July 19, 2016

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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

Ambergris Today

Pic of the Week - Wild Underwater Encounters in Belize
"Chill with my boy Crush, giving me some fin," says Josh Nuñez who loves to explore the undewater magnificence of the Barrier Reef of Belize. He is notorious for his wild and fun images with his GoPro camera when he goes out at sea on the job. This week he had a very cool and close encounter with a sea turtle at the Mexico Rocks dive site off Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Belize to Launch Destination Plans at Key Emerging Tourism Locations
Over the next few weeks, stakeholders in the tourism destinations of Toledo, Caye Caulker, Corozal and the Mountain Pine Ridge/Caracol/Chiquibul area will launch Destination Plans that reflect the collective vision for tourism development, in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MTCA). The Destination Plans identify key tourism infrastructure projects and priorities that are considered critical for further sustainable development of tourism in the respective destination. The Plans are the culmination of a process started over a year ago with the support of the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB), that brought together multiple community, private and public stakeholders to craft a common, integrated approach to tourism development. This approach follows the recommendations of the National Sustainable Tourism Masterplan 2030 (NSTMP), which highlights the need for greater involvement of multiple stakeholders in destination coordination and management, and encourages local stakeholder leadership within all facets of tourism development including planning, branding and promotion, and quality management.

Misc Belizean Sources

Sofa/futon FREE on Caye Caulker
Nice piece but has some stains that are washable or can be reapholstered. Send message and check it out.

Cultural Explosion: Indian Dancers
The participants of the Indian Dance workshop which will take place on July 27th to August 5th, 2016 in Corozal will be featured in this super event. Corozal Central Park.

Bahamas National Youth Choir
FREE CONCERT: The Bahamas National Youth Choir in Belize is in this week! Reserve your spot by picking up your free ticket today at Bliss Center for Performing Arts

Tour Guide Licenses
Please be advised that all Tour Guide Licenses expire on July 31st, 2016. Applications are now being accepted. The licensing process can take up to two (2) weeks. To avoid being unlicensed for any period of time please come in to our offices at least two weeks prior to the expiration date. Any Guide who fails to complete the entire renewal process before July 31st, 2016 and continues to operate will be seen as operating illegally. As per the Belize Tourism Board (Tour Guide) Regulations, it is an offence to operate without a valid license and a person found guilty of said offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one (1) year, or to both such fine and term of imprisonment.

Last full breed miniature Schnauzer
$350. Consejo, Belize. 1 month 1 week. Male. Dewormed and no tail. Location Corozal Town. Can be shipped country wide. Inbox or wdatsapp @ 620-0519. Parents on the view.

BTEC TRAININGS AIM TO PREPARE THE YOUNG FOR WORK AND HOW TO CARE FOR THE OLD
The Belize Training and Employment Centre (BTEC), a unit of Beltraide is currently conducting two (2) important training sessions designed with the young and elderly persons in mind. The first training is entitled: Creating a Stronger Path to Workforce Readiness. It targets senior high schools students, especially at risk young people, as well as recent graduates and aims to provide them with introductory job preparedness training in order to build their capacity to help them to develop the self-awareness and interpersonal “soft skills” needed to be successful in the job market. The training will last for three weeks and is being held in collaboration between RESTORE Belize and BTEC.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Scholarships; bachelor degree level. The deadline for submitting a copy of your documents (for short-listing) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NEMO Building, Belmopan has been established at Tuesday, July 26, 2016.

1st Sir Barry Bowen Male Beach Volleyball Open
July 23, 24.

Miss Belize – Miss Costa Maya International 2016
The International Costa Maya Festival is excited to announce its eight and final contestant vying for the title of Miss Costa Maya International 2016. Meet Miss Belize, Yadira Yvette Argueta. Yadira Yvette Argueta is an enthusiastic and determined young lady who is currently pursuing a Bachelors Degree in accounting at the University of Belize. The twenty two year old works full time in the accounting field. Her future endeavor is to pursue a Masters degree in finance and aspires to become an auditor and eventually open her own accounting firm. However, her dichotomous nature is truly revealed as she regularly trades in her office wear for the catwalk in expression of her passion for modeling and pageantry. Miss Argueta captured the title and Queen of the Bay Belize in 2012, one of the most prestigious pageants of the country of Belize . She also represented Belize in Miss PJD2 Caribbean pageant in 2014. In her leisure she enjoys dancing, singing playing sports and meeting new people. She also enjoys reading and stimulating conversation in an effort to quench her undying thirst for knowledge. “It takes a whole village to raise a child” is the proverb that has become the Motto Yadira chooses to live by. She is a mentor to many adolescents and she is always willing to lend a helping hands to those in need.

Channel 7

Double Arraignment For Men Accused of Beheading Pastor
All this weekend, Belizeans were equally intrigued and horrified with the news that a Dangriga pastor, Llewellyn Lucas had been beheaded and a big money Belmopan based businessman was found with the pastor's head in the pan of his pickup truck. Not only was it in the pan of his truck, the businessman was taking some drinks at a bar when police found the head in his truck! It's the most bizarre case we've ever heard, and likely marks a disturbing first for Belize. Yes, there have been beheadings, but a pastor's perfectly intact head – stored like a trophy – in a bucket in the pan of a wealthy man's pickup truck!? It is truth stranger than fiction… We'll have all the details you need tonight, but we start with what's happening right now. Belmopan police are scrambling to arraign the main suspect. He's 46 year-old William Mason, who also has a number of aliases and assumed names including Ted Oulette. Police say that over the weekend they found Pastor Llewellyn Lucas' head in Mason's vehicle.

Pastor Beheading Could Be The Crime of The Decade
So that's the wrinkle late this evening – and we'll have more on it during the news, but all weekend long, just like everyone else, we've been trying to wrap our heads around it. There are so many angles to this case and that's primarily because the accused is a mystery man – and one with lots of money, and this tentacles run deep into politics and law enforcement. He goes by many names, but we'll start with William Alexander Mason. That's the name on the birth certificate for a Guyanese man who is believed to be named Danny Ouelette – or he could also be Canadian Ted Ouelette, or he could be Belizean William Ferguson…those are all the names this man went by. And if that makes your head spin – it's only the start for a man who claimed to be a vet, a pig farmer, a property developer, heck, he even said he was a chef – and he wasn't just talk, William Mason owned a mansion and a huge 160 acre ranch, among other valuable assets.

The Mysterious "Mr. Mason"
Indeed, it appears that William Mason had many ongoing business transactions – both licit and illicit, including two with prominent businessmen from the Cayo District who he had allegedly extorted. Both made reports to police, but one of them withdrew the complaint and allegedly paid Mason one hundred and four thousand dollars, while the other fled the country, fearing for his family's safety. That – along with his multiple bogus identities – is why he was under observation by Belmopan police – who, just by sheer luck - came upon him on Friday night – hours after Llewellyn Lucas had been be-headed. Today police discussed the cases that he was under investigation for, and why they had taken so long to arrest him:…

Did The Well Connected William Mason Get Special Treatment?
But, even if he was evasive and cunning, how much of the delay in tracking him down was due to the fact that William Mason was a very big man in Belmopan? In three years, he had insinuated himself into the company of many powerful and not so powerful people. Today the media asked police minister John Saldivar if he was one of Mason's many friends – even after the Minister made it clear that there would be no special treatment for him:… Hon. John Saldivar - National Security Minister: "We want to make it absolutely clear that this investigation will be conducted with the greatest openness and transparency because there are no sacred cows in this investigation and no special connection that will give Mr. Mason any special privilege." Geovannie Brackett: "Is he being well connected going to hinder the investigation? How will this be treated?" Hon. John Saldivar - National Security Minister: "Well absolutely will not have any effect, I do not know who he is well connected to and I don't know what you mean by well connected. If you're asking the question if I know Mr. Mason obviously he is a resident of Belmopan and a business man and in terms of my direct involvement with him at some point last year he had made some contributions to my football club the Bandits but that is the extent of it..."

Mason's Gun License Suspicious
So, no one did favours for William Mason – but does his gun license suggest that someone bent the rules for him? The slot that should have the number of his passport is blank. And, indeed, we are told that while he did have a Belizean birth certificate under the name William Mason, he never did get a Belizean passport under that name. Today the media asked police about that license:… Hon. John Saldivar - National Security Minister: "I have never done any favour for Mr. Mason with respect to gun licenses so those are all false allegations. I have never done so and as I've already pointed out to you in answering you question it is the Commissioner of Police that approves gun licenses." Reporter: "The file for Williams Mason when was applying for a gun licenses the only we are reliably informed within that file now is a police record. That police record is missing the passport number. Yes he's sighted as a Belizean citizen but his passport number is missing. There is no ID number to go by for him."

Minister Saldivar Says He Had No Dispute With Pastor Lue
But, if Saldivar wasn't friendly with Mason, then he surely was a friend to Llewelyn Lucas. He posted on his Facebook page today that Lucas was his childhood friend that they were altar boys and scouts together. But while Saldivar has fond reminiscences of Lucas who he calls a friend and brother, the feeling wasn't mutual. Up to the end of June, Lucas was posting on his Facebook page that Saldivar wasn't helping him with a property issue. Today Saldivar said that was a non-issue to him:… Hon. John Saldivar - National Security Minister: "I have not read his site. I will not get into the details of what I know about his issues within his family those are family issues I believe if that is the same thing you are talking about but it had absolutely nothing to do with me. I know that he had made a public plea for me to help him in his family dispute over the house but I did not see it fit for me to get involved in a family matter."

Croc Kills 8 Year Old In Maypen Waters
It would have been a headline on any other night…but tonight a man eating croc is in the second segment because of the Pastor Llewllyn Lucas beheading. A family from Maypen Village in the Belize River Valley is trying to come to terms with the tragic loss of a child. She's 8 year-old Adriana Moody, and she was killed by a crocodile which attacked her. Baby Adriana was swimming with 2 other kids and her aunt Indira Rhaburn. That's when the crocodile, which had been lurking in the deeper waters, grabbed her by the leg and dragged her under. The aunt shouted for her mom, Bridget Moody, who immediately jumped into a dory and set chase. She spotted the croc nearby, and without any regard for her own safety, used the paddle to strike it in the head. But, it was futile, the crocodile dove down and swam away – with the child clutched in its jaws.

Getting It Right The Second Time: Mason & Co.'s Second Arraignment
Just before the news, we told you about the failure of the late evening arraignment of William Mason and the other men charged for Pastor Llewelyn beheading. Well, our news team only just came back from court, and the defence attorney, Herbert Panton told us why he thinks that his clients are being mistreated by what he calls a fiasco: Herbert Panton - Attorney for Mr. Mason: "The prosecutor at the time indicated that he only needed a day and the matter was adjourned for 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon; the claim that the crime happened at the ranch at mile 31 which would place it in the Belize judicial district so the matter would have been brought before some magistrate here tomorrow. The magistrate in Belmopan also ordered that my clients be released because they had already gone way pass the 48 hour mandated by the constitution in which the police is authorized to hold them. Instead of having my clients walk out of court the police acted in breach of a court order, placed my clients back in the police vehicle, took them to the station and put in the lock up; after about a half hour of one senior officer giving one order and senior officer giving another order. It was ordered they be given their belongings and released.."

Security Ministry Unveils New Plan For Gangs
As you saw, today's press conference by the Ministry of National Security was dominated by news of the Pastor Llewelyn Lucas beheading. But, the truth is, the press conference had been planned a week earlier – as a response to the flare up in gang activity in Belize City. To begin the press conference, Police Minister Saldivar outlined a re-energized effort at suppressing gang activity in Belize – which has the murder rate on a record pace: Hon. John Saldivar - National Security Minister: "This year we seem on a pace to equal or exceed last year's murder count and that has to be a cause for pause by all of us. What we do know and see if a continuation of the gang warfare, a continuation or the senseless killing among our young black youths of the city. Worth of note is the alarming trend that shows an increase in gang membership from just under 800 in 2013 to over 1,000 in 2016. When we add this to the fact that since 2013 over 115 gang members have been murdered it suggest that for every gang member killed, 3 new members are recruited most of whom come from out vulnerable Belize City youth population. Cabinet is determined to take another shot at finding a lasting solution and has tasks the deputy prime minister who has responsibility for youth to lead a task force to come up with some recommendations."

How Did Mason Get Into CEMO?
Throughout the news, you've heard all of the angles related to William Mason, also known as Ted Oulette, among many other names. 7 weeks ago, we were introduced to him, William Mason, businessman and supposed philanthropist extraordinaire as part of the City Emergency Management Organization's rescue and evacuation response He claimed back then at the CEMO press conference that his outfit was equipped with generators which could quote, "light up a place like a football field". For reference, we re-air a portion of that interview in which he claimed to have a 25 member staff who were able to deploy a drone service at a moment's notice: FILE (June 1, 2016) Phillip Willoughby - City Council, CEMO: "Whenever we hear the term emergency management, emergency planning, yes you hear at the head from NEMO then normally you would hear directly from myself and it would always me making these comments. So this time around I want you to hear directly from the experts who will be directly responsible for providing the actual safety, the actual ground work."

Pastor Lue Was Loved
And while you've heard and seen so much about William Mason tonight as the supposed orchestrator of a beheading, what about the victim? Well, in between the very involved police investigation and court updates, there is Lucas's grieving family who is waiting patiently for answers as to why their loved one was ruthlessly murdered. Today his Belmopan family told us off camera that they are still trying to come to terms with his death because "Pastor Lue" as he was affectionately called, was loved and respected by everyone. Lucas' sister told us that he left Belize for New York in 1990 to work in the family business with his brother. He lived in New York for about 14 years. During that time he studied to become a pastor. Lucas had just recently returned to Belize a couple years ago and was the head pastor of a Baptist church in Dangriga. Lucas also lead sermon's here at the Belmopan Baptist Church as well as other churches across the country. His sister told us she will always remember him as a vibrant and passionate person.

Armed Robbers Took Thousands From The Tax Office
Belmopan police are looking for an employee of the income tax department to charge him in connection with a daring robbery that happened at that office on Friday. Three men in camouflage clothing stormed into the building at 5:50. One of them pointed a gun at a police officer who was providing security and then tied up all four persons who were in the office – also taping up their mouths. One of the robbers then snatched $29,000.00 dollars in cash from the drawer - which were the tax receipts for the day. They then took personal items and cash from the employees as well as the police officer's weapon, a 38 revolver with five live rounds and his police cap. Investigations, security footage and a matched fingerprint show that an employee is involved and police expect to make an arrest shortly.

One Month After Beating Murder Rap, Ronlee Charged For Another Killing
Exactly one month ago on June 17th., 7News was at court when Ronlee Petillo beat another murder rap, and scooted away from court a free man. IT was the second time he had gotten off murder – in that case for the 2011 killing of a market vendor. Well, he has been charged again – this time for the murder of Roger Banner. Banner was killed 10 days ago on West Canal in what police say was a drug related shooting. Today the officer commanding southside told us why they believe it's Ronlee again:.. Jules Vasquez: "Sir now Ronlee recently came off a murder in which he on remand I think 5 years. Are you saying that he went to a murder right after he came off of a murder?" ACP Chester Williams- O. C. Eastern South: "Well that is what we are receiving, our investigation has pointed directly towards him and so resulting from our investigation we have laid charge against him yesterday for the murder of Roger Banner."

Ice Skating In Belize?
Ice Skating in Belize, a tropical country which never snows? That's what the professional dance company from Russia is offering to the Belizeans who come out to see their show. These professional dancers are part of the Moscow Ballet on Ice, a dance company that has performed all over the world. They're come to Belize for the first time, and today, they gave us a preview what you could expect if you come out to see them: They'll be here for only 4 days, performing first at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts. They will be there on July 30 and 31. The show then moves to San Pedro for a performance on August 3. Then, they finish up in San Ignacio on August 6. Tickets are on sale at the Bliss.

Channel 5

A Pastor is Butchered and Decapitated on a Sprawling Ranch
At news time, police are transporting from Belmopan to Belize City, the prime suspect and four other men to be arraigned for the chilling murder of a pastor. The group [...]

William Mason Financed Belmopan Bandits
William Mason is being charged along with Terence Fernandez, Keron Fernandez, Ernest Castillo and Ashton Vanegas. Mason is being represented by attorney Herbert Panton of Lindo’s Law Firm. The brutal [...]

