescador Dr. Post Office General Delivery, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize. (If I am on a website needing my address and it will not accept all zeros for a zip code, I use the ever popular 902010 :) )

Understanding the BTL Settlement
Prime Minister Dean Barrow is known for his sharp tongue – a bellicose whip adorned with eloquent and bombastic thorns that has lashed many a opposition parliamentarian. And after successive electoral victories in the past year and a half, few can fault him for the confidence that he and his party have proudly exhibited. This reputation made his demeanor at the press conference in which he announced the BTL settlement all the more startling. Gone was the chest-thumping bravado. Rather, like an insolent child forced to confess some wrongdoing to a parent, the Prime Minister’s staccato delivery betrayed his assurances that the settlement was a political victory. That the settlement was in fact an acknowledgement of surrender is obvious; and that Belizeans are even bigger losers was a fait accompli when it became clear in 2009 that the Prime Minister would gamble on litigation (while enriching the purse of his law firm and that of his brother) instead of negotiating an out-of-court settlement – or, at the very least, abandoning his ill-fated litigation strategy after repeated losses in foreign courts and tribunals.

6 Tips for Living in Belize
Those who dream of moving to warm and welcoming places know how easy it is to develop expectations. I’ll spend all of my time in the sun, you promise. My working days are over! Then, you move. And suddenly, everything you expected melts away as your new life takes over. Ex-pats who moved to Belize and became part of Orchid Bay community have been there and done that! These six tips for adjusting to the Belize lifestyle are based on their experiences. Tip #1: Pick a Belize community that is already home to like-minded people with whom you can make fast friends and enjoy services approximating the ones you enjoyed back home. When shopping for a home, tour villas, condominiums and peruse vacant land in an established community like Orchid Bay to find one that ideally suits your space requirements and budget. Since English is Belize’s first language–and currency exchange is simple ($2 BZD per $1 USD)—buying your new abode will be as easy as getting rid of your winter coats!

Corbeled Arches
The corbeled arch is found throughout the Mayan territory of Mezoamerica and now decors the Columbus Park in the downtown area of San Ignacio. The corbeled arch is a very unique design that the ancient Maya used within residential and ritual buildings, and even tombs. This style of arch differs significantly from the roman arch and the later Gothic arch in the 12th century. Despite the variation of appearances, all arches have the same principle and characteristics of assembled rock diverting weight and pressure to create an open space below it. When creating the arch, the Maya did have some limitations. This has mostly to do with the arch itself. The walls must be very thick, about three feet. This is so that it can support the weight from the rock above. If it is too thin, then the roof would collapse before even being completed this also means additional limestone materials and labor is needed. The room cannot be too wide. Today, we certainly like our rooms very spacious, and the Maya, although they could have dealt with the smaller size rooms, some of them possibly desired a larger room. However, that meant that the building would take a thatched roof, an ancient art still practiced today, where the large leaves of the bay leaf plant would have been weaved onto the roof. How the corbeled arches work: The width of a room is of an average of 5 to 6 feet. The two outer walls would then have to be built, and slowly, with every layer, the bricks would have been layed closer and closer. As it nears to the apex, the keystone or capstone would then be put into place. As the roof is then completed, the weight of the lime stones above distributes the pressure downward around the arch, towards the walls, then to the foundation of the structure.

The 12 Best Faces of Belize Carnival
One of the biggest September Celebrations events took place in Belize City this past weekend (September 12th, 2015) - the annual Carnival Road March, which surely did not disappoint fans who lined the streets of the “Old Capital” to witness the celebration. Just in case you missed it, here are our picks for the 12 Best Faces of the event:

Your Time to Retire to Belize Is Now! YOUR TIME TO RETIRE TO BELIZE IS NOW!
The Government of Belize offers a special program – the Qualified Retired Persons (QRP) program – that lets you move and retire here by age 45. It is especially an option for American citizens, who are two hours away by plane, but a long way off in terms of lifestyle. Living in “The Jewel” is more than just a change of residence; between the cultural richness, natural beauty, and friendly citizens, Belize can provide much more than one might expect. The basics of the QRP program are as follows: a) applicant must be over 45 years of age; b) the applicant can prove a monthly income (from any source) of at least US$2,000; or c) the applicant arranges to deposit in a Belizean bank the sum of US$24,000 on or before April 1 each year for their own care and maintenance. You do not have to be of retirement age (here that is 55); and it does not matter how many days you spend outside the U.S. or inside Belize – you can see the world and still call Belize your home.

International Sources

Family alleges father's death may be murder
A civil lawsuit filed in Grant County Superior Court by two Grant County residents alleges that a 44-year-old woman from Soap Lake may have murdered their father in Belize on Christmas Day 2014. Jennifer Ralston and Caleb McNamara are claiming that Tracy Nessl, 44, of Soap Lake, murdered their 66-year-old father, Timothy McNamara, according to court records. In 2012, while Timothy McNamara was reportedly going through a divorce, he allegedly entered into a romantic relationship with Nessl, according to court documents. Nessl is reportedly the daughter of McNamara's brother. The lawsuit alleges that Nessl "seduced, manipulated and deceived" McNamara into a trusting relationship with the "sole purpose of financial gain." McNamara allegedly gifted Nessl three properties by quitclaim deed, including a family farm. In addition, the lawsuit claims that Nessl "enticed" McNamara to name her as the primary or sole beneficiary in several life insurance polices. The lawsuit states that Nessl also "enticed" McNamara to purchase property in the Central American country of Belize to operate as a bed and breakfast, which McNamara reportedly did and purchased with his own funds and placed the title in both of their names.

Check Out These Low Fares for Domestic and International Flights
With Southwest Airlines’ soon providing new direct flights in October, travel to Belize, Mexico and Costa Rica for a low price. One-way tickets are starting at $127 and must be booked by September 24. If you plan to stay local, Southwest is also offering one-way domestic flights from Hobby International Airport, starting at $73. Make sure to book by September 24 in order to travel from September 22 through March 3 of next year.

Videos

September 16, 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

Best yet: Carnival Road March 2015!
If there’s one thing Belizeans know how to do, it’s partying- and there is no better party than the Carnival Road March! I’m talking colorful costumes, pounds of glitter, blaring soca music and lots of booze. Since its inception in 1975, the Carnival Road March has only being getting bigger and better, and is now a highly anticipated event in the September Celebrations calendar. This annual event has had thousands of Belizean flocking to Belize City on a designated Saturday in September to not only witness, but be part of, the largest show of culture, pride and patriotism. So what were my observation on Saturday, September 12th Carnival Road March 2015 – AMAZING, sign me up for next year! The family and I were out from early to get just the right spot at Princess Margret Drive. Loaded with snacks and refreshments, we eagerly waited for the parade to come by.