Is Alleged Murderer Linked to Senior Politicos?
Just in case you underestimate Mason’s connections, we can tell you tonight that the case is being handled under extremely tight security protocols – including heavy armed guard at the [...]

Mason Will Likely Face Additional Kidnapping Charges
Tonight there is a very strong suggestion that the murder of Lucas may not be the only crime hanging over Mason’s head. In fact, the reason for the preliminary detention [...]

How Did Mason Get Belizean Nationality?
William Mason is allegedly a dual national with ties to Canada and Guyana – but when Police seized his documents they found out that he seems to be a tri-national [...]

Minor Killed By Crocodile in May Pen
The Moody family in May Pen, Belize District is tonight grieving the sudden death of eight year old Adrianna Moody, whose body was retrieved this morning from the Belize River [...]

Jaguars Threaten Livestock in Small Community
But aside from crocodiles in the May Pen Village, there is also another threat to residents since wild cats have been spotted coming frighteningly close to the village. According to [...]

Investigation into Chiquibul Death Finally Gets Underway
There have not been official details on the investigation into the death of Guatemalan minor Julio René Alvarado Ruano, which occurred on April twentieth, 2016 in the Chiquibul. Today the [...]

William Mason, AKA Ted Ouelette, is Trooped to Court
In the latest development on the murder of Pastor Lucas, late this evening, five men, including purported criminal mastermind William Mason, were trouped to the Magistrate’s Court in Belize City [...]

Arraignment of Alleged Murderers is Delayed to Tuesday
Outside the courtroom building this evening, a detail of heavily armed law enforcement personnel stood guard over the vehicle transporting the alleged murderers.  Moments later, Panton informed the media that [...]

The GSU is Back to Address Escalating Gang Tension
The Lucas murder is certainly center stage, even if Belize does see more than its share of violent crime. In fact the press conference hosted by the Ministry of National [...]

Saldivar Says Police Abuse Will Not Be Tolerated
But while the GSU has the blessings of the government, it’s not exactly carte blanche. The unit has taken a bad rap, perhaps very deserved, for its militant stance when [...]

BPD Will Also Crack Down on Quality of Life Crimes
With the appointment of an action task force, enhanced community policing and the GSU, the Ministry of National Security is pulling out all the stops. There’s one new move which [...]

Ladyville Police Say Burglary Tied to Domestic Situation
Last week, we reported on a woman detained under curious circumstances at the Ladyville Police station.  Ana Villacorte, a victim of an alleged burglary, told News Five that she was [...]

Career Criminal Charged for Banner Murder
He recently was released from prison after five years on remand for a murder charge, but tonight, Ronlee Petillo is back behind bars after he was formally charged for the [...]

Cop Charged for Attempted Murder
Earlier today, a police officer and another man were placed on remand at the Belize Central Prison for last Thursday’s attempted murder of twenty-nine-year old Nigel Castillo who was shot once [...]

Football, Basketball and Softball in Weekend Sports
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   We begin with Belize District Football t the MCC Grounds where the mad dash to make the championship match [...]

CTV3

Robbers Target Western Union Orange Walk Branch
Orange Walk Police are tonight looking for two persons believed to be responsible for the midday robbery of a Western Union Branch here in Orange Walk Town. The robbery occurred this afternoon at around 12:15 when 2 men entered the establishment, one of them armed with a firearm, and held up one employee and two customers. Jose Mendez – Inspector of Police, Orange Walk: “Today we receive information of a robbery in progress at Western Union at Belize/Corozal Road address where the police visited the area where the cashier Ortiz reported that the establishment was robbed at gun point. Based on information received we are seeking for two individuals at this moment, police at still following all leads gathered and we hope by the end of today or tomorrow we suppose to also have positive information as to the suspects.”

John Saldivar Speaks Of Relationship With Mason
At the heels of Pastor lucas’ death, information coming out is huge and some even indicate that Guyanese national, William Mason who also goes by the name of Rajesh Ouelet had built connections with high ranking cabinet ministers here in Belize including Minister of National Security, John Saldivar. Today Saldivar admitted that he had indeed met Mason, who assisted him with sponsorship for his football club last year but otherwise he has no affiliations with the accused murderer. Honorable John Saldivar – Minister of National Security: “If you asking the question if I know Mr. Mason obviously he was a resident of Belmopan, a businessman and in terms of my direct involvement with him at some point last year he had made some contributions to my football club, the Bandits, but that is the extent of it I have not heard or seen Mr. Mason since September last year, we do not at this time have any friendship.”

San Pablo Village Council Divided
The village council of San Pablo is made up of a PUP chairman, three PUP and three UDP counselors who made a commitment to the people to work as one for the betterment of the village. But it seems that the San Pablo village council, much like the one in Trial Farm village is already facing disunion as on Friday the official swearing in ceremony for the team was held but the three councilors from the UDP slate were not present for the occasion. Javier Sabido- Chairman: “Yo le he mandado una carta oficial, una invitación a cada miembro del concilio, a los seis miembros electos que vengan para hacer el juramento oficial aquí en San Pablo Community Centre Hoy a las siete de la noche, lamentable mente los tres miembros electos del UDP no aparecieron aquí sin ninguna razón y se les mando una carta oficial donde se les invita que hoy iba ser el juramento oficial.” Even though an official invitation was sent to the three UDP councilors, they were a no show. Their actions, according to Chairman Javier Sabido, speaks volumes of their willingness to work for the betterment of San Pablo.

Five Injured In Traffic Accident
A traffic accident on the Philip Goldson Highway over the weekend between a pickup truck and an SUV left five persons injured. The accident occurred on Sunday evening at around 5:40. Indications are that 24 year old Roby Morales, Belizean Accountant of Santa Clara Village, Corozal District, was driving the pickup truck on the Xaibe Road heading towards Corozal Town when the SUV driven at the time by 32 year old Ramona Lewis, Belizean Income Tax Officer of San Narciso Village, Corozal collided into the pickup truck as it approached a curve at the entrance of Xaibe Village. Travelling along with Morales at the time of the accident was 25 year old Sheila Medina, Belizean Secretary of Patchakan Village, Corozal who sustained abrasions to the left side of her face. Twenty nine year old Paul Lewis, Belizean Police Officer of Ladyville Village, Belize District, who was in the SUV along with two minors sustained a cut wound over his right eye and left knee and complained of pain to his chest while the seven and two year old minors complained of pain to the right foot and hand respectively.

Computer Classes Offered To Students In Chan Pine Ridge Village
In keeping with their campaign manifesto to work for the progress of the community, today the newly elected members of the Chan Pine Ridge Village council launched their first summer computer course with the participation of more than 30 children from the village. According to PUP councilor, German Tzul, the course is geared at providing participant with an early start in the field of technology. German Tzul- Councilor: “First of all let me highlight that this is the first time that an initiative like this is being undertaken by the village council and we feel very good about it because from day one we promised all the people that we will be taking advantage of all the resources that we have in the village and I believe this is one of the major steps that we are taking in taking advantage of the computer lab. In this time and era as we all know technology plays a very, very vital role in many things; in communication, in education and I believe this is one of the areas that we are focusing now in terms of education because many of our students need to be prepared with technology, how to manipulate a computer, it is sad to know that many of four leaders, church leaders, political leaders, many of our educators do not know how to manipulate a computer and I believe that by teaching our students the basics, that is the first step we need to undertake is vital.”

OWDFA Recruits Players For National Selection
The Orange Walk Football Federation in collaboration with the Orange Walk national football team, today started the selection process for the under seventeen tournament where football teams from all across the country will face off in hope of being drafted by the Football Federation of Belize to form the national team. Nicki Ramos- Head Coach- OW National Team: “Today we are starting a session where we are going to be picking up players for the to make it to a National Team to represent Orange Walk. We have quite a few boys coming out and we are going to see what they have and based on that we are going to select a team to represent Orange Walk in the district eliminations, it’s a three day tournament that will be held in Belmopan and there we will compete against other districts.” Orange Walk has long been ignored in the field of football, something that according to Head coach for the Orange Walk selection, Nicki Ramos, must change.

Barbaric Murder In Belmopan, Pastor Decapitated
The death of forty seven year old Llewellyn Lucas, a pastor of Dangriga in the Stann Creek District, has left the entire nation in a state of shock and disbelief due to the gruesome manner in which he was murdered in the country’s capital. Reports indicate that sometime around 1:00 on Friday afternoon, Lucas was taken to a farm located on mile 31 on the George Price Highway owned by forty six year old Guyanese national, William Alexander Mason where he was reportedly stabbed numerous times and then decapitated. While the perpetrators might have thought that they would get away with the crime easily, what they did not know is that Mason was under police scrutiny for approximately two months in connection with a kidnapping.

How Did Accused Murderer Obtained Belizean Birth Certificate?
As the nation recovers from the sensational killing of Llewellyn Lucas the million dollar question is who is William Mason? What we can tell you is that numerous investigations have revealed that he is notorious for scamming a number of individuals in various countries across the world using different identities. Mason has been living in Belize for approximately three years and records show that he obtained a birth certificate which indicates that he is of Belizean nationality and was born in the village of Crooked Tree which of course, has raised many questions. During the press conference held earlier today, the Minister of Immigration, Godwin Hulse indicated he had absolutely no knowledge about how Mason obtained the birth certificate but it wouldn’t have been that difficult.

LOVE FM

Who Is William Mason?
As we mentioned 46-year-old, William Alexander Mason was arraigned in the Belmopan Court this evening. Since the news of Pastor Lucas’ beheading circulated, many have been asking why. What we found interesting, however, is the many entanglements Mason has gotten himself into and even more interesting is the fact that he had to have been […]

No Special Treatment for Mason, Says Deputy Compol
The name of Minister John Saldivar has been popping up frequently since William Mason was arrested for murder. There have been reports that the minister had a very close friendship with Mason and had enjoyed certain privileges. Minister John Saldivar weighed in on those reports. JOHN SALDIVAR “Absolutely will not have any effect I don’t […]

The Cayo Street Home for Pastor Lucas
Prior to his death, Pastor Llewellyn Lucas had been making some posts on his Facebook posts referring to a house at number thirteen Cayo Street in Belmopan and asking Minister John Saldivar for help. He had also posted about being jilted of money from the Saint John’s Credit Union. Saldivar spoke on this issue. JOHN […]

NEMO’s Connection with Mason
At the opening of the 2016 Hurricane Season, the Belize City Council had made a presentation on their plans for search and rescue. During that briefing, William Mason had done a presentation on the issue and spoke of his group’s role in aiding the Natioanl Emergency Management Organization. Today, Councillor Philip Willoughby spoke of Mason’s […]

Mexican Experts In-Country for Chiquibul Investigation
A team of experts has been deployed to conduct an independent report on the incidents that surround the death of a Guatemalan minor, Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano, on April 20 2016. According to the Embassy of Mexico the decision came as a request form the governments of Belize and Guatemala. The independent commission will consist […]

Income Tax Robbed of $30K
As our newscast was winding down on Friday, we had received reports of a robbery at the Income Tax Department just after five o’clock. We had reported that over thirty thousand dollars was taken in that robbery and that police were on the case. Love News spoke with the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Russell Blackett […]

Tulcey Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking
Thirty-six year old Amilcar Tulcey, one of 9 persons charged with drug trafficking and 2 counts of possession of a controlled drug, pled guilty to the charges when he appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. He was sentenced to 3 years and was fined ten thousand dollars for drug trafficking. He was given until December […]

Belizean Extracted Safely from Istanbul Airport
Last Friday, as chaos unfolded in Istanbul, Turkey, in all the confusion a delegation of Belizeans transiting through were stuck at the International Airport. Martha Carrillo was one of those Belizeans who were en-route to South Africa to attend the International Aids Conference. She was travelling alone when her flight was cancelled and she was […]

Saldivar Says Statistics Don’t Show the Lives Saved by Police
In today’s national security press conference Minister John Saldivar spoke of the crime statistics generally focusing more on murders and shootings. Saldivar went on to speak of the efforts being made to address the crime situation ranging from human resources to equipment. While the minister spoke of the statistics, he did note that numbers […]

Youths At Risk Must Be Given Attention in the Fight Against Gangs
The situation with the gangs in Belize City has put a spotlight on crime as no one really pays mind to the nature or circumstances of the killings but rather to the numbers. Minister Saldivar in his address today, stated that the at risk youths need to be paid more attention to in the fight […]

PlusTV

BTB hosts digital marketing summit
Social media has become the marketplace of the future, and in some cases, the present, as business strive to reach new customers and maintain existing ones. It is no different for the tourism industry, where every property promises a different experience for the visitor. The Belize Tourism Board, be...

Four-way pileup in City snarls traffic
A chain reaction, originally begun with this morning’s turnover of the Bowen and Bowen vehicle in Ladyville, resulted in two vehicles traveling into Belize City being severely damaged.Because of the Ladyville scene, traffic had slowed coming into Belize City, with cars nearly bumper to bumper up to ...

Dangriga and Ladyville teens reported missing
A 15 year old girl has been reported missing in Dangriga. According to the girl’s on Wednesday, 13th July, at about 8:00 p.m., her 15-year-old daughter Immani Taylor, a 2nd form student, left home to an un-known destination and up to the time of making the report, Immani had still not yet returne...

Country wide blackout, Mexico’s CFE assists BEL to restore power
The country of Belize experienced power outages during the course of Friday morning. According to a statement from Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), the national grid was being supplied solely by in-country generation to allow for scheduled maintenance on the portion of Mexico’s CFE’s system which s...

BOWEN TRUCK TURNS OVER
Losses to Bowen and Bowen Ltd. from a traffic accident this morning ascend to over 9 thousand dollars. The incident happened near mile 8 on the Philip Goldson Highway after 4 this morning and interrupted the flow of traffic for over three hours. A dozen Bowen employees were called out early to salv...

Boyfriend tries to prevent girlfriend who stabbed him from going to jail
21 year old Ernestine Noralez, known as “Queenie”, originally from Dangriga Town but now residing in Double Head Cabbage, Belize District, is accused of stabbing her common-law partner once in the chest, near the heart, almost killing him as a result. That was about a month and a half ago on May 29,...

Luis Carter charged in San Pedro confrontation
Construction worker 23 year old Luis Carter has been arraigned for attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm and dangerous harm upon Dwayne Hyde and for aggravated assault upon Kimberly Humes, his common-law wife, following an incident reported earlier this week on the island of Ambergris Caye. ...

Breaking Belize News

Homicide in San Ignacio Town
Police in San Ignacio Town are investigating the murder of a man that happened around 7:30 p.m. in the Santiago Juan Layout area on Bullet Tree Road, Cayo District. Details are still sketchy but according to reports, police were called to the scene shortly […]

On Section 53, Church Senator says, ‘let us pray’
Senator for the Churches, Pastor Ashley Rocke, has met with Pastors and representatives of the two Church associations; the Council of Churches and the newly organized National Evangelical Association of Belize. Senator Rocke said that the meeting produced a strategy leading up to the July […]

Belizean safe after being stuck in Turkey during coup attempt
A Belizean was stuck at the international airport in Istanbul, Turkey during the attempted coup in that country on Friday. The family of Martha Carillo, the Country Representative for PASMO Belize which implements health programs to prevent HIV, confirmed she was travelling to Durban, South Africa […]

Girl’s body recovered from river
The body of eight-year-old Adriana Moody, the little girl dragged underwater by a crocodile on Sunday while swimming, was recovered this morning in the Maypen area, according to police sources. The crocodile was also reportedly shot and killed. Moody’s body has since been transported to the […]

Belize: Playground for international criminals
The news this weekend of Pastor Llewlyn Lucas’ unbelievable death and beheading has rocked the country. It is an absolutely stunning crime, one that seems to have many layers, and it becomes even more complicated as more details begin to emerge. Investigators have pledged […]

Western Union Agency in Orange Walk robbed
BBN has received reports that the Western Union Agency located on Corozal Road in the Orange Walk District has just been robbed40 p.m.. This is a developing story and will be updated shortly. © 2016, www.breakingbelizenews.com. […]

Suspects charged for pastor’s murder; ringleader linked to many scams
According to police, at 8:45 p.m. on July 15th, they visited an establishment located in the Industrial Site area Belmopan where Police conducted a search on a male person who identified himself as 46-year-old William Mason AKA Ted Ouellet, who at the time was accompanied by […]

Little girl dragged down into river by crocodile
An intense search by family members, volunteers and authorities is currently underway in the village of Maypen in the Belize District to search for the body of 8-year-old Adriana Moody. BBN was made to understand that sometime yesterday after 3:00 p.m., Moody […]

Belize begins 3rd Trade Policy Review
As a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and under the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT), Belize is subject to a review of its trade policies every six years. The third such review is now on and Belize’s Ministry of Trade […]

National Security Minister to address crime situation in Belize
A press conference has been scheduled for this morning, July 18th 2016 by Hon. John Saldivar, Minister of National Security to address the current crime situation and outline his Ministry and the Police Department’s renewed and retooled strategy to effectively counter it. The Press […]

Blogs

Belize Eco-Kids Summer Camp 2016 – Day 1
We started with an icebreaker – the Supreme Spherical Orb of Information, simplified to the Question Ball, where a big beach ball was thrown around. It was scribbled with questions (among them ‘where are you from’ ‘Batman or Superman’ ‘do a handstand’, to loosen up the campers and get to know them. After that, we played the Food Game – everybody picked their nickname, the only requirements being that the letter of the food started with our own, so we got Jarvin Jelly, Peter Potato, Athena Anchovy… After the games, we started on the banners – the campers were divided into the Toucans, the Jaguars, the Howler and the Tapirs. They then colored in and personalized their team flags, creating a huge mess and having loads of fun as they chased each other around with markers and crayons. So after a massive cleanup, we assigned each camper to their dorms and let them loose on Chaa Creek. Amazingly, half an hour later all the buildings were still intact and we were ready for dinner!

Canoeing on the Macal River
The rainforests of western Belize gently filter and purify rainwater which flows downstream from the Maya Mountains to the meandering Macal River. A beautiful natural setting teeming with birds, amphibians, and reptiles, and lushly covered in vegetation on its banks, a canoe trip down the Macal River is a unique opportunity to experience nature in Belize at its best. The Macal River starts in the highlands of the Maya Mountains of Belize and wends its way more than 200 miles (320 km) before exiting in the Caribbean Sea. While the headwaters are too turbulent for canoeing, the lower part of the river is navigable all year round with canoes. Most canoe tours use either three-person canoes or inflatable kayaks that are ideal even for beginners. With an experienced local guide on board, participants can enjoy canoeing down one of the most beautiful rivers in Belize through unspoiled scenery teeming with life. Along the way, participants can get a chance to see hundreds of species of birds, including kingfishers, raptors, orange-breasted falcons, Gray Necked Wood Rails, Mangrove Swallows, the Social Flycatcher, rufous-capped warblers, crossbills, eastern bluebirds, pine siskins, and the Black Phoebe.

International Sources

Purple Heart lost in the sand returned to Andover veteran
Wondering how the medal wound up on a beach in Belize led an Army veteran to Andover. For many years Beth Settle has used her metal detector to find treasures in some unlikely places. She’s combed beaches, rivers and lakes in places such as the Cayman Islands, Aruba and Canada, unearthing foreign coins, jade rings, jewelry and even a solid gold diabetic bracelet. So when her machine began to buzz a few feet from the ocean in the tiny village of Hopkins, Belize, in June, Settle didn’t get too excited. “It sounded like a quarter,” she said. About 4 inches down, Settle saw something tattered and purple and thought it was a toy. When she cleaned it off, however, the Army and Air Force Reserve veteran knew she’d found something special. It was a Purple Heart, the military decoration given to those who have been killed or wounded in combat. There was a name on the back of the medal, and lucky for Settle, it was unique: Terrance Rybarczyk.

Fourth family member from Belize sentenced in fraud case
A Belize man who was one of four family members convicted in a scheme to steal almost $300,000 in unemployment funds and benefits from multiple federal agencies, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan to 87 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay approximately $297,000 in restitution. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden for the District of Nevada. Frederick Vernon Williams, 35, was convicted by a jury in January of 20 counts total, including conspiracy to commit mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, mail fraud, theft of government money, making a false statement in application for a passport, and making false citizenship claims. At sentencing, the judge found that he had been an organizer and leader in the scheme to defraud the agencies.

UA's Brooks Ellis and his summer in Belize
However one distinction Ellis seems to have clinched. As a pre-med student, he is the only Razorback that joined his fellow biology class students experiencing a summer internship in the Central America country of Belize. Ellis was asked about his Belize experience as he and senior defensive tackle Deatrich Wise of Carrolton, Texas and senior tight end Jeremy Sprinkle of White Hall joined Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema during the Razorbacks’ Wednesday session of SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala. It literally was a hot time, Ellis said. “I stepped off the plane, and did not stop sweating the entire time,” Ellis said. “Three nights I had no AC and that was probably the worst nights of my life, I need some AC to sleep. But it was a great time, learned a lot, great experience.” And a sobering one experiencing a country of have-nots trying to muddle through.

IMF chief: Loss of small-country bank access risks ‘systemic’ disruptions
The loss of correspondent banking relationships in developing countries as major banks try to limit risk exposures could marginalize small economies and cause “systemic” disruptions to their financial systems, the head of the International Monetary Fund said. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said in prepared remarks at the New York Federal Reserve that regulators in both major financial center countries and small countries need to do more to help banks maintain these relationships. “I am concerned that all is not well in this world of small countries with small financial systems. In fact there is a risk that they become more marginalized.”

Videos

July 18, 2016

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

Specials and Events

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

Misc Belizean Sources

Last day of the Lionfish Tournament
Today was the last day of the Lionfish Tournament it was excellent. Would like to thank everyone who made this day possible; Oceana Belize Pan American Development Foundation - Belize Department of the Environment - DOE Belize Fisheries Department, Blue Ventures, and Sarteneja Fishermen Association. Also would like to congratulate the winners of the Lionfish Fish tournament the Piggy Bank group who won first and second for a total of $3500,as well the only female diver and the youngest diver and the third place group was Tobacco Strikers. These events are what we should support events that bring the youth and the community together. While out there majority of these boat captains and divers were youth you could have seen the positive excitement in their faces that they where given the opportunity to compete positively. I beg of you give the youth a chance they deserve it they need it and they will appreciate it forever.

MISS AMERICA LATINA DEL MUNDO (BELIZE) 2016
Mr. Michael Arnold, National Director for Miss America Latina Del Mundo Belize 2016, hereby introduces MISS MICHELLE ESTRELLA NUNEZ, of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, who is the designated contestant to represent BELIZE at this prestigious event. Presently, the crown is held by Miss Karla Monje who represented the United States of America. Miss Michelle Nunez is a graduate of St. John’s College in Belize City with an Associate Degree in General Studies. She is also a past title holder of Miss San Pedro (2014-2015).

Suspect with head of Pastor Identified
On Friday 15th July 2016, at around 08:30pm, William Mason who was been sought by Belmopan CIB for the purpose of an ongoing investigation was spotted at an undisclosed location in Belmopan. Police then conducted a search on him which led to the discovery of a .9mm pistol with five (5) live rounds of ammunition. A further search was also conducted on his black Ford F150 pickup truck without license plates which was when Mason started behaving in a strange manner and started giving excuses that he can’t locate his vehicle keys. As a result, a search was conducted in the trunk of the vehicle which resulted in the discovery of a black bucket containing a white sack with a freshly cut human head covered up with duct tape. The driver side window of the truck was then broken and entry was gained into the vehicle where police found a magazine containing four (4) .9mm live rounds, a pump action shot gun and a pouch with eight (8) live cartridges of ammunition. The vehicle and Mason were then taken to the Belmopan Police Station as investigations continue.

International Book Fair in Guatemala
Belize is represented at the International Book Fair in Guatemala-XIII FILGUA 2016 The Belize Book Industry Association is attending this book fair from July 14 to 24 in Guatemala City. We come in peace united by our culture of reading. The exhibit includes the works of various members- publishers,authors, booksellers,illustrators and non-members such as photographers and musicians. We thank our sponsors for their support both financial and moral. National Institute of Culture and History(NICH), Belize National Library Service and Information Systems (BNLSIS), Belize Embassy in Guatemala.

The Reporter

Police search for body of decapitated pastor
The Belize Police Department is widening its search outside of Belmopan to try and find the body of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas. Officer Commanding the Belmopan Police Formation, Superintendent Howell Gillett, explained that Lucas’ head was found in the pan of a black pick-up truck near Builder’s Hardware in Belmopan on Friday night. Police say that initially, they had one man, a Canadian national, detained for the incident, because Lucas’ head was found in his vehicle. Since then, three other men have been detained, and all have been giving false information about where the body could be found. Police are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Capio Belize hosts rising entrepreneur gala
To celebrate the successful first year of the Carpe Diem and Armand coffee-based skincare products, Capio Belize hosted the rising entrepreneur’s gala at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza Saturday night. Crystal Samos, owner of Capio, explained that the red and black themed gala, was used as a fundraiser to help generate seed capital to assist another entrepreneur with starting up a business. At the event Samos presented a cheque to the winner of an entrepreneurship competition, which her company held earlier in the year. “I know what it feels like to be told that your business idea won’t work, so I wanted to support another crazy idea by another entrepreneur bold enough to try something crazy,” Samos said.

Breaking Belize News

Police reveal details of gruesome beheading
Social media has been abuzz this weekend with news of the senational death and apparent beheading of well-known pastor Llewlyn Lucas from Dangriga. Police have since released the name of the suspect and details of his detention. According to police, on Friday at around […]

BCCI, NTUCB and the Belizean People should demand BTL inquiry
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), and all Belizeans, in fact, should demand an inquiry of Belize Telemedia Ltd. This past week the government made the first half of its payment for the […]

Blogs

Saturday in San Pedro: A Farmers’ Market & Crocodile Hunting
We started our morning with a class in chocolate making at Belize Chocolate Factory. Lots of tasting and then buying of souvenirs. I JUST wrote about this super interesting morning class a few days ago. You definitely should check it out. We then headed up to The Truck Stop for some lunch, some ice cream and the bustling farmers’ market. There were some additions to the vendors. Like Brooklyn Brothers’ Bagels… Amy and her gorgeous daughter Gabby from Wild Mango’s with cakes one might kill for. The coconut lime cake is absolutely ridiculous. At only $5bzd a slice, I thought I’d try three. JUST THREE!

5 Affordable Caribbean Islands to Live On… and 2 to Avoid
English-speaking Ambergris Caye is the largest island in Belize at 25 miles long and a little over a mile wide, and San Pedro is its only town. About 30 years ago, Ambergris became a hotspot for divers and fishermen thanks to the Belize Barrier Reef, just a half-mile offshore. This natural wonderland of living coral supports a dizzying array of marine life, and it’s the main reason Ambergris has seen its recent (and significant) growth. Until just a few years ago, San Pedro was a little fishing village that catered to adventure tourists coming for the scuba-diving and deep-sea fishing. The main motorized transportation on Ambergris Caye at that time was golf carts (which remain popular, though there are many more cars on the island today). San Pedro is now the second-largest town in Belize District with more than 15,000 people, surpassed in size only by the former capital, Belize City.

International Sources

Hybridization between Morelet's and American crocodiles
A recent publication by our Mexican colleagues illustrating even further that hybridization between Morelet's and American crocodiles is common. The Crocodile Research Coalition in southern Belize has discovered an admix population of hybrids. As we continue with the research, this will likely result in new conservation management of American and Morelet's crocodile and result in a change of conservation status, not just in Belize but for the whole region!

Videos

July 17, 2016

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

Specials and Events

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

The San Pedro Sun

Campers graduate from Coral Reef Ed-Ventures
Coral Reef Ed-Ventures is a children’s education program held annually in San Pedro. The main focus of the program is to teach children about reef ecology, conservation and preservation of marine habitats. This year’s Coral Reef Ed Ventures camp ended with a fun graduation ceremony on Wednesday, July 13th. Over 80 campers and their families filled the Lions Den at 7PM for this commemorative event, which included a variety of presentations, skits, videos, and projects that showcased what the graduates learned during the camp. Graduates included campers from both the youth camp (ages 9 through 12), and advanced camp (ages 12 through 17). After the presentations, each student was called on stage to receive their “Expert Card”, which represents that they successfully completed the course.

Taiwan grants $3Million for new MOFA headquarters
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has acquired a new $3 Million headquarters building in Belize City, purchased with a US$1.5 Million grant from the Republic of China on Taiwan. Taiwan’s Ambassador to Belize, H.E Benjamin Ho joined Foreign Minister Hon. Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington in inaugurating the ministry’s new location at the seaside Villa Fiori mansion at No.10 St. Mark Street in the Hone Park neighbourhood on Tuesday evening, July 12. Chief Executive Officer Lawrence Sylvester in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed the purchase agreement to acquire the building from the Habet family, witnessed by both Elrington and Ho. Minister Elrington promised that Belize will not always remain a small economy, and with the acquisition of this building it was preparing the way for Belize to step into a brighter future. He explained that his ministry has been borrowing space from the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) and other ministries in Belmopan for years now, and so had been setting aside funds each year while it looked for a new home.

Donations Needed for Ambergris Caye Camp Starfish
The official dates for the third annual Ambergris Caye Camp Starfish have been announced. Camp Starfish is a free two week camp that caters to children with mental and physical disabilities. Camp Coordinator Dalia Alamilla is more than excited to be hosting the camp at the Lions Den, which will run from July 18th to the 29th, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Thanks to the $3,252 donation from the Blue Water Grill and The Phoenix, Camp Starfish will be offering activities that include sessions of coloring, singing, dancing, arts and craft, table games, and occasional outdoor activities. According to Alamilla, Projects Abroad will also be volunteering their time to tend to the children this year. In addition, children from different districts will be attending the camp, making the experience even more fun for everyone. However, there are more materials needed. Alamilla is asking for kind donations of the following: play dough, paper plates, paper towels, paper bowls, water paint, markers, crayons, construction paper, white typing sheets, poster boards, band-aids, clorox wipes, and plastic storage containers. Additionally, the camp needs a number of the cardboard toilet paper/ paper towel rolls. They ask to please collect them around your home and bring them to camp on the first day.

Misc Belizean Sources

Lion fish Tournament in Dangriga
These are some pictures of today at the Lionfish tournament in Dangriga, this is one of the competitors catch. The tournament continues tomorrow. Come out tomorrow to see Lionfish artworks and taste some excellent Lionfish dishes. Also tomorrow they will have Punta Extravaganza.

Want to plan ahead for the next Belize Screen on the Green in Belmopan?
Check out the full 2016 calendar here posted on the U.S. Embassy's website:

The Reporter

Murder in Belmopan
Belmopan police have detained a Canadian national in connection with a decapitation that happened on Friday. Officer Commanding the Belmopan Police Formation, Superintendent, Howell Gillett, explained to the Reporter that around 9 p.m. Friday night they observed a suspicious character at a bar and searched […]

Atlantic Bank holds back to school loan fair
The Albert Street Branch of Atlantic Bank held it’s fourth annual Back to School Loan Fair on Saturday. It offered special rates on loans for parents to help with the expenses of the incoming school year. Those seeking loans would only need a proof of […]

Churches pray for God’s favor in section 53 challenge
Senator for the Churches, Pastor Ashley Rocke is calling on all churches countrywide to hold a national day of prayer in preparation for the Supreme Court’s decision on the challenge to Belize’s sodomy laws. Rocke is calling for churches to assemble at seven venues on […]

The Belize Times

Barrow Broke the Law?? – Illegal use of $350 million plus $550 million?
Did the Prime Minister of Belize commit a criminal offence when he was secretly spending and abusing millions of dollars from the Petro Caribe funds? Under the Finance and Audit (Reform) Act of 2012 an Amendment states “……every person who contravenes or knowingly permits or suffers any other person to contravene or instigates any person to contravene any provision of this Act or any regulations made thereunder, SHALL be guilty of an offence and SHALL be liable on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both such fine and term of imprisonment”. The Constitution of Belize and the Finance and Audit Act makes it mandatory for public funds to be safeguarded by doing certain things. All monies, such as Petro Caribe monies must be deposited in the Consolidated Revenue Fund and must be checked and protected by the Accountant General and the Auditor General. If there is a specific purpose for using public monies, there must be special deposits into a Development Fund. Permission must be obtained from the National Assembly.