The San Pedro Town Council signs Memorandum of Understanding with CARILED
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Friday, September 11th, between the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) and the Caribbean Local Economic Development Project (CARILED), a project funded by the Government of Canada. The program is on its second phase and is been implemented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with the sole aim to promote local economic development by supporting small businesses to start up and grow. This initiative is being held in seven countries in the Caribbean including Belize. San Pedro Town has become the first municipality in the entire program to get signed into the project’s second phase. Present at the meeting were members of the SPTC, Pastor Clive Welch, representative of CARILED Leidi Urbina, and representing the Government of Belize was Director of Local Government Eugene Palacio. CARILED representative Leidi Urbina, explained that this project, unlike others which come directly from central government, starts at the municipal level. “The first phase of the project began in three municipalities, which included Belize City, Belmopan and San Ignacio. This approach focuses on the stewards being the local authorities working in partnership with the private sector, other NGO’s and the civil society to stimulate and encourage business activity in the municipalities. After finishing phase one we are now moving into phase two, where we will have additional municipalities benefiting from the support we provide.”

Ambergris Today

Why You Should Not Miss Out on Belize City's Carnival Parade
The sights, the sounds, the colors, the people, the spirit, the joy, but most of all the PRIDE! Witnessing the Belize Carnival Parade, that takes place during the country’s September Celebrations honoring Independence Day, is nothing short of spectacular. Immerse yourself into the celebrations and you will get to experience first hand why Belizeans are considered such a happy and celebratory people. Boys and girls as young as six years old are decked out in full costume to the theme of their mas band camp and their energies are as, if not stronger, than those of the adults who swing, twerk and gyrate their bodies to the high-energy sounds of “Jump Up” music, as they call it in Belize. The route is a lengthy one (about four hours long) that takes place during one of the hottest months of the year, but that does not keep the parade participants from suiting up (or down to the bare essentials in some cases). Spectators also set up chairs and umbrellas along the parade route, picking their favorite location to witness all the fun and excitement.

Belize Observes World Suicide Prevention Day 2015
Recognizing the importance of suicide prevention, the Belize Mental Health Program of the Ministry of Health joined the international community in the observance of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10, 2015. In San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, San Pedro High School students paid recognition to the day by donning yellow ribbons on their uniforms during the September 10th/Battle of St. George’s Caye Day parade and celebrations. The Ministry of Health has medical officers at all health centers and hospitals across the country trained on how to diagnose and treat depression and other mental disorders attributed to suicidal behavior. Additionally, mental health clinics are situated at all district hospitals and at the Cleopatra White and Port Loyola Health Centers in Belize City.

Misc Belizean Sources

Macal Riverside Upgrade
The area between the Hawkesworth and wooden bridges is getting a little upgrade. The Town Council has cleared some of it, and now it can be used for parking and other fun events. Looking good! "The transformation continues with Mayor Earl Trapp Jr. and the San Ignacio/Santa Elena Town Council here in the Twin Town of San Ignacio and Santa Elena providing more parking spaces by the river side that will assist to alleviate traffic congestion down town San Ignacio especially by the Market Square. This upgrading by the river side can also serve for multi purposes, that includes recreational and possibly hosting of future culmination of September Celebrations Parade. A different setting, ambience, and certainly environmentally friendly. Your Town Council and the Government of Belize working together to provide a safer and healthy Municipality."

Government reaches agreement on BTL compensation
The Belize government says it has reached an agreement with the former shareholders of the Belize Telemdia (BTL) that was nationalized six years ago and could cost the country in excess of BZ$160 million (One Belize dollar =US$0.49 cents). Prime Minister Dean Barrow told a news conference that the accord was agreed to last weekend. “The government of Belize has settled the BTL issue. We have reached an agreement with the former shareholders of BTL, the Employees Trust and with British Caribbean Bank Ltd,” Barrow said, adding that the “ink was put to paper last Friday and Tuesday we will take to the House, a bill for an act to appropriate further sums of money in order to pay compensation and will also take the Telecommunications Acquisition Settlement Act 2015”. Barrow said that when the government first nationalized BTL n 2009, “we acquired both the shares in Telemedia and the loan that British Caribbean Bank (BCB)…we acquired the loan that the BCB had made to Telemedia at a time before the acquisition but which loan naturally remained on the books.

Commentary: Analyzing the Guatemalan presidential election
By Wellington C. Ramos. In looking at the results of the Guatemalan presidential election, the next president of Guatemala will be a person that has civilian background and that is good news for Belize. Over the years, when the president of Guatemala comes from the military, he is always a hard and difficult person to negotiate with. These individuals always assert Guatemala's claim to Belize and spend most of their presidency focusing on the Guatemalan claim to Belize. A civilian president will come in and try to focus on improving the living conditions of the people of Guatemala. The danger is that, if the military come to the conclusion that the civilian president is spending too much time on improving the living conditions of civilians and neglect them, then they will overthrow the president. The military will also overthrow the president of Guatemala if they think that he or she is making too many concessions to Belize with the claim. Why? Because the Guatemalan claim to Belize is the cow that provides all the milk that the Guatemalan military feeds on. Without this claim, they would cut down on their military spending and focus on improving the living conditions of their poor citizens.

BATTLE OF ST. GEORGE'S CAYE UNIFORM PARADE & CORONATION
San Pedro Town celebrated the Battle of St. George's Caye on the 10th of September with its annual Uniform Parade and Miss San Pedro Coronation. The Uniform Parade sees the participation of all the schools in San Pedro; from pre-school to high school. This year we counted with the participation of the staff of the Dr. Otto Rodriguez Polyclinic II and the staff of Elvi's Kitchen. Kudos to these two groups for their participation. We hope next year, more businesses and organizations can join us in promoting patriotism and civic pride in San Pedro.

Emergency power interruption 5:00am to 7:00am, Thursday, September 17: entire City of Belmopan
Necessary for BEL to urgently replace damaged recloser at Belmopan Substation.

Memories Art Exhibit
The Memories Art Exhibit opens next Tuesday at the George Price Center.

Urban Bird Watch 2015
Ready for some birding? I'll be leading the San Ignacio, Benque, San Pedro and Caye Caulker trips. And maybe Dangriga if anyone can promise me some Sere or Hudut.