Where is the Big Deal!!
With gun violence erupting over the past weeks, and reports of murder after murder from gang rivalries and gun violence filling up the evening news and gripping our community with fear, one must ask the where is the Minister of National Security John Saldivar and why is he so silent over the terrible situation in our country? Just two short months ago, ahead of a political convention for a big position in the UDP, Saldivar couldn’t help himself as he hogged up every possible chances to be on the television every night. He was all over the country meeting UDP delegates and had television ads ad naseaum, with campaign songs and jingles that advertised the slogan “The Big Deal”. Saldivar was backed by a senior Ministerial team of cheerleaders who preached to anyone that Saldivar is the man who will solve the nation’s growing problems. Well, where is the big deal now?

PUP Stands Strong in Village Council Elections
The Hon. John Briceño and the People’s United Party (PUP) commends and thanks all who participated in the democratic process during the recent Village Council Elections. Even though the United Democratic Party abused its authority by utilizing government resources during the elections, the PUP won just over 40 percent of the villages. This is a significant improvement from the 26 percent three years ago and coming just eight months after a general election. The successes for the PUP in the Village Council Elections can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of the men and women who believe in the principles and rich history of the Party. In contrast, the rapid decline of this UDP government is as a result of their corruption, arrogance, incompetence and mismanagement of the people’s resources.

Guat civilians assert ownership of Sarstoon
Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington has not indicated if the Government of Belize will submit an official protest note to the Government of Guatemala following the unwanted and illegal presence of an organised group of Guatemalan civilians in the Sarstoon River. Considering Sedi’s “let’s be friends/give peace (or he meant piece?) a chance” stance, it is highly doubtful that there will be any form of protest. The small group of seven Guatemalan nationals travelled onto Sarstoon River in what they claim was a symbolic move to assert ownership of “Guatemalan territory” on Saturday, July 9, 2016. Video footage of the expedition has been posted on at least two Facebook pages, the main one is under the offensive name “Belice Es De Guatemala”. The video shows the group of Guatemalans on a vessel, travelling along the southern channel of the Sarstoon. From the video, it appears that the Guatemalan vessel is moving along Belize’s side of the channel. A male person is heard speaking loudly, voicing his sentiments about “territory which they have taken from us”.

Think About It
Over seven thousand primary school children sat the primary school leaving examinations this year. They have now graduated from primary school. The immediate question should be how many of these children are going to college in September 2016? The answer should be that everyone will be enrolled and will attend a high school. Not so. More than half will not see the inside of a college. They will never have the opportunity of obtaining a college education. This sad situation, more than anything else, represents one of the worst events in the life of our young nation. There is no plan, nor is there any commitment on the part of the government to bring this human tragedy to an early end. How can Belize continue to turn its back on its young people in this cold-hearted fashion? Without a college education the chances of surviving and being able to provide for one’s self and family are drastically curtailed.

Going down a slippery slope
Belize seems on pace for another record setting year as far as murders are concerned. Over the past week, there have been no less than seven murders; three of these happened in the space of less than five hours. Considering from whence we came and considering our small size, this is unthinkable and unacceptable. The trained experts as well as the armchair sociologists have been scrambling for answers but so far, not coming up with much that is practical. We are continually told that crime is going down but the only ones that seem to believe it are those political cronies who are afraid that the reality will hurt the image of their party. This administration did come into office with grandeur promises and after three full terms in office, very few if any of those have been fulfilled. They were going to create jobs but unemployment remains sky high. They were to address poverty but the figures remain at an alarming forty plus percent. And does anyone remember the “double edged machete” that would be wielded at the first sign of corruption? And the grandest promise of all; they were going to address crime. That one has turned out to be the biggest joke of all.

YOUNG LIVES MATTER
Black Lives Matter has become an important protest slogan spawned by the ongoing shootings of young black men by white police officers across the Unites States of America. The three words are not just a slogan and an urgent cry for justice, but the words have become the name of an equally important protest movement seeking to call national attention for solutions to a situation in the land of the free and home of the brave. America is still very much in the grips of racism. Last week in the USA, three incidents gave renewed attention to the issue of Black Lives Matter. A young man travelling in a vehicle with his fiancé and her little daughter were stopped by a white police for a traffic check. He ended up being shot to death. The fiancé had filmed most of the incident on her cell phone. It went viral on the internet. Within days another cell phone video surfaced. White police officers again fatally shot another black man. More outrage in the black communities.

Bulldogs, Central Health & Bowen & Bowen win in BDBA basketball
Defending champs Belize Bank Bulldogs (3-3) posted their 3rd win in the Belize District Basketball Association (BDBA) Firms competition at Birds Isle on Saturday evening. The Belize Bank Bulldogs humbled Heritage Bank 82-71, led by Roscoe Rhys with 21pts while Lincey Lopez added 16pts. Heritage Bank’s Felix Martinez top scored with 24pts. Kurt “Chengo” Burgess had scored 9pts before he was thrown out of the game for fighting. Central Health scraped past Infotel 98-95. Travis Bernardez top-scored with 31pts, while Delroy Faber added 11pts and 15 boards. Infotel’s Earl “Bolo” Johnson had 29pts.

City Boys win 2016 SMART Mundialito champs
The City Boys won the 2016 SMART Mundialito championship at the MCC Garden on Sunday, outgunning the Brown Bombers 6-5 in a penalty shootout. With regulation and overtime ending in a nil-zip draw. In the first round of penalties, City Boys’ Ken Galvez, Kayia Requena, Devin Thurton and Cyril Jones scored their penalties; while Bombers’ Michael Bradley, Keyden Bowen, Eldon Reneau and Jonathan Casimiro converted. The shootout went into sudden death penalty, and Darnell Gonzalez and Talvon Gibson scored for City Boys, while only Jaylen Whyte scored for Bombers. City Boys’ goalie blocked Bombers’ 7th try.

Team Belize wins Gold at CODICADER Games
Belize’s Taye Parkinson and Devesh Hukmani won Belize’s 1st gold medal in the CODICADER Central American U-13 students’ table tennis Doubles at the Belize Elementary Auditorium on Friday July 8th. They won 2-0 against silver medallists Johnny Vasquez and Steven Aguilar of Costa Rica. They had also won over Honduras and Panama. Parkinson won a 2nd gold in the table tennis singles on Sunday afternoon, winning the final against Panama’s Sebastian Mendoza: 11-4, 11-9. Belize’s table tennis female ranked 5th.

True Hope for Belize
Dear Editor, I have to take the opportunity this week to express my deepest appreciation to the people of the People’s United Party – and I mean all of you, all of us who fought in the trenches during the past six weeks of Village Council elections. In the end the PUP emerged victorious in 40% of those communities, but the figures aren’t the most important thing. What was important, and is important, is the story of battle in the trenches of a Party united and a people who have new hope in their hearts. The people of our great Party were fighting against all odds. Week after week we saw the government using all their resources against us. We saw powerful UDP ministers trying to intimidate voters. We saw money passing hands. We saw government vehicles providing support for the UDP slates and carrying voters to the polling stations. We saw the usual promises and threats which have come to symbolize every election under this corrupt UDP government. They have everything at their disposal but still they could not break the PUP’s spirit.

THE WONDERER AND COASTAL EROSION IN BELIZE
Coastal erosion is a natural process and also man made. Some 40 years ago when I was a kid and wandered around Belize when tourism was not much in existence coastal erosion was mostly due to storms or hurricanes. Ambergris Caye at that time had about 2 small hotels and Placencia had one very small hotel. Caye caulker had none. We practically had to use sailboats or big dugout canoes with a small engine as the only means to access these islands. I wondered why there is so much erosion lately, so much coast disappearing or being washed away so I decided to wander around the country. I went from north to south and everywhere they are fighting erosion. All sorts of methods being used, some work and some create more erosion. We found out that perpendicular groins to the coastline creates more problems than benefits. It usually benefits the property to the north of the groin but damages the property to the south. You see our sea currents inside the barrier reef are mainly from north to south and the sand shifts usually in this direction. The sand is caught on the northern section benefitting this property but usually creates damages to the property next door even if it has vegetation. Not a good idea. Useless idea in Belize.

Ms. Yvonne, Lady Fearless
The name Yvonne McCalla Sobers is familiar to me. First of all, she is the mother of my old law school classmate Hilaire Sobers, who now lives in Washington D.C. I remember being extremely impressed by the strength and warmth of her personality when I met her in Jamaica many years ago while in law school. Next, Ms. Yvonne has worn and still wears many hats. She is perhaps best known for being one of Jamaica’s strongest, if not the strongest, advocate for human rights. She is also Chairperson of e-Learning Jamaica Limited, a company dedicated to encouraging young people to embrace new forms of technology so as to achieve a quality education. She is additionally an aquaponic farmer, having earlier been a history and mathematics teacher at Jamaica College. Her tiny stature belies the power of her presence and demeanor, as she takes on a multitude of causes, usually in defence of the rights of Jamaica’s most vulnerable persons. Recently, she took on then Education Minister Ronnie Thwaites, who supported the decision of many school principals to send home students who wore tight pants and short skirts or were otherwise “inappropriately dressed for school.”

The value of Lobster to the nation
Spiny lobsters, also known as langouste or rock lobsters, are a family (Palinuridae) of about 60 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia. Spiny lobsters are also, especially in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Bahamas, sometimes called crayfish, sea crayfish, or crawfish (“kreef” in South Africa), terms which elsewhere are reserved for freshwater crayfish. Commercial lobster production (harvesting) in Belize started around 1950, peaking around 1984 when production reached around 1,000 metric tonnes. The value of exports peaked around the year 2000 at around BZ$18 million, for around 293 tonnes, when the average international price was around US$29 per kilogram or around US$13 per pound. The Fisheries Act of 1948, and its Amendments, Regulations and its Subsidiary Legislation regulate fishing for lobster. It is illegal to harvest:

Banner Executed Because He Owed Money for Drugs
On Saturday night at around 9:15pm Roger Banner, 29, was sitting on the canal rail talking to his girlfriend on West Collet Canal, near Publics Supermarket, when he was approached by three persons. One of those persons, Police say, took out a firearm and fired multiple shots at Banner, hitting him in the head. He died on the scene. Police say that the brazen murder was a hit on Banner by somebody he owed money for drugs. According to ACP Chester Williams, Commander of Eastern Division South, “there were three persons together, but only one of them was armed with a firearm. Nonetheless, if our investigation or our evidence points us to all persons based on the doctrine of joint enterprise we believe that we’ll be able to charge all three with his murder. We believe that he was indebted to somebody for some drugs and that person was the one who put the hit on him. So that is what our investigation is revealing at this time”.

U.S. fugitive busted in Belize
A retired American soldier, who over stayed his visit to Belize by nine months, was busted by immigration officers at the Philip Goldson International Airport on Sunday, July 10th. Tarry Eugene Rhodes, 46, a resident of the U.S. state of Ohio appeared before Magistrate Deborah Rogers this afternoon. He told the Magistrate that he had not been given a chance to call an attorney, but Rogers told him that the offense for which he was before the court is a strict liability offense and that an attorney would be of very little help to him now. He pleaded guilty to the charge of failure to comply with a visitor’s permit and was fined $1,200 plus $5 cost of court which he was ordered to pay forthwith.

2011 murder trial crumbles - Key witness failed to identify the accused
Another man accused of murder walked free on Monday July 11th when the prosecution’s main witness failed to say with certainty that the accused man was the man he had identified to police almost 5 years ago. Sanjay Lino, 22, was indicted for the October 2011 murder of Sand Hill grocer Ernesto Myvette, who was shot and killed during a robbery. After being almost 5 years on remand for the murder and waiting for a trial, Lino walked out of the Supreme Court freed of the charge when the Crown’s case collapsed.

Two gang-affiliated men remanded on murder charges
Police investigators have charged two men for two out of the three murders that occurred last Wednesday evening. The men, who are believed to be affiliated with Belize City gangs, were brought to the Magistrate’s Court during the morning and afternoon sessions and the murder charge was read to them, after which they were remanded to prison to await their trial-day. Valentine Baptist, 27, who is a resident of Castle Street, appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser in the morning session of her court.

‘Buzzard’ Murdered on Plues Street
Police have few leads in the brutal murder of popular security guard Kariem Hafiya, 40. Hafiya, affectionately known as ‘Buzzard’ had just left his post at NICH after working the overnight shift, and had arrived at his apartment on Plues Street at around 4:00am when he was shot to death by an unknown gunman. Police recovered as many as 15 expended shells in the area, though they would not confirm how many shots hit Hafiya. Gang tensions have escalated in past months and have resulted in continuous bloodshed in the city, but Police say that they have no reason to suspect that this killing is related to ongoing gang warfare. Hafiya was not known to have any gang affiliations.

Hard Knocks
Quo Vadis Barrow? Y’all saw that fancy jet flying over Belize City early this morning? Well that was the debt collector, Lord Ashcroft, come to pick up his two hundred million pounds of flesh from his bally Dean Oliver. I gotta say it again – TWO HUNDRED MILLION! That’s $200,000,000.00. And it’s only a first payment. Just a part-payment. Just half! You know if I were a more skeptical fellow and if I didn’t swear by this wonderful, saintly politician, I’d want to think that some really secret, lucrative deals were made when the Lord and King Dean sat down in Miami together last summer. But not Dean Oliver. He would never. So anyway, fun and joke aside, the Lord wants his cheese, and the Prime Minister is reportedly MIA. That’s Missing in Action for the uninitiated – as in nowhere to be found. The last time we checked the PM and loyal Joe were talking paper in all shapes and forms and notes, but the Lord don’t want no paper – he wants cash! And he wants it TODAY. That’s the DEADLINE. Can you just imagine that vein in the side of the PM’s head looking to pop? Talk big again mih bally. Lord Ashcroft got the medicine fu you!

Orange Walk Town Council - Hard at Work!
Dear Editor, I must speak on behalf of my town and mayor. I can sincerely say how upset I am at how this government has treated our beloved town and district as a whole. The Orange Walk Town Council asked for help from Central Government to assist in dealing with staggering debts left by past UDP administrations. They asked for any assistance they could get and were ignored. They tried the Ministries of Finance, Works, Local Government and even the Office of the Prime Minister. But the truth is simple. Once the UDP is not in charge of the municipality, the UDP Central Government will not help. I’m not the only one saying it. I remember Prime Minister Dean Barrow saying it when he came to Orange Walk just before the last municipal elections. He told the people that if they wanted anything to be done in the town, they would have to vote in the UDP. Imagine that, from the leader of this country.

Breaking Belize News

Pastor found decapitated; accused suspect linked to online scams
Pastor Llewelyn “Lue” Lucas of Dangriga is the alleged victim of a reported decapitation murder in Dangriga, media sources report. The head of a man identified as Lucas, as well as a large sum of cash and several licensed firearms, were found by Belmopan police […]

Belize: La Feria De Benque Viejo Del Carmen
I was invited to go to the Feria de Benque Viejo del Carmen Thursday night….I have not been to the fiesta in a while…although I used to go every year during my younger days. There are beautiful girls all over Belize….but Benque Viejo has a […]

Income Tax Department in Belmopan robbed Friday
The Income Tax Department’s office in Belmopan was robbed Friday afternoon at the close of the business day while cashiers were reconciling the day’s collections. The employees at the department were also robbed of their personal belongings including cell phones. The robbers were dressed in camouflage uniforms […]

Murder in Belmopan; man held
It has been confirmed that a murder was reported in Belmopan this morning. We are told that a Canadian national is being held at the Belmopan police station. Reports reaching us are that he was supposedly found with a human head in his vehicle. We […]

Pokémon GO! Craze Reaches Belize
In just ten days since its release, an old favorite has quickly become a new addiction. We are talking about Pokémon Go, the mobile app that is re-introducing the original Pocket Monsters – Pokémon for short – to a new generation. The app was released […]

Blogs

One Day in Belize City for the BTB Digital Marketing Summit
I made my way over to the Biltmore – a few miles and $15bzd by taxi. As always, if I like the taxi man, I take his name and number. You never know when you are going to be in a rush for the boat, in need of a ride! He promised he’d be back at my beckoning. I was a bit early but there was a good crowd at the marketing summit. We were given some folders, marketing materials and a few extras…and the meeting got started with a whirl wind of presenters. I am certainly not going to go through it all here – I’m not sure I could if I wanted to. But here is what grabbed me. Technology is growing exponentially. No, you do not need to be on the cutting edge, but you should be moving forward. If you are not, you are slipping back. Millennials (you are allowed to groan if you are sick of hearing that word) – the people that reached adulthood around 2000 – can not be ignored. Sure they might have the stigma of being self centered and glued to their technology, but they are also a HUGE group with disposable income LOOKING ACTIVELY for experiences. Experiences exactly like those that can be found in Belize. People now trust a friends’ recommendation (a real friend, a virtual friend, a blogger friend) much more then they trust a logo. Copa Airlines talked about an extremely successful marketing campaign – to ‘sell Panama’ – with bloggers from around Latin America and the USA. Not just travel bloggers but lifestyle, fashion and adventure. They knew their objective, who they want to reach and they went after it.