Channel 7

BTL Settlement, Did Lord Ashcroft Get The Better of GOB?
Is the deal to settle the BTL takeover with the Ashcroft Alliance a good one? Well, the agreement was signed Friday, it was made public yesterday and it went to the House of Representatives for debate today. Not surprisingly, the PUP says it's a bad deal because it's costly and open ended. Opposition leader Francis Fonseca spoke about the 97 million dollars BTL will have to pay to Ashcroft's British Caribbean Bank to settle what was originally a 45 million dollar debt: Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition "This 97 million, let be clear. The original loan was 22.5 million US, which is 45 million Belize dollars. With interest of 16% over 6 years. That has now amounted to 97 million Belize dollars. It gone from 45 million dollars to 97 million Belize dollars, all because of one man's stubborn pettiness. And now the Belizean people must pay 52 million dollars for that stubborn pettiness. We are being asked to approve a settlement and compromise which is still not very clear. We don't know what the full terms and cost of it will be Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister made mention of some figures earlier in his introduction I believe when he talked about specific share values and he suggested that perhaps we may end up somewhere with a five - eight five share value. If you use even the 5 dollar number, what you are looking at, at the very least is an additional 230 million dollars. That is what this blank cheque is all about and it may very well turned out to be more than that."

PUP Demands Protection for FCIB Employees
The First Caribbean International Bank vesting bill also went to the house today. That's to provide for the transfer of banking assets from FCIB to Heritage Bank. But, inevitably, the issue of the 60 FCIB employees who will lose their jobs came up. Opposition Leader Francis Fonseca called on government to give them some undertaking of security:.. Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition "It is our understanding that there are some 60 employees who, to use their words, find themselves in limbo. They find themselves facing growing uncertainty about their current status and their futures. Before we pass this bill, this vesting bill, we at the very least get an absolute undertaking from the Honorable Prime Minister who is the Minister of Finance, that this First Caribbean International Bank Belize Branch has fulfilled each and every of its legal obligations to these employees including but not limited to the negotiation and conclusion of what they have termed their exit packages. But we certainly what it to go beyond that. We want to make sure that there is an undertaking by the Minister of Finance that these employees will be assured a fair and reasonable exit strategy before we pass this bill. So we can't support this bill while these 60 workers and their families remained in the dark about their exit packages. We certainly expect and I expect that the bank will act in good faith. I know the people involved. I certainly expect that from them, but we certainly have to place on the record here in this house today our absolute deep concerns about this matter."

CWU President Fires Back At PM
So then, last night, and again today, the Prime Minister lathered and lambasted the leadership of the Christian Worker's Union. Well, 3 hours ago, their President, Audrey Matura-Shepherd, called a press conference to respond to the Prime Minister. Here's what she had to say: Audrey Matura Shepherd, President - CWU "We have copies of letters again to prove that the Prime Minister has once again been misinformed and by extension of him going only by heir misinformation has mislead this country." "One of the questions that the workers say that it's unfair that the Prime Minister and those who spew his propaganda has been pushing is that CWU has failed FCIB workers. To that, the answer I am asked to give is and the answer to which I believe is that the government is the one that has failed the workers, because he never sat down to discuss with us or to hear our side of the story.

Man Charged For Cruel Coro Beatdown
Last night we told you about the vicious beat down in Corozal where 42 year old Mark Villanueva was almost buried alive. The family told us that between Friday night and early Saturday morning Villanueva was dragged out of his dwelling and severely beaten. He was found unconscious on his relative's nearby property. Well that relative is his cousin Alberto Hall and he has been arrested and charged with grievous harm. Now, for context, we re-air the interview we did with Villanueva's niece Shanna Pott who described the heinous attack. Shanna Pott, Niece "The person who attacked my uncle came into his camp where he works his farm in Chan Chen Village. So he stays there by himself in this area, him and this other person. They live a few yards away from each other and my uncle was asleep in his camp at the time when he was attacked by this person. The person came into his camp and knocked him out.

PG Suspects For Otoxha Murder of Guatemalan
Police are looking for 3 men in connection with the murder in the Toledo district. Guatemalan Oscar Xol Ic's body was found yesterday afternoon at 2 in some bushes near Corazon Creek - 45 miles away from Punta Gorda. Ic was killed sometime between Sunday morning and 12 midday yesterday. His body was found with a wound to the neck. Police say that robbery was the motive because Ik came from Guatemala and sold clothes in the villages in PG. But on one of his deliveries that he was robbed and killed. The men police are looking for are from PUNTA GORDA.

Caretaker Killed, Cops Looking For Threat-Maker
No one has been charged for the murder of Salvadoran care taker Jorge Aguirre. Aguirre was murdered late Wednesday evening on his boss Carl McCulloch's farm in May Pen Village off the northern highway. Aguirre's body was found floating in the Belize River on Saturday morning with chop wounds to the neck, foot, hands and head. Aguirre was killed on the farm then dragged and dumped in the river. Police told us yesterday that they have a person of interest who had threatened Aguirre before but they are still investigating the case.

Students Slow To Show Up To School At Faith Nazarene
Yesterday, only 106 students showed up for classes at Faith Nazarene Primary School in San Ignacio. That's after teachers and the principal, Policarpia Pech, had agreed to proceed with regular classes, despite the breakdown in their professional relationship. Well, on the second school day since that truce, we're told this evening that only 180 students, less than half of the school's total enrollment, showed up today. So that's another half a week lost for more than half of the student body, and there is uncertainty about tomorrow's attendance. That's because the parents plan to stage another protest at the school tomorrow.

Getting Serious About Sexual Violence
"Sexual Violence is no joke:" that is theme of the new educational campaign on violence against women and children. This is the 3rd campaign of its kind - the first 2 focused on violence against women and girls but this campaign also targets sexual violence against boys. It's an issue that is often overlooked, but today at the launch of this new campaign it was discussed extensively. The coordinators told us it's not only about getting that message across but about constantly reinforcing it until there is a significant decrease in sexual violence against women and children. It is a 3 year campaign which will include visits to schools and other educational programs organized by the Youth Enhancement Services.

Audrey Scolds Media
11 days ago, we told you about that article from the Guardian Newspaper which reported that Northern Cane Farmer Lucilo Teck may be on the hook for bill of $60,000 in legal fees. That's because he sued the Sugar Industries Control Board and lost on a case of huge public importance which was resolved before the court could make a ruling. That could spell a deathblow for Teck's assets and properties, and so, while we had the opportunity, we asked his attorney, Audrey Matura-Shepherd, to confirm the report. She told us that the court hadn't ruled on issue as yet. But then, she decided to scold us for taking an interest in this case and not digging into how much legal fees the Government is paying for the BTL and BEL settlements. Here's that back-and-forth: Audrey Matura-Shepherd - Attorney for Lucilo Teck "There is a hearing that we attended, but there is not a decision as far as I know. But I see that that suddenly comes up as an issue, while the court is in recess since the start of August to the 15th September.

How's It Coming At KHMH
7 weeks ago, the staff at the KHMH staged a go-slow to send a message that they wanted a raise just like all the other workers in the public healthcare system. The government rushed in a team of negotiators with cabinet credentials to give the message that the staff's request was being taken seriously, and that the go slow should end. It did, and meetings have continued with the most recent being held yesterday, with the KHMH Administration, Government officials, and representatives of the 579 employees. Today, we asked the CEO if any progress is being made: Dr. Adrian Coye - CEO, KHMH "As I've said in the past during this process of negotiations we have agreed not to make any formal disclosures and so all I can say is that the process has been a very healthy one. I think it will have a conclusion very soon and we will have a joint release in the near future that will basically informed the public as to the outcome of it."

KHMH @ 20
And while the negotiations continue, The KHMH, the country's national referral hospital, is celebrated it's 20th birthday today, but unlike the rest of us, the Administration wants to celebrate that milestone for an entire week with different events. It started yesterday with the ground breaking for the Petro-caribe funded Chapel to be completed before December. And today, KHMH continued the celebration in its parking lot today with it's staff. Here's what the CEO had to say about the significance of the hospital's importance: Dr. Adrian Coye - CEO, KHMH "Everyone has a birthday and every year it's celebrated. So in the same way as we celebrate life and achievements, this is an institution that have a life on its own and we are now passing the teenage years into what we would say adulthood and I think in a way this is the journey that Karl Heusner has taken. It's taken us a while to reach where we are and it's been exciting, many challenges, many difficulties, but I think there is a bright future for Karl Huesner and we are excited to celebrate the staff for the achievements that they do daily, recognizing them for such and of course reaffirmed more desire to serve the public in the best way possible and so we celebrating, I think it's a good thing."

16 Mil. For Hummingbird Rehab
The Kuwait fund will sponsor the 16 million dollar rehabilitation of portions of the Hummingbird Highway. And they are starting with the beginning and ending sections. The first portion is Belmopan Roundabout junction to the Sibun Bridge, and the second is Dangriga to Alta Vista. The Government of Belize has signed a contract with a Cayo based company A&N; Construction for these two sections. To engineer the upgrade, the Ministry of Works hired the Kuwaiti Consulting Firm led by Owner and Managing Director Dr. Nabeel Abdul-Raheem. He and his team did extensive surveys and studies on what is the best way to refurbish the highway. Here's what the consultant had to say: The road pavement will be improved, and single lane bridges will be replaced among other things.

RAT ...
We've reported extensively on the rat that was found in an incubator in the KHMH nursery after it had bitten a newborn infant. Well, today that became grist for debate in the House of representatives when one PUP representative said that the millions being used to settle the BTL acquisition would better be used to invest in a failing healthcare system. Here's what Michael Finnegan had to say about that: Hon. Michael Finnegan, Mesopotamia "Look what you are glorifying in and you are happy because you all think that will give you a political advantage over the government. A rat ends up in there and bite the baby. Oh God we are sorry for that. But it's not Barrow who sent the rat in the place to bite the baby, It is not Finnegan who sent the rat in there to bite the baby. The hospital at Cayo is run by the public service. Some public officer is in charge on maintaining and keeping the hospital - the competence of not doing his job. So what will you do? You will lash Barrow for that? You think that Barrow actually took the rat and carry it into the incubator and drop it in there and tell it to bite the baby. You don't clap about that. You don't glorify that. All of us must get up and say that we must make sure that these things doesn't happen." The newborn suffered no lasting effects from the rat bite.

Channel 5

Settlement of B.T.L. Nationalization Goes Before House of Representatives
The House of Representatives met in special sitting today. There were two main issues on the agenda—the passing of the Vesting Act relating to the sale of FCIB to Heritage [...]

P.M. Divulges Settlement Figures with Ashcroft Group
Against that backdrop, the PM also got into more detail on the financial aspect of the settlement package between G.O.B. and the Ashcroft Group. As a first payment, the agreement [...]

Leader of Opposition Finds Fault with G.O.B. Settlement, Blames P.M.’s Arrogance
Those figures aren’t sitting well with the Opposition People’s United Party, which doesn’t share G.O.B.’s triumphal touting of the settlement with the Ashcroft Group. Fonseca says that the only reason [...]

P.U.P. Can’t Support Vesting Bill with Employees on the Chopping Block
Also on the agenda today was the vesting bill, which will facilitate the sale of First Caribbean International Bank assets to Heritage Bank. While the transaction is a private one [...]

Mesop Area Rep Says G.O.B. has Nothing to do with FCIB Employees
Since Fonseca was demanding answers, the Mesopotamia Area Representative decided to give him some, in his own ‘special’ style. According to Michael Finnegan, G.O.B. has absolutely nothing to do with [...]

Said Musa Says Government is Mishandling FCIB Situation
Not surprisingly, former Prime Minister and Fort George Area Rep., Said Musa, disagreed with that position by G.O.B. He claims that the entire situation has been mishandled because of government’s [...]

…No Commencement Date has been Written into Vesting Act
The Prime Minister has come under fire for proceeding with the vesting act while the employees at the FCIB are still trying to negotiate an exit package. But he says [...]

CWU President Responds to P.M.’s Criticism on Collective Bargaining Agreement
While parliamentarians were winding up the first of two consecutive house meetings to formalize the sale of FCIB’s assets to Heritage Bank Limited, CWU President Audrey Matura-Shepherd was appearing before [...]

Is the CBA Excitement Really Just a Red Herring?
Matura-Shepherd says that all the fuss about a collective bargaining agreement is merely a diversion from the real issue at hand, a severance package that should be given to all [...]

Are There Any Options for FCIB Employees?
Is there anything that can be done under the law that can provide an alternative to the peremptory measures being taken by government in ratifying the sale of FCIB’s assets?  [...]

Finnegan Zeroes in on Audrey Matura-Shepherd
No House sitting in recent memory has lacked the requisite name-calling ad tawdry insults, and today there was more of that, aimed at Christian Workers Union president Audrey Matura-Shepherd. Member [...]

Toledo West Area Rep and Finnegan Trade Shots over B.T.L. Settlement
One more thing on the settlement of B.T.L. At today’s sitting, firebrand area representative for Toledo West, Oscar Requeña also got in some shots at Prime Minister Dean Barrow for [...]