The Sky is not falling, the system is imploding!
When the United Democratic Party (UDP) won National elections in 2008, they rode in on a promise of accountability and change. The Barrow administration made bold promises to change the system of governance. The Peoples United Party (PUP) was overshadowed with accusations of corruption, squandering of public funds and increased taxation. Barrow differentiated himself, to a populace grown weary of the Musa’s administration, by making a bold statement “As soon as it [corruption] rears its ugly head, I personally will cut it off…” Fast forward 2016 and Belize is still faced with the exact same systematic deficiencies. Accusations of corruption, squandering of public funds and increased taxation, only now the people of Belize are apathetic and cynical about the political process and government. In fact, most cannot distinguish between political parties and government. The lines have been completely erased. People have absolutely no trust in the government and it shows. Sadly, the PUP lacks the credibility to address many of these issues because eight years later, they have refused to bring new blood into the party and the message is dead on delivery. The UDP continued success at the polls correlates with PUP failing to regroup and distance itself from the personalities that created their demise.

Videos

July 16, 2016

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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

Crime up by 5% according to Police National Statistics Report
The official police statistics for the first half of 2016 has been released, and it indicates that major crimes are up as high as 4.9%. The main contributors to this figure were incidents relating to carnal knowledge, while the minimal crime activity recorded was rape. The report showed that most of the incidences of major crimes did not happen in Belize City, but elsewhere in the country. Just in Ambergris Caye, there was a rise of crime at the beginning of the year, registering five (5) murders since the beginning of 2016. The San Pedro Police Department has revamped its presence in the various hotspots of the island in order to tackle any spike in crime. In terms of murder countrywide, there was a marginal increase from 73 recorded for the first half of 2015 to 74 recorded for the first half of 2016. The difference may seem very minimal, however what is alarming is that there was a drastic shift in where the majority of the murders occurred. The Belize District recorded 13 less murders between January and June of this year, a decrease of 27.6%. While elsewhere in Belize the number of murders increased from 24 to 40, a large increase of 53.8%.

Dog owner take park in Saga’s 3D Workshop
Saga Humane Society has been working alongside Heather Beck, owner of K9 Lifeline to host a 3D Workshop, ‘Dealing with Difficult Dogs’. Participants from Canada, Mexico, Saga, Pampered Paws, and across Belize attended the three day course at San Pedro High School from Monday, July 11th to Wednesday, July 13th. This course was geared at teaching dog trainers the basics and practical approaches that help to improve human/dog relationships. Beck has been teaching all over the world, and her expertise is in behavioral approach. This method focuses on the dog’s primal drives and instincts to better communicate. According to Beck, owning a dog is more than just having a pet. “I feel that this workshop is important because I want people to be responsible dog owners. I think that through Saga, they’ve made a lot of changes on the island, but that focuses is on the health aspect. We are focusing on the humane part of owning a dog,” said Beck. The workshop included both educational presentations and interactive sessions.

SPTC tests its beach reclamation project
Following a visual assessment to determine the level of erosion on the beaches on Ambergris Caye by experts of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and the Pan American Development Fund (PADF), The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) has embarked on a project to save the island’s coast line. During the inspection which was done on April 13th, different factors were pointed out as the cause of the island’s fast beach erosion. According to Carianne Johnson from the PADF, seawalls are the major culprits for the erosion currently taking place. She commented that most of the seawalls along the shoreline are not properly built, and instead of protecting the beaches, they are actually speeding the erosion process. Likewise, Keith Nichols from the CCCCC stated that the solution is not an easy one. According to him it will required a set of studies to learn the movement of the currents in order to start a reclamation project.

BTB implements New Minimum Standards for Hotels
The Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), along with the Belize Tourism Board (BTB), have been conducting a comprehensive review that seeks to improve the minimum standards for Hotels and Tourist Accommodations in Belize. As proposed by the Hotel Act (No. 12 of 1997), the BTB is visiting different chapters to inform them about the updated National Classification System for Accommodations. The most recent consultation was held on Thursday, June 23rd in San Ignacio, Cayo, where BTB’s proposal was met with disapproval. A total of 45 hoteliers from the Cayo District met to discuss the new minimum standards, and the general consensus was that this adjustment would have a ripple effect on the tourism industry. Judy duPlooy, President of the BTIA-Cayo Chapter, expressed her concern over the new proposed standards. “No one is opposed to regulations pertaining to health, safety and emergency measures. However, the new proposed Minimum Standards, which total 532 items for the hotel category far exceed reasonable requirements for an extremely diverse marketplace. Furthermore, many of the items on the checklist are not relevant criteria for renewing or obtaining a license,” said duPlooy.

Misc Belizean Sources

New Caye Caulker Village Council slate sworn in
At 1PM on July 15th, Chairperson Mrs. Enelda Rosado and councilors Seleny Villanueva, Miguel Angel Neal, Hans Badillo, Elizabeth Usher, Myrna Vanina Sosa, and Juan Gabriel Cantun took their oath to serve a three-year term in the island village of Caye Caulker. Congratulations to the new council!

BEL Restores Power Supply with Support from CFE
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), with the help of in-country generation and Mexico’s Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), restored power supply to the country following two power interruptions earlier today. This morning, the national grid was being supplied solely by in-country generation, to allow for scheduled maintenance on the portion of CFE’s system which supplies Belize. However, the demand on the units for the generating plant in the south were higher than normal and exceeded the protection for that part of the country, resulting in an outage to a major portion of the system. Power supply was lost to the Corozal, Orange Walk, Cayo and Belize Districts at 8:19 a.m. Within 15 minutes, the Company commenced sectionalized restoration of power supply. However, at 9:53 a.m., the entire country lost power supply when the fault condition reoccurred. The fault condition was identified and corrected, and BEL commenced restoration to the Central, West and South. As a mitigation measure, BEL also arranged to reconnect with CFE to assist with restoration of power supply to the North of the country. Full restoration was achieved at 11:23 a.m.

Belize Blood Donor Service In San Pedro Saturday
The blood you donate could save a life! If you can, donate at the San Carlos Medical Clinic on Pescador Drive tomorrow, starting at 9:30AM!!

Summer camp for the kids in San Pedro!
Action 2024 and Hellfighters footsoldiers would like to invite all kids age 5 to 12 for a summer sports camp. JULY 18-21dont miss it , it going to be awesome Action 2024 y Hellfighters footsoldiers les invita a un campamento de deportes para ninos de 5 a 12 anos el 18-21 JULIO....no falten ,estara buenisimo.

Miss Mexico – Miss Costa Maya International 2016 Contestant
The International Costa Maya Festival is excited to announce its seventh contestant vying the title of Miss Costa Maya International 2016. Meet Miss Mexico, Ingrid Elizabeth Luna Solís. The Mexican beauty won the title of Miss Teen Universe Puebla in 2015. Ingrid enjoys reading, traveling, modeling, spending time with family and friends and is currently a student of psychology.

Breakdancing Workshop
The Wildfire Gallery is teaming up with the SISE House of Culture to bring a Breakdance workshop to Cayo next week. It starts on Monday, July 18th, at 9:00am, at the SISE HoC.

Digital Marketing Summit of Belize 2016!
Day One of the Digital Marketing Summit

Channel 7

DOE Tells ASR/BSI to Quit Dumping Spoilt Molasses In Ponds
The Department Of Environment issued a stop order against ASR/BSI today - telling the company that it has to quit dumping spoilt molasses into ponds. As we've been reporting for the past two days, a large volume of molasses went bad in storage tanks at the Tower Hill Factory in Orange Walk. For the company and the farmers it's a loss of revenue, but it's also a major disposal problem since molasses poses major threats to waterways. Yesterday, ASR/BSI's Environmental Health & Safety Superintendent told the media that the molasses have been moved out of the tanks and into ponds: Brittany Meighan - Environmental Health, BSI: "Firstly, I wouldn't consider the molasses contaminated because the molasses is no longer molasses after this reaction. Its a completely different product and the way we are storing it is by having everything contained. There have been no breaches to water bodies. Everything is contained and there's been no spillages." Reporter "So, the molasses are still in the tank as we speak?" Brittany Meighan - Environmental Health, BSI: "No, currently we have them temporarily stored in ponds that are contained. We are still waiting for the department of the environment to give us some more confirmation to make sure that our method of disposal is appropriate and abides by all regulations."

Man Shot In City Over Petty Feud, Possibly With Cop's Gun
A man was shot to his lower abdomen last night behind the Complex building in the St. Martin's area. According to 29 year old Nigel Castillo, a little before 9 yesterday evening, he and another person were at a nearby Chinese store when he suddenly found himself in the middle of an argument between a group of young people. Hoping to avoid any problems he returned home. But that is when one of the young persons, the step father of a police constable, allegedly discharged a police firearm at him for no apparent reason. Castillo was released from the hospital earlier today and he recounted the story to us. Nigel Castillo - Shooting Victim: "Last night what happened was, me and my partner came from the shop and when they were already drinking, 2 guys just came and tried to get in our conversation and we just told them that we didn't want to hear anything. He just tripped then they came with their gun because he and I are neighbors. So, the same time when I heard them say that they will go for their guns, I walked home. They ran from across the other yards straight into my yard. The man had a gun and he pointing it at the crowed because an entire crowd was out there, at least about 12 of us were out there. The man pointed his gun and shot me."

"Wizz" Was Remanded
Last night we told you about the charges San Pedro police brought against Luis Wizz Carter for allegedly shooting Dwayne Hyde. Well today the 23 year old Carter, a construction worker of San Pablo, San Pedro, was charged with attempted murder when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. Carter was also charged with dangerous harm and use of deadly means of harm. He was remanded into custody until August 30. On the morning of July 13th, Carter allegedly shot his one time associate, 30 year old Dwayne Hyde at his home. Hyde received a serious injury and he used a screwdriver to fight off carter, leaving him with minor injuries.

Coke Truck Overturned, Soda Bottles Smashed On Highway Shoulder
If you were traveling on the Phillip Goldson Highway heading into Belize City this morning, you most definitely encountered a serious traffic jam during the rush hour. That's because a Bowen and Bowen Truck ended up overturned at around mile 8. It was loaded with countless crates of soft drinks which ended up strewn and shattered on the side of the road. When we arrived on the scene, the Bowen employees were trying to salvage what they could. Today, Ladyville told us what they've learnt about the cause of the accident: Sgt. Leon Hewlett - Sergeant In Charge, Ladyville Police: "Information was received at the Ladyville police station of an accident on mile 8 on the Philip Goldson highway. Based on that information received, Ladyville police visited the scene where upon the arrival they observed a white international brand truck bearing license plate number A3521 overturned on the left hand side of the highway while traveling toward Belize City."

18 Year Old, Stalked And stabbed By Deranged Ex, Calls On Cops
A city woman is terrified tonight, after her ex boyfriend allegedly almost killed her on Sunday. 18 year old Amber Grenardo came to our studio today pleading for help. She told us she and her boyfriend separated a couple months ago after 3 years of abuse. But Grenardo says he simply does not want to let her go and early Sunday morning around 1:30, while she was asleep, he went into her JR Street house, stabbed her 5 times and chopped her in the head. Here is her horrifying story. Courtney Weatherburne "Tell us what happened early Sunday morning, you were asleep when you were attacked?" Amber Grenardo, Stabbed by Jealous Ex: "Yes and then when I woke up I saw him right at the door and I grabbed my machete and he fought me for my machete and he chopped me in my head, then after that he bit me over this side here and afterwards he went and got my kitchen knife and he stabbed me here and here. Hos I escaped, I jumped through the window and I went and called my sister who lives across the street. Then 15 minutes after the police came and took me to the hospital. When I reach at the hospital, they called my mom and told her that the house was on fire. That's all I remember from then."

Remanded For Role Reversal In Domestic Dispute
And a similar story went to Belize City Magistrate's court today and it shows that domestic abuse goes both ways - and it can take months before an arrest is made. 21 year old Dangriga resident Ernestine Noralez, was charged with attempted murder after he common law husband said she stabbed him in the chest. 26 year old Jordan Jones told police that on the night of May 29th, he and Noralez were at a house in Double Head Cabbage when they had a misunderstanding. She left the house and walked away, and he claims that when he went to follow her, she took out a knife and stabbed him in the his chest. After that, she left Double Head Cabbage and went to Dangriga where she was apprehended on July 12. Today in court, she appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser where she was charged for attempted murder, dangerous harm and use of deadly means of harm. She was remanded into custody until August 30th.

Customs Officer Shot On Highway
A man was mysteriously shot in the shoulder as he was driving along the Southern highway. 34 year old Customs Officer Jose Acevedo was heading to his Hope Creek home last night at after 8:00. But as he slowed down by a speed bump, a man emerged from the side of the road and shot at Acevedo in the shoulder. He was transferred to the Western Regional Hospital for treatment.

Balam Believes In Carlos Raul
Last night, we brought you part one of our coverage on the press conference held by the Executive Director of "Asociacion Balam." He's the Guatemalan conservationist, Byron Castellanos, who heads the Guatemalan counterpart to Friends For Conservation and Development. They basically try to preserve the forest environments in Guatemala close to the border which make up a part of the Chiquibul National Park. As one of the key persons trying to preserve the Chiquibul biosphere across the border, he works closely with FCD to tackle the root causes of the Guatemalan incursions into Belize. That's poverty and organized crime, and yesterday, he had a very frank conversation about the realities which continue force Guatemalan campesinos to enter Belize illegally to get at the rich resources of the Chiquibul. Both he and the FCD Executive Director, Rafael Manzaneros, agree that in the last 2 years, the illegal activity in the Chiquibul has decreased drastically. It's partly due to the enforcement efforts on both sides of the border, but more so because of the intervention methods that Balam and their Guatemalan partners have been making.

A Real Summit For The Virtual World
A two-day event geared at enhancing the online presence of tourism stakeholders concluded earlier this afternoon at the Biltmore Plaza. The initiative known as the Digital Marketing Summit has been spearheaded by the Belize Tourism Board for the past two years. Nearly 150 persons attended the event and learned more about topics like: Digital Content Strategy, Creative Strategy, Travel Trade in Digital, Insights and Video Marketing. The discussions were facilitated by international leaders in the digital marketing field including experts in creative marketing strategy. The event was also joined by a member of one of the leading online booking sites- Expedia. We learnt more about the summit this morning and its relevance to today's modern world. Minor Larrieu, Digital Marketing Mgr., BTB: "We have a lot of hotel airs and tour operators in the room learning and it's going to inspire them to do a lot more with the resources they have with the new technology available and also to challenge them to have a stronger online presence." Michael Chatfield, Creative Strategist, Presenter: "Last year at the digital marketing summit I presenting destructive creative strategies, it was called 'rock the boat'. It was all about standing out, being different and changing the game in your favor."

Big Multimillion Dollar Tourism Plan For Small Destinations
Last night we told you about the very strong tourism figures coming out of the first half of 2016. But while tourist strongholds like San Pedro, Cayo and Placencia always perform well, it's not quite the same for the lesser known tourist spots. And that's why over the next few weeks places like Corozal, Toledo, Caye Caulker, and the Mountain Pine Ridge/Caracol and Chiquibul area will launch their own Destination Plans. These plans will identify key infrastructure projects that are considered critical for the development of tourism in those areas. But it's not just a n exercise in paperwork, there's multilateral money behind the initiative. Investments will be made under the Sustainable Tourism Program II, a five-year 15.5 million US dollar IDB program for sustainable and resilient tourism development.

Future Starts At Summer Camp
About 75 children from all across Belize City had been attending the Future Football Club's summer camp for the past 2 weeks. For 5 years now, the organizers have been using football as a means of outreach to these at-risk kids, and today, we stopped by to see the awards handed out to the most outstanding participants. Lead facilitator Edon Rowley told us that he and the other instructors help these children focus their energies in a positive manner: The organizers thanked the Belize Bank, BTL and the other sponsors who made the camp possible.

Channel 5

Breaking News: Robbery at the Income Tax Department in Belmopan
And there is breaking news from Belmopan tonight. We have been able to confirm that the Income Tax Department was robbed this afternoon at the close of the business day [...]

B&B Eighteen-wheeler Flips on the Phillip Goldson Highway, Soft Drinks Everywhere!
For hours this morning, traffic was backed-up on the Phillip Goldson Highway.  A tractor-trailer loaded with products from Bowen and Bowen overturned near Mile Eight where road works are ongoing. [...]

Five-car Pileup in the Aftermath of Overturned Delivery Truck…
A chain reaction originally begun with this morning’s turnover of a Bowen and Bowen vehicle in Ladyville in which two vehicles traveling into Belize City were severely damaged. Because of [...]

…was the Collision Preventable?
While no one was injured during the accident, those involved exchanged insurance information to sort out damages.  As a motorist who commutes along the thoroughfare daily, Swasey told News Five [...]

Belize City Man is Shot Near La Croix Boulevard, Cop is Detained for Questioning
Twenty-nine-year-old Nigel Castillo was shot on Thursday night in the vicinity of La Croix Boulevard in the old capital, a short distance away from where police have established a checkpoint.  [...]

DOE Team Meets with BSI Personnel to Discuss Molasses Disposal
Up north, a team of officers from the Forest Department, as well as the Department of the Environment, visited Tower Hill this afternoon to continue an assessment of the current [...]

Is Burying Burnt Syrup a Practical Suggestion?
Among the suggestions that are being considered is the burial of the large quantity of molasses into a pit. To do so, they would have to identify an ideal location [...]

Pregnant Woman is Arraigned for Stabbing Her Boyfriend During Domestic Row
There was an unreported violent incident between a man and his girlfriend in the village of Double Head Cabbage, Belize District, in May of this year. This morning, the twenty-one [...]

Wizz is Remanded for Attempted Murder in San Pedro
Also in the Magistrate Court today, a construction worker from San Pedro Ambergris Caye, was arraigned for a mid-week shooting on the island.  Twenty-three year old Luis Carter, also known [...]

Digital Marketing: BTB Hosts Conference for Online Advertisers
The marketplace of the future inarguably has its origin in social media.  In fact, many businesses are presently striving to reach new customers and maintain existing ones by interacting with [...]

Where do Millennials fit Into Digital Marketing?
Larrieu says there is more to come on this score. In terms of reaching target audiences, Patrick Lawrence’s New-York based Yo Group advertising agency says cost is no object for [...]

Pokémon GO! The New Craze Reaches Belize
There is a craze that has taken over the world; it is “Pokémon Go.” All over, fans have become addicted to the gaming phenomenon which is played through a mobile [...]

Moscow Ballet on Ice Comes to the Jewel
Ballet on Ice at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts is a must-see ice skating show that will be performed by a band of Muscovite dancers visiting Belize from [...]

Bitten By a Tommy Goff While Vacationing in Belize
A report of a fifteen-year old girl of the Bay area, California, who was bitten by a fer-de-lance while vacationing in Belize is making international news tonight. Audrey Benton and [...]

LOVE FM

An Improved Structure for the Elderly
Over the last few weeks, Help Age Belize and Sister Cecilia home have seen renovations to their buildings. Love News spoke Ivorine Bulwer, Executive Director of Help Age Belize spoke about their recent renovations. Bulwer made an appeal to the public for help to improve the facilities. Bulwer added a message for youths […]

Belizeans In Turkey Amidst Coup
There is currently a civil unrest taking place in Istanbul, Turkey where the military has taken control of the administration of the country in a reported effort to reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and the general security it says had been taken away. It is a dire situation involving […]

PlusTV

St. Martin de Porres to have parish hall in next year
Belize City and particularly Southside has few places where youths or indeed anyone can safely congregate to have fun and enjoy themselves. The Roman Catholic parish of St. Martin de Porres aims to change that with a brand new Parish Hall now under construction at its corner Vernon and Partridge Str...

Belize loses 60 spots in FIFA World Ranking
Last two months, the Belize National Football Team made it for the first time to the 114th spot in FIFA World Ranking, but this month took a downturn. Belize currently holds the 164th spot in the latest FIFA World Ranking which was released the 14th of July 2016. This has been the worst ranking sinc...

Accused contrabandista walks from drug charges
On February 5, 2016, 34 year old Roland Raheem Rivers was busted inside a burgundy Ford Escape vehicle with 14 pounds of marijuana and contraband beer, and was also accused of various traffic offenses. But the single charge of drug trafficking was dropped after Magistrate Deborah Rogers, preparing t...

Student charged with robbing bus conductor
A bus conductor got robbed at the old Novelo’s Bus Terminal on West Collet Canal on Tuesday, and today a junior college student was accused of the crime. 35 year old Elroy Hemmans Junior, student and part-time accountant, pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbery before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraz...

Belize Continues to Deliver Impressive Tourism Results
“We have passed the half-way mark of 2016, and tourism in Belize is doing better than ever”. So begins a press release from the Belize Tourism Board. According to the BTB statistics, overnight arrivals for January to June, 2016 has seen 213,430 visitors to Belize. That represents a 16.5% increase ov...

Belizean and Guatemalan conservation groups team up
Friends for Conservation and Development, F.C.D, has teamed up with Guatemalan conservation group BALAM to fight for the conservation of the Chiquibul Forest against encroachers and poachers. The Chiquibul reserve landscape goes beyond the Belize border into Guatemala and is now being used more f...

First 190 million paid in BTL arbitration award
On Wednesday, GOB had to cough up some 190 million dollars for its first payment in the Arbitration Award for the B.T.L. nationalization. The total award is over half a billion dollars which includes interests at eight point three-four percent accumulated over the past seven years. Government paid 6...

Amandala

Dr. George Gough loses medical malpractice suit
Belizeans can be tolerant and forgiving in so many areas of life that many times professionals, who should know better, take advantage, but one woman who has been through pain and suffering because of two botched surgical procedures decided that the best route of redress to follow was through a medical malpractice lawsuit, an unusual area of civil claim in Belizean litigation. On Tuesday, July 12, Claim Number 154 of 2013 between Alice Arana-Gillett, the claimant, and Dr. George Gough, the defendant, concluded in the Supreme Court of Justice Courtenay Abel, who ruled in favor of the claimant and awarded general and special damages to her totaling $52,520.24. Apart from the damages, Justice Abel also ordered Dr. Gough to pay 50% of the claimant’s cost of court, which still has to be agreed upon or assessed, and six percent interest from the date when the claim was filed. Attorney Nazira Uc Myles, who represented Gillett in the claim, told Amandala tonight, “It is gratification for my client, because it hasn’t been an easy journey for her because she was discouraged at several stages.”

Michael Baptist remanded for attempted murder
A 20-year-old man, Michael Marvin Baptist, was remanded to the Belize Central Prison this morning after he was arraigned on attempted murder and related charges for a stabbing incident that occurred last Wednesday, July 6, at a home in Los Lagos. The stabbing victim, Eugene “Fatback” Webster, who is the stepfather of the accused man, was in a coma at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) earlier this week. Webster’s wife, Caret Webster, told Amandala tonight, however, that he came out of the coma yesterday evening and has been showing signs of improving. Mrs. Webster said that she wants to thank all the people who are praying for her husband’s recovery. The accused did not have to make any pleas after Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser read charges of attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm and dangerous harm to him.

Chiquibul exploited for organized crime: Asociación Balam
There have been many reports of Guatemalan laborers being nabbed for incursions and illegal activities inside Belize, but the invisible and presumably well connected hands controlling what is allegedly an organized regime remain elusive, according to a Guatemalan agency which partners with Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) in Belize to combat environmental crimes in the area. “There is a perverse alliance between poverty and crime. They finance people to come across the Belize border to illegally take [Belize’s] resources. The sad story is that the poor people are in jail, and those who pay, are in the cities. That is one thing we have to change, make those who finance pay for their crimes,” said Bayron Castellanos Romero, executive director of Asociación Balam. Castellanos joined FCD’s executive director, Raphael Manzanero, at a press conference held at the Radisson Fort George Hotel in Belize City Thursday morning. The parties called the press conference to inform the general public about the bi-national efforts which are underway to address Guatemalan incursions into Belize. The parties have extended their cooperation agreement with a new accord spanning 2016 to 2021.

“Another World” accused killer, 18, arraigned
At about 2:30 Sunday afternoon, as Maleek Norris, 19, a resident of Roaring Creek, was walking on the road in the Another World area of the village, he was blasted in his lower abdomen with a homemade gun that fires shotgun cartridges. The shooter was a teenager of the village with whom Norris had been in several altercations. Norris died shortly after at the Western Regional Hospital. Police arrested Ashton Felix Puerto, 18, of Another World, Roaring Creek, and charged him with murder, keeping a prohibited firearm and use of deadly means of harm. He was taken to the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court today, where he was arraigned on the offences. Puerto was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until Wednesday, September 28, when he will be returned to court.

Belize Barrier Reef remains on danger list
The Belize Barrier Reef, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 but put on the danger list in 2009 due to threats arising from the sale and lease of public lands for development leading to habitat destruction, will remain listed, following a decision announced by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at its 40th Session being convened from July 10 to 20 in Istanbul, Turkey. Last December, the Government of Belize announced a new policy for a partial ban against offshore drilling at the site, as well as within a buffer area spanning 1 kilometer from the site, but its promise to bring into force new legislation to buttress the ban has yet to be fulfilled. Present in Istanbul was Nadia Bood, WWF-Belize Reef Scientist. Bood said in a WWF press release issued Tuesday that: “We are moving in the right direction with this decision, but it’s a long road to ensure that both the reef and the people who rely on it are protected into the future. WWF welcomes an expert monitoring mission by the end of this year to assess the government’s progress.”

GOB raising funds to pay Ashcroft from treasury notes and bills
The Government of Belize is raising funds on the domestic market to finance the payment of the arbitration award amounting to nearly half-a-billion dollars to the Ashcroft group of companies, whose shares the Government of Belize assumed when it nationalized Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) back in 2009. As we reported last week, the balance, after subtracting the $65 million paid as an initial installment last September, is roughly $395 million, and half of that is due by today, July 13, 2016. The Government of Belize is making use of the increased liquidity in Belize’s financial system—but this would also translate to a marked increase in the public debt stock, from about 82% last year to about 92% by the time the payments are settled. We asked Ervin Perez, Managing Director, Legacy Fund, for the current liquidity data. Citing the Central Bank’s Weekly Monetary Aggregates, Perez told us that as of June 15, 2016, the amount of excess liquidity (in terms of hard cash) in the system is $451,802,000, up about $81 million from the same time last year.

C-Ray Youth Summer Series 2016 Week 2 results
–Here are the results of Week 2 cycle races, held yesterday on Marine Parade Boulevard in the C-Ray Cycling Club’s Youth Summer Series 2016. (Every Sunday in the month of July, races start at 1:30 p.m. on Marine Parade in front of Celebrity Restaurant. Registration is free. Bikes and helmets are provided for those who do not have. Weekly, winners are given ribbons; and for the finale, they receive a C-Ray T-shirt, school bag with school supplies, medals and other prizes. Similar to the High School Cycling Series, points are given according to the order in which the participants finish; at the end of the 5 races, the participant to accumulate the most points wins overall.)

Smart 13 & Under Mundialito – City Boys are champs again!
The fifth annual Smart 13 & Under Mundialito football tournament culminated in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon at the MCC Grounds in front of a handsome crowd of fans that included many parents and relatives of the young athletes; and after a scoreless draw in regulation and overtime in the finals, City Boys prevailed in sudden death after seven penalties were taken, to dethrone Brown Bombers, and become the champions for 2016. Both the third place game and the championship final were played with 25 minute halves, and 5 minutes intermission. In the third place preliminary, Ladyville Rising Stars edged Hattieville Riverside Boys, 1-nil, on an early second half goal by Caesar Garcia (26’).

Cricket Corner: Western Eagles puts away Wicked 11
Hello to all cricket players, fans and families!Thanks to this year’s sponsors,Belikin and Smart, under the auspices of the Belize National Cricket Association, the Harrison Parks Competition playoffs continued over the weekend, with Easy Does It going up against Sunrise at Rancho Dolores, and Wicked11 up against Western Eagles in Lemonal. In the game at Rancho, Easy Does It took to bat first. At the fall of the first wicket and a score of 28,the game had to be stopped due to heavy rain. That game will continue, hopefully, on Sunday, the 17th, at the same venue. The game for the day was at Lemonal between Western Eagles of Rancho Dolores andWicked11 of Flowers Bank. These two teams are tied. Today one, advances to the semifinals, the other will, well, maybe just watch other teams continue to do battle. The Wicked11 boys arrived first, then the Eagles. When the Eagles players took a look at the field, they said that the condition of the field was not in anyway prepared for any playoff game.

Mundialito and Softball Marathon in O.W.
n Mundialito games played at Louisiana Football Field on Sunday, July 10, Croatia of Black Water won, 1-0, over Spain of Progresso, with a goal from Shamir Basto. Colombia of Palmar got a goal each from Jared Gonzales and Nazir Torres, to drop Portugal of Trinidad, 2-0. Mexico of San Estevan edged Belize of L.A. area, 2-1. Sheehan Blanco and Joan Bull shook the net for Mexico, while Axel Alamilla scored for Belize. And Holland of Guinea Grass got the 1-nil win over Argentina of Yo Creek with a goal from Jason Vanegas.

The sacred cow
Amandala welcomes this week’s statement from the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) on the national financial catastrophe which the Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) has become. It may be that the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) has also weighed in on the BTL crisis, but any such statement may have been lost in the shuffle. The point we wish to make is that when Belize experiences these crises wherein all the leaders of the two major political parties – the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the People’s United Party (PUP), do is point fingers at each other, the BCCI and the NTUCB become the nation’s most important socio-politico-economic factors. That is because they represent arguably the two most disparate, and at the same time vital, elements in our democracy, these being capital (BCCI) and labor (NTUCB). Ideally, of course, there should be a commission of inquiry into just how our nation’s most profitable and cutting-edge technology public utility, built over decades by thousands of talented, dedicated Belizean workers, ended up as the source of the largest ever hit upon our foreign reserves and consolidated funds. Commissions of inquiry are expensive propositions, and it does not appear that any of the two major parties is eager for a BTL inquiry. Such an initiative, we submit, would require a joint effort by BCCI and NTUCB, in the first instance.

From the Publisher
Needless to say, I appreciate the fact that people still want to read what I have to say, but I do try to place myself in as realistic a perspective as possible. In a situation such as mine, one cannot afford to take one’s self too seriously; in fact, one sometimes has to fight against a feeling of being irrelevant, a sense of futile déjà vu, of having been here before and not having been able to effect change. In the United States, they refer to citizens born in the years right after World War II (I man was born in 1947) as “Baby Boomers.” It is said that people in our part of the world were so happy that the war had ended in 1945, and that the so-called Allied nations had won, that they were making a lot of babies – a baby boom, hence “Baby Boomers.” The generation known as Baby Boomers in America essentially was the generation which challenged and confronted the power structure in different areas during the turbulent decade of the 1960s. The decade opened with various attempts by young black Americans, supported by progressive young whites, to integrate public transportation and various public facilities in the Confederate states (Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and so on) of the United States, the Deep South states which practiced segregation, which was known in South Africa as apartheid.

Letter to the Editor: Fool’s paradise …
Dear Editor, China has just said it will reject and ignore a ruling at the International Court in The Hague regarding its territorial claims in the South China Sea, which was not in its favour, and brought against it by the Philippines. It also said that it will continue to defend its claim. China claims 90 per cent of the South China Sea. The ruling was binding, but the Court has no power of enforcement. Both China and the Philippines are signatories of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the ruling was made by its arbitration tribunal. Other countries which have claims are Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. However, the Philippines is the first to take China to court. The South China Sea is a lucrative trade route and unusually rich in natural resources.

Letter to the Editor: BQ, Jr. answers Norman
Dear Editor, During my perusal of the online edition of your publication, I came across the feature article dated 29 June 2016, entitled “When will Belizeans/New Yorkers take a stand?” by Norman Fairweather. With your permission, kindly permit me to respond and put on record a clarification of what appears to be a misinterpretation and misconception of the Belize City Council’s (BCC) delegation’s visit to New York in June. Let the record show that the BCC’s delegation’s visit was on invitation via retired U.S. Army Lt. Gerard Placide; with the primary focus of networking and relationship capacity building in the areas of municipality management, religious outreach and possible investors. It is a fact that on the itinerary for the BCC’s delegation there was a meeting with Belizean-Americans inclusive of members of the Belize International Solidarity Movement (BISM) on June 13th, 2016. It was the only scheduled meeting with them. The meeting was predominantly an open forum designed to address the needs and concerns of the individuals present; hence the direction the discussion took and the matters discussed were those that the audience found most important.