Guatemalan Vendor Murdered in Toledo District
Around two p.m. on Monday, the lifeless body of Guatemalan national Oscar Ik was discovered in some bushes forty-five miles outside of Punta Gorda, near Corazon Creek in the Toledo [...]

Barry Johnson is Charged with Aggravated Assault
A third person linked to an alleged gun assault that occurred back in August was arraigned this morning before Magistrate Ladonna John. Belize City resident Barry Johnson was charged with [...]

P.M. on Relationship with Ashcroft Group
A wide range of issues came up during Monday’s press conference when Prime Minister made the announcement that he had reached settlement with the previous owners of Belize Telemedia six [...]

P.M. Says He Won’t Honor Accommodation Agreement
The issue of the accommodation agreement between signed between government and the previous owners of the B.T.L. has been the elephant in the room. So how does it factor in [...]

…But if He Has to then it Will Be for Belizeans
But according to the PM, if it forms part of the valuation to the compensation, then some ground will have to be found.   Prime Minister Dean Barrow “They have [...]

K.H.M.H. Celebrates 20 Years
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this week with a series of activities that are being held across the institution to commemorate that milestone.  Since assuming [...]

Awareness Campaign on Sexual Violence is Launched
Acts of sexual violence against boys and girls are constant despite a number of new measures in place that provide more protection to victims and make it harsher for perpetrators [...]

The 2015 Carnival Road March
This past Saturday, thousands of spectators gathered along the two-mile stretch of road as the 2015 Carnival Road March got underway from Caesar Ridge Road to the B.T.L. Park on [...]

CTV3

GOB Introduces Bill To Facilitate The Sale Of FICB
Today’s sitting of the House of Representatives saw the introduction of a bill to facilitate the transactions between the Belize First Caribbean International Bank (Barbados) and Heritage Bank, although the Prime Minister has yet to set a commencement date for such transactions. The bill for an act to provide for the vesting in Heritage Bank Limited of the business in Belize First Caribbean international Bank (Barbados) Limited should provide for the easy transfer of assets said the Prime Minister Dean Barrow. “This is in order to provide for the easy completion of the transfer of the First Caribbean International Bank Limited business in Belize to Heritage bank, as I said publicly yesterday and a member already had discovered from reading the provisions of the Bill and the idea is to pass this but not to appoint a commencement date until a number of things would have happened including we hope and believe the settlement of outstanding matters between the management of First Caribbean and the Staff of first Caribbean, this Bill has the recommendation of the Cabinet.”

Elroy Bastarachea Goes Back To Court
Elroy Bastarachea is a name worth remembering. But in case it does not ring a bell, he is the man accused of posing as a lands official and scamming a number of persons out of hundreds of dollars with the promise of getting their land titles. On June 3rd 2014, 31 year old Grisel Botes, a businesswoman from the Village of Libertad in the Corozal District, accused Bastarachea of swindling her of $23,875.00. Botes told police that she gave Bastarachea the money over a period of three months in exchange for several pieces of lands on San Pedro Ambergris Caye, Belize District and in the Cayo District.

Belize Listed Among Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries
Belize has been identified as one of the Caribbean Nations major illicit drug producing or drug-transit countries that are significantly affecting the United States. This is according to a statement released by the U.S State Department today. The report says that under the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, the American president is required each year to notify Congress of countries that fall into that category. On this year’s list are the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, among other countries. Of those countries, President Barack Obama has determined that Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela “failed demonstrably” during the last 12 months to make sufficient or meaningful efforts to adhere to their obligations under international counter narcotics agreements.

Comedian Actor To Face Former First Lady In Guatemala Electoral Race
Guatemalan presidential candidate Manuel Baldizon quit his political party and dropped out of the presidential race on Monday, leaving Comedian Actor Jimmy Morales and former first lady Sandra Torres, who has ties in Belize, in the runoff to be the country's next president.Baldizon, of the Renewed Democratic Liberty party, told reporters that he couldn't endorse the results of the Sept. 6 vote that placed him in third place, but also in a statistical tie with Torres, though she garnered about 6,000 votes more than he did. Election authorities hadn't officially announced who had placed second and Baldizon never asked for a recount before quitting.Today though Guatemala’s official election body, TSA, announced that after obtaining one million 152 thousand 394 votes, representing 23.99 percent of the valid votes, Morales of the FCN- Nacion Party moves on to the second round. Challenging him is Torres who received 948 thousand eight hundred and nine votes representing 19.75 percent of valid votes.

Corozal Police To Increase Safety Measures For 21st September Festivities
There is no doubt that Belizeans at home and abroad look forward to the month of September when we celebrate our Independence. But while Belizeans take time out to celebrate the country’s sovereignty crime does not sit back and watch. Criminals are still on the loose and during the celebrations is when authorities need to heighten their patrols. To minimize criminal activity in Corozal over the festivities authorities in that municipality have set a number of strategies in place, especially when it comes to public drinking. Peter Claude Serrano Inspector of Police “Well, ever since the September celebrations began we have step up out patrols, we talking about foot, mobile and we even have our motorcycle patrol morning and evening along with bicycle patrols we have been moving around, we have discouraged people from public drinking and we know that it is an offence and I want everyone out there that public drinking is an offence as is coming on to the highway we have been doing highway patrols, we have been doing quite a number of vehicle check point on the highway likewise.”

Guadalupe Street To Be Paved After The Celebrations
And for those anticipating the September 21st Independence Parade in Orange Walk Town, Mayor Kevin Bernard says this year, they are doing things a bit different. According to Mayor Bernard the council is incorporating marshalls, rope lines and added security to keep the public safe during the parade. The Mayor says while the parade route will remain the same, residents raised the concern about utilizing Guadalupe Street which is yet to be paved. Those works for paving says Bernard, will be done after the 21st. “If we were going to pave it today or tomorrow there will still be fresh asphalt, fresh loose gravel on these areas and then this heavy truck that will be passing will be stopping going, stopping going, and it could have created some problem on the newly pave road so we have decided that immediately after the 21st let the parade pass and then we will be going in and pave the road and the route remains the same and I want to advice on lookers and I want to advice that there will be no vehicle to park on the parade route the police has offered the support that we will be roping off these areas and we do not want that the spectators do not pickle into the parade as well because we always know that there is a battle neck at different locations and these are the aras we are seeking to address so it remains the same and the official it starts at 1:30pm on Monday.”