A call for Belizean self-reflection and unity
The British monarch, the day following Brexit when many in Britain, Europe, and around the world spoke as though the end-of-the-world draweth nigh, memorably declared, “I’m still alive.” Some news outlets reported this was merely a jest, a joke. The shock of Brexit is now receding. The stock markets have adjusted and largely recouped their losses (regardless of who won or who lost). The tone of the anti-British EU factions have been effectively silenced. The President of the EU Commission, Jean-Claude Junker, amongst the loudest anti-British EU voices, has been disciplined by her biggest political advocate, Germany’s Angela Merkel. For Germany, it’s not ideology or Brexit-no Brexit that rules, but rather it’s what’s in the self-interest of the German nation that must prevail. Truly great nations, or better phrased—truly resilient and progressive nations—know not just how to survive, but also to thrive, regardless. I subscribe to the adage, “Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you respond.” This is the story of my own life.

Of gang intervention through education
There is no need for the Belizean people at home and abroad to try to make it appear that the exploding violence presently engulfing Belize City and the surrounding villages in Belize District is not about the Belizean black youth that is in crisis. Since 1989 when Belize’s gang violence exploded, all statistics have pointed directly to the black Belizean population as being the ones annihilating themselves through gun violence. I think it is a good thing for some Belizeans at home and abroad to be asking what can be done about the violent crime rate that has brought about a state of emergency in Belize. Belizeans at home and abroad need to understand that Belize’s gang problem was exported from abroad, from the mean streets of South Central Los Angeles and other United States cities where black Belizeans migrated and resided. It was also exported through the arrival of American television in the 1980’s through films like New Jack City and Colors.

Ban gill nets, says Coast Guard
A gill net is a large fish net that hangs vertically in the water. Floats line the top of the net, while weights line the bottom. The net is made of transparent material, so fish and other animals are unable to see it. The mesh size (or size of the net holes) that a fisherman selects, depends on the size of the specie they want to capture. Small mesh sizes are used when targeting small species and large mesh sizes are used when targeting large species. The mesh size or net holes are designed to be large enough for the head of the fish to pass through it, but not its body. As a result, when fish swim into the net they are entangled by their gills, and they drown. Some nets stretch up to 40 miles long, in the open ocean, while other gill nets stretch for one to two miles (which is still long), and they are typically 10-50 feet in width. Fishermen may leave these nets in the water for a few hours to a couple of days.

When Government betrayal of youth in Belize creates Black On Black crime!
In the memory of Karim Yasin Hafiya (Keon Gentle) The Barrow administration is squarely to be blamed for the carnage we see on the streets of Belize with this explosion of black on black crime. They have gone out all the way since their coming to power in 2008 to make sure that Belizeans in the diaspora, who returned to make a difference, were not afforded the opportunity to do so, especially the ones that had challenged them in the past since their coming to power in 1984 through the Esquivel administration. There is a whole history of strained relations between this particular government in power today, and some Belizeans abroad who resisted the draconian policies in which they continue to use to govern Belize today. And the same thing can be said of that regime that is now called the Opposition. It has got to be known that BREDAA’s chairman, Nuri Akbar Estrada, made a significant contribution in Belize in 2008 in lending his skills and expertise in youth development, whereby addressing the crisis of black Belizean youth disenfranchisement and marginalization when he worked in the Youth Cadet Core in Belize as an organizer for the program.

Spoiled molasses posing a problem for ASR/BSI
Another crisis is fermenting around the sugar industry, and it involves the industry’s supply of molasses, which is derived after tons of sugar cane have been processed. There are many ways in which molasses can be used, for example, in horticulture to feed microorganisms which improve the quality of soil, to make fertilizers and in the production of rum. As a result, molasses production, too, is a source of financial benefit to the north of the country. ASR/BSI, the owners of the sugar mill, issued a release this week saying that there’s been a case of what is referred to as a Maillard Reaction. Maillard Reaction, named after the French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard, who discovered the process, is somewhat similar to the process of caramelization, where carbohydrates like sugar turn brown when heated, according to culinaryarts.about.com However, when this process occurs, it can leave a carbon residue, which can become lethal if not properly removed.

GOB cites Santander Sugar for environmental breaches
The Government of Belize has cited Santander Sugar, a Guatemalan company which recently started sugar production in Belize, for alleged environmental breaches, after officials had conducted assessments which they said confirmed that the company altered White Water Lagoon, which is considered a sensitive area. Dr. Colin Young, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development, told Amandala when we interviewed him on Wednesday that about 6 weeks or so ago, they received information of some alleged breaches by Santander of their Environmental Compliance Plan (ECP). Amandala understands that the Government was alerted by civil society after it was discovered over more than a month ago. Young said that he then sent a team to investigate, comprised of officials of the Department of the Environment, the Fisheries Department and the Forestry Department. The team, Young said, visited twice and reported that Santander had violated its ECP.

The Reporter

SIB raising the bar on delivering quality statistics
The Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) is taking the lead on improving the national statistics system, which will improve the quality of all government departments which provide stats for decision making. Deputy Director General of the SIB, Diana Castillo-Trejo, explained on Friday that the Institute […]

HelpAge calls for vigilant self checks for diabetics
HelpAge Belize is calling for diabetic patients, particularly those who are elderly, to be more vigilant in checking for health problems associated with diabetes. Executive Director of HelpAge, Ivorine Bulwer, explained on Friday that she has noticed increasing incidents of diabetes-related strokes, blindness, amputations, and […]

Ministry of Foreign affairs gets new office
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this week, showcased its new office building, paid for by the Government of the Republic of China/Taiwan (ROCT). The ROCT paid some US $1.5 million for the lavish three story structure, which has just below 10,500 sq.ft, and sits on a half […]

CARICOM countries pass treaty to extradite fugitives wanted back home
Heads of governments who attended the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) 37th Regular Conference in Guyana have voted to begin extraditing fugitives wanted in their respective CARICOM countries to face trial for various crimes. CARICOM Chairman, Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit told reporters following the conference that […]

Belize and Guyana sign framework agreement
The government of Belize and the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, last week, signed a framework agreement aimed at increasing cooperation between the two countries. Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington signed the agreement on Belize’s behalf, along with Vice-President Carl B. Greenidge, signing on […]

Security guard executed on arrival at home
Kareim Hafiya, 40, also known as “Buzzard”, met his death where most people consider their safest place to be - home, on Plues Street just before 4:00 a.m., Saturday. The security guard worked at the House of Culture by day and at Bottom Dollar by […]

Roaring Creek loses second resident to weekend gun violence
Maleek Norris, 18, became the weekend’s second victim to die by gun violence over the weekend. Norris left his house at around 2:30 Sunday afternoon en route to a friend’s house. Somewhere along the way, in the Another World area, however, he encountered someone with […]

Kent Brooks passes away
Eleven days after being severely wounded from a gun shot wound to the chest, 18-year-old Kent Brooks, died at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) this week. Brooks died on Sunday July 10, at around 10:00 a.m. after being shot to the chest on La Croix Boulevard […]

Another Belize City murder; Roger Banner dead
Roaring Creek resident, Roger Banner, 19, was gunned down as he spoke with his girl on East Canal near Public’s Supermarket shortly after 9:00 p.m., when another man rode up to him and shot him in the head. Banner was reportedly sitting on the yellow […]

Belize pushing for Schengen Visa waver
The Government of Belize is working with the member countries of the Schengen area of Europe to get the country on the list for Schengen Visa waivers. Sources within the ministry of Foreign Affairs explained this week that Belize has reached out to Schengen members through the […]

Dip in value of euro and British pound has immediate impact on Belize
The recent dip in the exchange rate with the British pound and the European Union’s (EU) euro currencies has had immediate effect on Belize’s. This is because our dollar is pegged to the US dollar, and the pound and euro have lost value compared to […]

Away with gill net fishing
The outlawing of gill nets can result in the addition of hundreds of millions of dollars into Belize’s economy, increasing employment in the fisheries industry. The movememt to outlaw gill nets had its inception in 2004. It had an exceptionally good start and progressed until it […]

Lova Boy performs at the Los Angeles Cultural Festival
Lova Boy performed at the 2016 Los Angeles Culture Festival in Hollywood as the headline performer on June 25. The six-day carnival celebration held on Hollywood boulevard featured Lova Boy’s performance on the fourth day. The carnival was celebrated under the theme ‘Parade of the Bands’, as he energetically entertained […]

Teresa May is Britain’s new P.M. Smoothest transition in a sea of turmoil
Former British Home Secretary, Theresa May is now Britain’s second female Prime Minister. She was sworn in on Wednesday in one of the smoothest transitions in recent years amids’t some of the most unsettling times, after Britain voted to leave the European Union. She became the only legitimate candidate after […]

Santander Sugar’s ECP violation liable for DOE fine
Santander Sugar, the US $175 million sugar cane growing and processing facility built on 20,000 acres in Valley of Peace, Cayo District, will be liable for a fine levied by the Department of the Environment (DOE) for two drainage ditches dug on Santander land […]

Editorial
In recent weeks Oceana Belize has been engaged in a vigorous campaign to end all forms of gill net shing in Belize. This is the most important problem facing Belizean sheries today and we hope that our new Minister of Agriculture, who has shown himself to be energetic and conscientious, […]

Get serious about Chiquibul! Say conservationists to officials
Two conservation groups that co¬manage the extensive Chiquibul Forest, which cuts across the Belize/Guatemala western border have joined efforts to appeal to the two governments to give more serious assistance to protecting the reserve. Concerned by the level of encroachments that have been occurring on both […]

BSI-ASR molasses consumed by Maillard reaction
Belize Sugar Industries and its parent company, American Sugar Refiners (BSI-ASR) have been exporting its molasses soon after the crop started at Tower Hill Sugar Factory in Orange Walk, but this week announced that due to an unprecedented phenomenon called a Maillard reaction, the […]

GOB makes first payment to Ashcroft
The Government of Belize paid over $190 million to the Ashcroft Alliance this week as part of the arbitration award for the nationalization of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL). On Tuesday, 10 days after the three¬member Permanent Court of Arbitration handed down its ruling, GOB paid the money, most of it […]

FALSE ALARM! Chester did NOT resign
Sharp comments on Facebook this week by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Chester Williams, which were interpreted to mean he was leaving the Belize Police Department and take up law practice full¬time drew immediate response from his sympathizers. This prompted Williams to clarify in a […]

Breaking Belize News

Police Youth Cadet finishes 19th annual Summer Camp
The 19th annual Belize Police Youth Cadet Summer Camp was held over the past week and today organizers and participants held an official closing ceremony. The 277 youth cadets from across the country, including San Pedro, Ambergris Caye took part in a small parade through […]

The 50th Benque Viejo Fiesta is both cultural and religious in origin
Being celebrated this weekend, it is the official veneration of the patron saint of the village, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The commemoration begins with a solemn religious celebration – Las Alboradas. The loud bells signal the daily early morning service leading up to the 16th […]

Four-way pileup in City snarls traffic
A chain reaction originally begun with this morning’s turnover of a Bowen and Bowen vehicle in Ladyville resulted in two vehicles traveling into Belize City being severely damaged. Because of the Ladyville scene, traffic had slowed coming into Belize City, with cars nearly bumper to […]

BTB hosts digital marketing summit
Social media has become the marketplace of the future, and in some cases, the present, as business strive to reach new customers and maintain existing ones. It is no different for the tourism industry, where every property promises a different experience for the visitor. The […]

When a man loves a woman…
21 year old Ernestine Noralez, known as “Queenie”, originally from Dangriga Town but now residing in Double Head Cabbage, Belize District, is accused of stabbing her common-law partner once in the chest, near the heart, almost killing him as a result. That was about a […]

Luis Carter charged in San Pedro confrontation
Construction worker 23 year old Luis Carter has been arraigned for attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm and dangerous harm upon Dwayne Hyde and for aggravated assault upon Kimberly Humes, his common-law wife, following an incident reported earlier this week on the island of […]

More drugs and a firearm off Punta Gorda Streets
Punta Gorda Police and the K-9 Unit conducted operations in that town and confiscated 562 gram of cannabis on Wednesday. The first batch of 156 grams was found at the residence of Anthony Johnson. Police have arrested and charged Anthony Johnson, 36, Sean Garcia, 25; […]

Multiple car collision in Belize City
There was a five-vehicle collision on the Philip Goldson highway near mile two and a half in Belize City this morning. There were no reports of anyone being seriously injured but several vehicles were damaged. More details coming up shortly. © 2016, www.breakingbelizenews.com. This article […]

Blogs

Pokémon Go frenzy makes its way to Ambergris Caye!
I have been a fan of the Pokémon Franchise for as long as I can remember. I have watched every single season of the anime, watched all the movies and specials, played all the games – as far back as Gameboy Color – and even own Pokémon merchandise. So there was no doubt that when Pokémon Go by Niantic was announced, I went completely nuts! And now that I’m playing it, I can clearly say “I will become the greatest Pokémon master of them all!” Within the first 24 hours of its release the game blew up – so much so, that it’s raised Nintendo’s (part owner of Niantic and one of the few companies that hold copyrights to Pokémon) stock value by $7.5 billion since its launch on Wednesday, July 6th. As of July 13, 2016, Pokémon Go has an estimated 15 million downloads – impressive! Everyone was jumping on the Pokémon Go bandwagon, and being the nerd and Poke Lover I am, I downloaded it the first opportunity I had.

CHEF SAMUEL GONZALES OF RAIN RESTAURANT TAKES 3RD PLACE OF BTB’S TASTE OF BELIZE 2016
Taste of Belize 2016 was held over the past weekend (July 9th and 10th) in Orange Walk Town and Rain Rooftop Restaurant was well represented, taking home third place in the Master’s Chef Competition. 27-year-old, Chef Samuel Gonzalez was the representative for Rain in the competition and we were super excited to sit with him and chat about his first time experience competing in such a high profile culinary competition in Belize. Samii, as he is known by those around him, started cooking less than four years ago. He started off as a dish washer at what was then Wet Willy’s Smoke House Restaurant. Shortly after, he jumped at the opportunity to cook when they were short staffed. This was the beginning of his Chef story. In November of 2014 Samii started working at Rain as a Kitchen Assistant. After 4 short months at Rain, Samii became sous chef, then quickly worked his way to becoming a head chef in training. Samii spoke about his experience: “As the competition began they started reading out the bios of all the different chefs competing. They all had over 7 years’ experience and some of them even owned their own restaurants. I was really nervous.”

Welcome to Belize, suitable for framing
This is a photo of my back yard — or front yard, depending on your penchant for pedantry. I must confess it has been really really hard to take a bad picture of this. And it is quite stunning to watch the composition shift with the introduction of weather, sunrises, strolling people, boats, storms and even the careless placement of a wheelbarrow and ladder (as you can see above). The hardest thing to do is incorporate the lovely birds and butterflies that soar in and out of this composition. No picture has yet done justice to the hummingbirds, orioles, pelicans, blackbirds and yellow butterflies in migration that fill me with joy every day. However, I have a completely new way of looking at this scene. You might call it “through artists’ eyes.” My friend Ben Popik discovered this new app, called Prisma which takes the annoying image filters of Instagram, iPhones, etc. to a whole new level of quality. And a whole new way of seeing your own world. Ben is an artist, a film maker and he transformed a sweet photo of his wife, Joanna, holding baby chicks into a most artful and appealing portrait, using Prisma.

Your Belize Cooking Guide: How to Make Black Relleno Soup
Relleno – in Spanish, the word means “stuffed or filled!” In Belize, locals have grown accustomed to using the term Relleno, when referring to a black soup consisting of vegetables and chicken stuffed with pork and boiled eggs. The soup gains its dark colour, from the black Recado paste that is added which is made of local roasted peppers. This dish (like many other popular dishes in Belize), is common to Mestizo households of Northern Belize and is typically prepared for special occasions such as birthday parties, graduations and weddings. That doesn’t mean that you won’t find it anywhere else though, as the dish is now a common lunchtime meal at restaurants across the country and usually costs around $12 Belize dollars.