Mark Villanueva Former Employer Charged For His Brutal Attack
Yesterday we told you about the severe beating received by 42 year old Mark Villanueva, a resident of Corozal Town. On Friday night Villanueva was sleeping at his camp located behind the Village of Chan Chen in Corozal in an area known as Santa Rosa when he was attacked and dragged to a nearby farm where he was nearly beaten to death. Family members say Villanueva was able to identify his attacker but up to news time yesterday no charges had been levied upon the individual hence why we were unable to release his name. But today we can tell you that Villanueva’s alleged attacker has been charged by Corozal Police. He is Alberto Hall, A.K.A Beto Hall, Villanueva’s former employer and cousin who was charged today with grievous harm. He was offered bail in the sum of $2,000 which he met and will be back in court on the 8th of December.

GOB Settles With BTL
After a few marathon meetings between Prime Minister of Belize, Dean Barrow and Billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft, the Government of Belize announced today that they along with former shareholders of the Belize Telemedia Limited being Dunkeld International Investment Limited, The Employees Trust and the British Caribbean Bank have agreed to a settlement in the telecommunications company. GOB says that at the time of acquisition in 2009, Dunkeld (through various holding companies) held 71.2% shares in BTL, and the BTL Employees Trust (through its holding company, Sunshine Holding Limited) owned 23% shares. Viewers may recall that in orders from 2009 and 2011, the Government also acquired British Caribbean Bank’s interest and rights in certain loans and securities. Particularly, the Government acquired a mortgage to BTL in the sum of US$22.5 million that both the Government and BTL contend was illegal. The Bank challenged the acquisition and commenced arbitration under the 1982 Bilateral Investment Treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of Belize for the promotion and protection of investments. On December 19th, 2014, the Arbitral Tribunal ruled in favor of the bank and ordered the Government to pay compensation.

PM Blames CWU's Fault With FCIB Staff
Viewers may recall that in August of this year, First Caribbean International announced that it would be selling out its assets to a much smaller bank, Heritage Bank. The buy over, however, does not include FCIB staff, about 60 employees in total, who were told that they were losing their jobs and need to re-apply to Heritage Bank if they wish to be employed. Staff members were in negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement at the time of the announcement. All staff members, except for management, are members of the Christian Workers Union and since the announcement was made, the CWU had expressed disappointment with CIBC for not being forthcoming when the question was directly put to them via a letter dated July third, 2015. The union also said it would be working along CIBC to ensure that a proper exit package is put together for those employees who would be joining the ranks of the unemployed. But last week Friday, all 55 Union members employed by First Caribbean called in sick as part of their protest of the way the buy over is going; without the input of the employees. And while the First Caribbean Bank employees continue to stage a sick out, the Prime Minister spared no bullets when he came down on CWU’s leadership and President, Audrey Matura Shepperd. The PM criticized Matura for what he claims is a “dense and dishonest leadership” on her behalf.

LOVE FM

Infant Bitten by Rat Sparks Rhetoric in House of Representatives
Two weeks ago a rat bit a new born baby while in an incubator at the Western Regional Hospital. Today during the Telecommunications Acquisition Settlement Bill 2015 debate, Area Representative for Toledo West, Oscar Requena brought up the topic saying that government needs to spend money on preventing these things from occurring rather that paying […]

Fonseca vs Barrow on Telecommunications Bill in the House of Representatives
Today the House of Representative met in Belmopan for a Special Sitting to introduce the Telecommunications Acquisition Settlement Bill 2015. The bill passed through all its stages today for the government to make legal, the settlement and payment of Belize Telemedia Limited. As we reported yesterday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced that the Government of […]

CIBC Employees Explore Option to Strike
And while the threat from the bank workers as it relates to votes in the upcoming elections, there is also the pressure that may result from the possibility of the workers taking industrial action. Matura-Shepherd spoke on that possibility considering that the Prime Minister will not be intervening on what he has classified as a […]

PM vs Audrey on Vesting Act
The saga of the pending Collective Bargaining Agreement continued both in the House of Representatives as the Prime Minister addressed the issue as well as at the Christian Workers’ Union Headquarters on Cemetery Road in Belize City where Audrey Matura-Shepherd addressed the media. Matura-Shepherd responded to several statements made by Prime Minister Dean Barrow including […]

Works Slated to Begin on Hummingbird Highway
The Hummingbird Highway will be getting a major restoration following the Government’s acquisition of a loan from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting countries. The loan was approved in February 2015 and the successful contractor, following a bidding process, is A & N Construction Limited based in […]

Orange Walk Town Regulates Taxi Parking and Pick Up Areas
Last week we told you about the issue between the Orange Walk Town Municipal Authority and short-stop taxi operators over the enforcing of a new traffic regulation. The two sides have met and have reached a compromise. Arturo Cantun reports. ARTURO CANTUN REPORTING “Following the meeting between the Municipal Traffic Authority and the dollar taxi […]

Y.E.S. Continues Advocacy Against Sexual Violence Against Children
The Youth Enhancement Services (YES) held an official launch this morning at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize of their third advocacy campaign against sexual violence and abuse. YES, based in Ladyville Village, Belize District has partnered with the Women’s Department in what the organization’s director, Karen Cain, hopes to reach a countrywide audience […]

KHMH At 20 Years
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, formerly known as the New Belize City Hospital is celebrating its twentieth anniversary and the Chief Executive Officer for the medical facility, Doctor Adrian Coye, says that they have greatly expanded services since then and they hope to strengthen the current services offered. DR ADRIAN COYE “When we opened our […]

PlusTV

BTL Acquisition Settlement Bill argued in House Meeting
Six years ago the Belize Telemedia Limited, then known as the Belize Telecommunications limited, was natioanlize by the Government of Belize after it had been sold off to a private owner – Michael Ashcroft. Since its acquisition, the government of Belize has grappled in the courts with the for...

FCIB Vesting Bill Debated in the House
The members of the House of representatives met in Belmopan for a special sitting at the National Assembly to debate and the Bank Undertaking Vesting Bill 2015, which will provide for the vesting in Heritage Bank Limited of the business in Belize of First Caribbean International (Barbados) Limited. ...

FCIB employees hit back at Government over sale
Employees of the soon-to-be sold First Caribbean International Bank and their negotiators, the Christian Workers’ Union, hope to delay the pending sale of the bank to Heritage Bank and are willing to strike to do it. They want to be secure in their exit packages, in lieu of pending negotiation...

Opposition: Banking in Belize is Risky Business
And while on the topic of buying out of FCIB assets in Belize, the Leader of the Opposition accused the government of creating an atmosphere that is not conducive for foreign investment. He made reference to the nationalization of BTL and BEL. Here is what he had to say. Hon. Fracis Fonseca: Belize ...

Michael Finnegan lambastes CWU president in National Assembly
On Friday the FCIB staffers, held a mass sickout, crippling the functions of the bank. In a press briefing that same evening, the Leader of the Christian Workers Union, which represents the majority of workers of FCIB, said that the passage of the vesting bill, which took place today, is a betrayal ...

Parents protest outside school
The parents of students attending Faith Nazarene in San Ignacio held a protest yesterday, Monday September 15th. After a week away from classes, half of the four hundred students returned to the school’s classrooms. The Ministry of Education and the Teaching Services Commission reached an agre...

Man’s house shot at in Belize City
No one was hurt but a Belize City man’s house sustained damage from gunfire on Saturday night, September 12. We hear more from the homeowner, Cecil Martin. Cecil Martin: I get the information from my daughter that says to call me at this number but I did never had any credit. So they call me a...

Amandala

Police say Cabral killed Cabral
Vance Edward Cabral, 45, a businessman of Placencia, died after he was shot with a licensed firearm which his cousin had been handling while they were socializing and drinking onboard a boat, Island Dancer, which was docked at a marina in Seine Bight near the Placencia Peninsula, at about 3:30 Thursday afternoon, September 10. Police reported that Cabral had been shot in the head, and that he died almost immediately. According to police, after the shooting, his cousin, Jeffrey Cabral, 52, who is reportedly responsible for the shooting, “threw the gun overboard, in his fright”. Inspector Dennis Myles, Commander of Placencia police, said that a police dive team immediately began to dive in the area, and found the gun. Vance Cabral was taken to the Placencia Polyclinic, where he was declared dead on arrival at 3:42 p.m. Inspector Myles said that the witnesses who were present when the weapon was discharged were cooperating with the investigation.

Barrow and Ashcroft negotiate BTL settlement
On July 4, 2011, the administration of Prime Minister Dean O. Barrow passed legislation in the National Assembly to nationalize the country’s primary telecommunications provider, Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), for a second time, following the Belize Court of Appeal decision on June 24, 2011, that the first acquisition in August 2009 was unconstitutional, null and void. The nationalization of BTL opened a floodgate of litigation over its legality and constitutionality that went all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which was expected to issue a ruling in its next session between October and December this year. However, that court ruling from Belize’s highest court will not be necessary now, because today at a press conference at the Best Western Biltmore Hotel, Prime Minister Barrow, who is also Minister of Finance, announced that he had personally negotiated a settlement agreement with British billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft for the government’s acquisition of BTL.

American livestock farmer chopped to death
John Ross, 46, an American who lived in Xaibe for about 6 years and who earned an income by raising sheep and chicken, was found dead on Tuesday morning on his farm located on the outskirts of the village. He had been chopped in the head, neck and face, and his right arm was missing. The gruesome discovery was made by some men from the village who went to look for him to buy some sheep. When they went to the scene, police found Ross lying face-up near a septic tank in his yard. Police subsequently detained three men, but Superintendent Dennis Arnold, Commander of Corozal Police, told Amandala that they had been released because the alibis they offered were credible. Police, however, are looking for two other men of the area, who they believe can assist the investigation. At the time of his vicious murder, Ross was living alone. The motive for his murder is still unknown.

Apology
In our Wednesday, September 2, 2015 edition of the Amandala, we inadvertently published the above picture of Ishelle Tablada on page 1, for that of Marcie Marie Humes, who was killed on Friday night, August 28, 2015, along with her boyfriend, Russell Hyde, of Camalote. Ms. Tablada is alive and well, and we sincerely apologize to her for any distress the error may have caused her, her family and friends.

FCIB employees stage sick-out to protest proposed Vesting Act
Sixty CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank (FCIB) employees, faced with an uncertain fate following the bank’s decision to pull out of Belize and sell its assets to Heritage Bank, reportedly in an effort to “sharpen [their] focus on the growth opportunities [they] have in other markets,” staged a sick-out on Friday, September 11, to express their discontent – resulting in the temporary shutdown of three of five FCIB branches, specifically the branches in Orange Walk Town, Belmopan and San Cas Plaza. It is reported that the sick-out action was staged after employees got information that the Vesting Act to transfer the bank’s assets would be going to the House of Representatives for approval on Tuesday – which is before a scheduled meeting at which the employees’ union, the CWU, and the bank were to settle the terms of the workers’ exit package. The passing of the Vesting Act will thus leave the employees at a disadvantage in their negotiating position, says Audrey Matura-Shepherd, president of the Christian Workers Union. (CWU), to which many of the employees belong.

CWU and Port of Belize reach compromise
Strike action by disgruntled members of the Christian Workers Union who work at the Port of Belize Limited compound in Belize City, which was scheduled to be carried out on Wednesday, September 9 – the eve of the September 10 celebrations – was averted. The workers had not been paid by the company for the work they carried out, unloading ships, during their shifts on Monday and Tuesday. They felt that their concerns were not being addressed by the Port of Belize Ltd., and to show their displeasure, they began a go-slow action to pressure the company to go to the bargaining table. The company, in response to the go-slow action, had, instead of attempting to negotiate with the workers, as they had hoped, threatened to suspend operations at the Port, and the workers, in response, scheduled a strike to be carried out at about 8:00 Wednesday morning at the Port. Fortunately, however, the Christian Workers Union president, Audrey Matura-Shepherd, and her negotiating team had a sit-down with Tux Vasquez, the Port’s Managing Director, and other managers of the company and an amicable solution was reached.

Packed weekend in BECOL Basketball Tournament
On Friday night, September 11, Christian Ambassadors defeated Black Hawks in the U-19 division by the score of 46-29. Shaquille Crawford had the game high with 12 points for Christian Ambassadors, while Antuane McFadzen netted 11 points. In a losing effort, Black Hawks was led by Kyron Molina with 10 pts, and Justin Ford with 9 pts. Game 2 saw Yabra blowing out Invaders in the Over 35 division, 71-27. Yabra was led by Vince “Postman” Estrada, who had the game high with 18 pts, while Bart Sanchez finished with 15 pts, and Kevin Domingo and Cassian “Russian” Flowers scored 13 and 10 pts, respectively. The top scorers for Invaders were Gerald Hewlett with 11 pts and Dylon Ayuso with 9 pts. In the nightcap, the home team, Falcon Ballers was able to narrowly hold off RCV Stallions in the senior division by the score of 57-46. Falcon Ballers was led by Anfernee Young, who scored 15 pts, while the top scorers for RCV Stallions were David Hyde with 14 pts, Mark Gentle with 11 pts, and Frederick Banner with 8 pts.

Belize to participate in Women U-17 World Cup Elimination Tournament
The Football Federation of Belize will be participating in the Women U-17 World Cup Elimination Tournament, which will be held in Honduras from November 11 – 15, 2015. Below is the list of selected players. Training will commence on Friday evening, September 11, at 4:30 p.m. All training will be done on weekends from Friday to Sunday. From: Orange Walk – Adijah Ceiva, Kate Jones, Stephanie Ramirez, Kenisha Jones, Atalia Mesh, Kendra Jones, Deedrah Diaz. From: Corozal – Gabriela Cowo, Marcia Ara, Darina Tzul, Zidieny Loria, Yazli Santoya. From: Independence – Digna Cruz, Cesie Alvarado, Viviannie Pivaral, Narsedalia Hernandez, Carla Flores, Jerlin Salazar, Luz Acevedo.

Editorial: Heads they win, tails they don’t lose
60 years ago, the People’s United Party (PUP) contested its first set of general elections in coalition with the then vaunted General Workers Union (GWU). It’s a little known fact, but it should be a source of pride for any modern trade unionist and required reading for any modern student. The PUP in coalition with the GWU won the 1954 and 1957 general elections. What happened thereafter with that coalition is a story that has never been told. Younger people will recall that a little over 10 years ago in 2005, the unions took to the streets, and ironically, they almost toppled the same PUP, who had by then lost its union mooring and drifted dangerously into the stormy waters of neoliberalism. 2005 almost seems like distant memory now, but that was the awesome unions at their best. A year later, in 2006, a union firebrand was overwhelmingly elected the first female mayor of Belize City, and in 2008, the unions inside the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) would go on to change the Said Musa-led government.

From the Publisher
As I write this Sunday afternoon, September 6, 2015, Guatemalans are going to the polls to elect a new government. Extraordinary events have taken place in that Central American republic over the last ten days. Under the pressure of several months of mass demonstrations in the capital city, the Guatemalan Congress had voted on Tuesday to strip President Otto Pérez Molina of immunity from criminal prosecution. With his Vice President, Roxana Baldetti, already in jail for several weeks, Pérez Molina resigned on Wednesday this week, whereupon he was imprisoned. Pérez Molina was supposed to stay in office until the new government was sworn in next year January. His new Vice-President, Alejandro Maldonado, was sworn in as President on Thursday afternoon. As the noose tightened around Pérez Molina’s neck last weekend, I had telephoned Clinton Canul Luna in the Finca Solana section of Corozal Town to get his read. At that point, Pérez Molina was still in power and he was holding on to presidential immunity. Canul Luna suggested that Pérez Molina might try to run for asylum to Mexico. He said that it appeared to him that powerful people in Washington must have turned against him for some reason or the other.

Dear Editor, I write as President of the Christian Workers Union to make some basic facts clear regarding the plight of the 60 workers of First Caribbean International Bank (FCIB). This is especially necessary in light of the fact that now even the Minister of Finance, Hon. Dean Barrow, has shown an apparent lack of interest in addressing the concerns of the workers. Firstly, it was impossible to negotiate an exit package with FCIB one year ago, because one year ago, although the Bank knew it was seeking buyers and even began discussions with its current purchasers, there was no way the employees could have known with certainty that there would be a sale and closure of the bank and come September 2015, they would be out of a job. Secondly, to distract from the issue at hand, the government propagandists and the bank interests, have teamed up to say that FCIB employees failed to re-negotiate a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Guatemalan presidential candidate says loss of Belize is deplorable
Jimmy Morales, a former comedian and television actor turned frontrunner in the first round of the Guatemalan presidential election, has made some disturbing, if not misleading, remarks about Guatemala’s territorial dispute with Belize — to which, to the best of our knowledge, the Belize Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not responded. Morales, who is considered a conservative and whose campaign slogan is “Neither corrupt nor thief,” came out of the first round of voting last week Sunday with just under twenty-five percent of the votes cast. The next round of voting is set for October 25, when Morales will face off with Sandra-Torres Casanova, the wife of former President Alvaro Colom. Casanova is the sister of Nardia Garcia, the CEO of Speednet. Casanova has garnered almost twenty percent of the votes cast and analysts consider her to be the stronger of the two candidates. In an interview last month with Telediario’s Elsie Sierra, Morales said that the most deplorable event in Guatemalan history is the loss of Belize, but there is hope that Guatemala will recover Belize through the International Court of Justice, if the claim is taken there for settlement. The exchange in which Morales made these comments to a reporter is quoted below:

Ministry of Education’s national literacy strategy
The Ministry of Education has been focusing its efforts on making Belize more literate and has come up with a method to tackle the problem — a national literacy strategy. John Newport, Acting Director of Quality Assurance Development Service (Quads), said that the program targets children from birth to the completion of primary school. He added that a campaign to encourage families to read aloud to their children is a part of the strategy. The campaign has been extended to include adults, teachers, and the interactions between older siblings and younger siblings, and parents and their children. On September 8, International Literacy Day, the literacy campaign was launched at the BTL Park. The theme for the Literacy Day was “Read to a Child Today and Every Day”. At the launch of the campaign, 10 tents were set up, where members of the community were reading to the children. Some of the readers were Alma Paredez, a literacy officer, who read to Queen Street Baptist School students; Leroy Green, an artist, performer and social organizer, who read to James Garbutt SDA school students; Minister of Education Patrick Faber, who read to Ephesus School students; Michael Shaw, of Scotia Bank Belize, who read to Calvary Temple School students; and Shakira Tsai, of Belize Bank, who read to Trinity Methodist School students.

Senator Ray Davis: “I can’t be removed…”
In view of recent comments made in the media regarding my position as Senator, particularly my attendance at the most recent Senate meeting, I consider it is necessary at this point to make the following statement. Hopefully, it will assist in sorting out the confusion regarding my tenure as Senator. 1. On 28th August 2015, I received by way of email from the General Secretary of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), a copy of a letter dated 25th August addressed to me and signed by the President of the NTUCB, Mr. Marvin Mora. The purpose of the letter was to inform me that I have been “removed as Senator for the NTUCB” and that “the Civil Society Steering Committee will also be informed of [the] decision and the Governor General will [be] subsequently notified”. 2.The letter was prefaced with a notice of the results of the votes at a meeting of the General Council of the NTUCB held on 22nd August 2015. I was informed that the majority of the Council had voted at the 22nd August meeting that the NTUCB was “not satisfied with [my] performance as Senator” and that “the Congress should replace [me] as a Senator”. The letter also referred to the “concerns” raised by the General Council regarding my performance, which I was invited to address at a meeting of the Council on 4th August 2015.

Breaking Belize News

FCIB employees hit back at Government over sale
Employees of the soon-to-be sold First Caribbean Inter