International Sources

Compact, diverse Belize an easy gateway to Central America
Typically, toucans don't show up at breakfast unless it's on a box of Froot Loops. Croaking like frogs, the four of them are eyeing my huevos rancheros from the branch of a vine-entangled tree beside the hotel balcony that also is a favorite hangout for a yard-long, lime-green iguana. Ninety-three miles away, rainbow parrotfish wait for snorkelers while bobbing around a world-class coral reef. A 30-minute drive from there, spider monkeys shriek from a jungle eternally trying to cover the ninth century ruins of a square-mile Mayan city. A country as diverse as any of its neighbors - and that you can drive across in 90 minutes - tiny Belize might be the easiest sampler for Central American first-timers. Add on that English is the primary language, the convenient location just south of Mexico, the good roads and a handful of excellent little airlines on which to hopscotch around, and the metaphor starts to seem obvious.

Should the Caribbean and Latin America should integrate more ?
Caribbean nations could work more closely together to promote trade and tourism and battle climate change and can integrate more closely with Latin America, say top politicians. Dr Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, speaking at the seventh summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in Havana, Cuba, says integration in Latin America and the Caribbean is realistic and would help the region face common challenges.

Videos

July 15, 2016

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

Specials and Events

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

The San Pedro Sun

CARILED drafts economic profile for San Pedro
In an effort to draft the local economic profile for San Pedro Town, Caribbean Local Economic Development Project (CARILED), along with The San Pedro Town Council, held an interactive consultation on Wednesday, July 6th at the Town Conference Room. CARILED is a six year project aimed to develop and test models of Local Economic Development (LED) across the Caribbean, and San Pedro is the only municipality in the Caribbean that has signed on to the second phase of the project. In attendance were stakeholders from the San Pedro Cancer Society, Rotary Club of Ambergris Caye, Belize Tourism Industry Association, San Pedro Lions Club, The San Pedro Sun, Amber Isle Taxi Association, Tour Operators, and San Pedro Taxi Federation.

Brodie’s Pharmacy hosts Health Fair
Brodie’s Pharmacy is based in Belize City as part of the James Brodie and Company Conglomerate. It counts on San Pedro residents as frequent shoppers, and such, decided to give back the community by hosting a Health Fair on Saturday, July 9th at the San Pedro Lions Den. The fair provided free blood pressure testing, glucose testing, and skin analysis by a Neutrogena Specialist. Samples of medications, Johnson & Johnson products, Neutrogena skin care products, and other promotional items were given away. Brodie’s Pharmacy is located on Regent Street in Belize City.

Inter-office Football competition continues
The Inter-Office Football Competition began six weeks ago, and 26 registered teams continue giving their all every week at the Honourable Louis Sylvester Sporting Complex. This past weekend was no exception and games were back in full force after a slight hiatus due to Town’s events. Once again, fans gathered at the sporting venue eager to support their favourite teams. The next matches are scheduled from Thursday, July 14th through Sunday July 17th at Complex starting at 7PM. Fans are encouraged to come out and support their teams as the competition continues.

Caye Notes
The San Pedro Town Public Library is hosting two programs this month: Literacy Camp 2016 and a Summer Tutoring Program 2016. All activities are free and the public is encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to have their children progress and learn new skill. Adelle’s International Outreach Program in San Pedro, together with the Human Rights Commission of Belize Belmopan is organizing a very important seminar that will take place on the 15th & 16th of July and is inviting the public to attend. The seminar will take place at the San Pedro Lions Club from 9am to 4pm on Friday, and 9am to 3pm on Saturday. There will be a variety of presentations. On Friday topics will include covering introductions and objectives of the workshop, what is the role and mandates of the Human Rights Commission of Belize and what are the rights of vulnerable groups such as women, children, disabled, and migrant individuals.

Taiwan donates towards scarlet macaw conservation
For the second consecutive year, the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has provided financial assistance towards to the conservation of Scarlet Macaws in Belize. On Wednesday, July 6th, Taiwan’s Forestry Bureau of the Council of Agriculture donated $20,000 to the Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD).

Five-a-Side Tournament heads into semi-finals
As always, fanatics gathered at the Angel Nuñez Auditorium on all four game nights to cheer on their favorite teams. In this phase of the competition, eliminations were only for the senior category, due to the size of the group; all little leagues and female teams remain in the tournament until the semi-finals. With the second round of games over, organizers tallied the points and announced the senior teams that had made it to the semi-finals. They are: Los Catrachos, Pro Divers, Scorpions FC and Boca Bombers. Organizers would like to congratulate all the teams that will be participating in the semi-finals. Special thanks goes out to E & L, Los Dorados, Island Pure Boys and United FC for participating in the tournament. Organizers would also like to wish all the eliminated teams the best in their sporting endeavours, and extend an invitation for them to sign up for future tournaments. The next round of games takes place from Friday, July 15th and Sunday, July 17th.

Ambergris Today

Pic of the Week - Stunning Pictures of Belize by Photographer Ravi Vora
Los Angeles based commercial and travel photographer Ravi Vora displays stunning images of Belize while he vacationed around the country to celebrate his girlfriends birthday. On his Instagram account, Ravi posts beautiful images that he captured while visiting, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker and Mainland Cayo district. Here are some of the ones we really liked:

Belize Continues to Deliver Impressive Tourism Results
In a press release today, July 14, 2016, the Belize Tourism Board announced that tourism in Belize is doing better than ever as the year reaches its half way mark. Overnight arrivals for January to June, 2016 has seen 213,430 visitors to Belize. This is an incredible 16.5% increase over the same period of 2015. Never before has the first six months of a year seen figures surpassing 200,000. All six months of 2016 have seen double digit increases, with January having the highest increase at 24%, followed by May, with a 19.6% increase. The US market continues to hold the highest share of travelers to Belize, making up close to 70% of our travelers. The first half of 2016 has seen 25.9% increase in US travelers. The European market has the second largest market share, making up 10.4% of visitors to Belize. Thus far, 2016 has had 22,109 European travelers, which is a 3.9% increase over the same period of 2015. The cruise industry has seen an overall increase of 2.6% for the first half of 2016. There has been an increase 16.1% in the 2nd quarter alone, with the months of May and June accounting for increase of 41.4% and 28.8% respectively.

Misc Belizean Sources

San Pedro Town Council Summer Camp 2016
Sign up your kids now! Exciting activities: Swimming, Football, Softball, Basketball and Taekwondo! ALL FREE OF COST! Sign up at the San Pedro Town Council or by calling Kent "Bob" Gabourel at 604-9013.

Costa Maya 1998!
Blast from the Past!

Ascenthium at Deja Vu
It's Benque Fiesta time, and it's the golden Benque Fiesta too. Ascenthium will be rocking the night away this Saturday, July 16th, at Deja Vu nightclub to celebrate the occasion. Their new tracks from Ghost Highway are wicked! If you missed them at Metal Haven, they you'll want to catch this show. If you saw them at Metal Haven, then you must see this show.

Montage of Miss Belize Winners
How many Miss Belize title holders can you name? Mark you calendars for this year's pageant: Sept. 10, 7 p.m. at Bliss Center for Performing Arts!

Belize Theatre Company presents "The Adventures of Tikky Blood"
A comedic play. July 14, 15, 16, Bliss Centre for Performing Arts

Percussion for Kids
July 18-29, Bliss Center. Perfect for energetic, creative children!

Cayo Art Collection 2016
July 22, San Ignacio

Classical Music Recital, Young Chamber Orchestra of Honduras
Great event at Il Baretto this Sunday, July the 17th from 7:00pm, Caye Caulker

Sugar Fest 2016 is near!
Join us on July 23rd at the BSI Field in Otro Benque, Orange Walk Town! Event kicks off at 9 am! Free entrance and all proceeds going towards participating charity groups!

Summer Art Wave 2016
Students of the Summer Art Wave 2016's Music Starts Here program are in their final days of instruction and rehearsals for Saturday night's performance at Art in the Park! You are kindly invited to the 7:30 pm performance!!!

"To The Mountain", Maya Children's Story
The Fajina Archaeology Outreach's 'To The Mountain' is available online for free. It's the story of some Classic Maya kids and their adventures around Xunantunich. It's in Yucatec Maya, Spanish, and English. Thanks, Fajina Outreach! "In these pages, you will find a story about two fictional Maya kids living during the Late Classic Maya period (600 - 900 CE) around the archaeological site of Xunantunich, Belize. Originally, Xunantunich was known as Katyaatz Witz ( Katyaats’ Wits’ ) or Clay Mountain. While fictional, this story is based on documented archaeological information and many cultural aspects of the ancient Maya. For example, the building illustrated on pages 33 and 37 is part of El Castillo acropolis and known as Structure A-6-2nd. Its stucco frieze still survives in part at El Castillo today."

World Culture Band at Cayo Welcome Center
The World Culture Band is playing at the Cayo Welcome Center this Saturday, July 16th, starting at 8:00pm. They had some great sets at D Catch on the 4th. Bring the entire family out for this free concert.

Digital Marketing Summit of Belize 2016!
Day One of the Digital Marketing Summit

Paradise Theater playing this weekend
Keanu, Sing Street, The Boss, Criminal

Channel 7

Guatemalans Push Into The Chiquibul Because They Are Hungry
Faithful viewers of 7News have seen us taken trips time and again into the beautiful but dangerous Chiquibul National Park. By now, even the casual viewer probably known a thing or two about this reserve which is under sustained pressure from illegal Guatemalan encroachments. But, one question that appeared to elude the public, is why do the Guatemalans continue to push in, and how do we stop it? Well, today, a Guatemalan Conservationist sat down with the media to discuss the widespread hunger and poverty which cause the Guatemalan living along the border to risk everything to push into the resource rich Chiquibul. 7News was there, and today, Daniel Ortiz takes a closer look at the answers provided:

Santander Gets Stop Order For Violating Environmental Compliance Plan
Santander paid one of the largest environmental fines in history in 2012 when the company coughed up one hundred thousand dollars for a massive trench they dug in the central corridor of the Belize district. Well now they've been flagged for another set of environmental violations - which includes the unauthorized damming of the whitewater lagoon - an area the company had been told specifically not to dam in its environmental compliance plan. Not only that, but the lagoon is a very unique eco-system which had been highlited in the Environmental Impact Assessment. Today the CEO in the Ministry of Environment Colin Young told 7News that they have issued four enforcement orders against Santander. These are also known as stop orders - but he stressed that there is no stop order against the company which continues operations. The enforcement orders are for breaches of their environmental compliance plan, for which the company will be fined under the penalties set out in the Environmental Protection act.

Overnight Tourism Shows Strong Growth
The tourism figures for the first half of 2016 are out and they are impressive. Between January and June of 2016, overnight tourist arrivals to Belize increased by 16.5% over 2015. A total of 213 thousand visitors travelled to Belize in the first half of the year - which is a record high, and thirty thousand more than the same period last year. January was strongest month with a 24% increase, and while that is the high season May - which is the low season - also showed strong growth with a 20% increase. And while there is increased airlift from South America with COPA, most of the increased visitors come from the US - in fact, there was a 25.9% increase in US travellers between January and June.

The Bank To Go To School
Today the Belize Bank held its 5th annual scholarship grant ceremony. Emanuel Pech found out how these scholarships touch lives. For many of us, going to high school has become something that it is taken for granted. But the reality in Belize is that on average, only a third of the number of students who enroll in primary school do so for high school. That's according to data from the Ministry of Education published last year. Now while there are many factors contributing to this daunting statistic one of the primary factors is money- or the lack of it. That is why several organizations invest heavily in student scholarship programs, and Belize Bank is one of them. Today at a ceremony inside the Radisson Hotel in Belize City. Some 18 deserving students were granted full high school and sixth form scholarships. Judith Parham is one of those lucky recipients. Judith Parham - Scholarship Recipient: "I'm so happy that I received this scholarship because due to my father's illness, it was really hard to find the money to go to high school. But now that I received this scholarship I have the opportunity and the chance to be a better person and further my education to serve my beautiful country Belize."

Wizz For Attempted Murder
Police have charged one man for a shooting yesterday morning on San Pedro. 30 year old Dwayne Hyde was shot by a man he used to associate with. He is Luis Manuel Carter known as Wizz - and Hyde stabbed him in the scuffle. San Pedro police today charged the 23 year old for attempted murder. Hyde received a shot to the midsection and remains in a serious condition tonight.

Accused of Stoning A Bus Driver
A 35 year old student of St. John's Junior College is in police custody tonight after he was unable to meet his bail for charges related to robbery. According to bus conductor Samir Martinez, Hemmans stole $300 dollars from him. Martinez says that he was at the bus terminal parking lot on Tuesday when Hemmans approached him from behind and stoned a rock at him. His purse fell and that is when Hemmans allegedly picked it up and ran. Officers from the Strike Team later apprehended Hemmans, who was taken into the police station to be charged. In court today Hemmans gave an entirely different account of the story. He told the court that he was the one who was aggressed. He explained that while riding the bus he was insulted by the conductor and further berated for being short of a dollar. He explained to the court that the only reason he ran was because the conductor called the driver and together both of them set chase after him.

K-9 In Punta Gorda
After a 2 day search, PG Police and the K-9 Unit found 1 pound of weed and a shot gun. Between yesterday and Tuesday the team charged 4 men after they found 5 ounces of weed at one of their homes. They are 36 year old Anthony Johnson, 25 year old Sean Garcia, 38 year old Denbigh Dwight and 34 year year old Gary Cooper. Later on they found 7 ounces in an abandoned lot on Jose Maria Nunez Street, not far from Johnson's home. They also found another 7 ounces at another abandoned lot on that same street. In total police found 1 pound of weed. The men were all charged for drug trafficking. Now apart from the weed, police also found a 12 gauge pump action shot gun in Indianville, Punta Gorda.

BSI Coming To Terms With The Molasses Meltdown
Last night we told you about the situation at ASR/BSI - where the molasses which is a by product of sugar production had - basically - gone bad, due to a very unusual chemical reaction - one so unusual that it's never happened before. It's consequential because these molasses still have export value - and now that value is lost, plus there is a disposal problem. Today our colleagues at CTV - 3 found out more from the technical experts at BSI: BSI Representative "We are determined that the only material that had been compromised was the material that was inside the Number 1 Molasses Storage Tank. As soon as we were aware that the reaction was taking place, we moved quickly in an effort to try to remove that material from the tank in order to preserve the integrity of that tank. All the steps that were taken were done in an environmentally friendly manner to ensure that we do not compromise the environment in the process of removing that material from the Number 1 Tank. We also put cooling water on that tank to try to slow the rate of the reaction and then we were constantly monitoring the material inside that tank and we have determined that the reaction has been completed and therefore poses no threat at this point in time."

De-Risking Doing-In Belize
Banks in the Caribbean continue to suffer the effects of de-risking. It is all due to the US Treasury Department and its anti money laundering measures. As a result corresponding banks in America have been pulling out of the Caribbean, making it difficult to impossible to process payments to foreign companies in US dollars. The Belize Bank was on of the first to be affected when the Bank of America - cut ties with them earlier this year. So how is the bank subsisting? We asked them the Chairman of Belize Bank today. Lyndon Guiseppi- Chairman, Belize Bank Ltd.: "Belize has been impacted significantly, but I hastened to add, it's not a Belizean phenomenon. Most of the countries in the Caribbean, from Trinidad in the south to Jamaica in the north, have had the loss of corresponding banks in the last two years. Belize is peculiarly juxtaposed in Central America between Mexico and Guatemala, have found itself I guess at the tip of the spear. But what I would say is that we are finding solutions to work around that and that while the crisis hasn't come to an end, the banks in Belize, certainly Belize Banks - we are finding ways to provide the corresponding banking services to our clients for them to get their money out of the country and to allow money to come into the country. We are extremely optimistic that this matter is going to be resolve in the short term and we are already on the road to recovery."

Reuters Reports on effects of De-risking in Belize
But the Belize situation is much bigger than just the Belize Bank. In fact it's so big that Reuters - one of the largest news agencies in the world recently zoned in on Belize - to illustrate how widespread the problem is in the entire Caribbean. Here's the brief video report they put together:... That story is just the brief video counterpart to an in depth print story - which you can find a link to at 7Newsbelize.com.

Roland Rivers Rolls
A man who got himself in an accident and was busted with weed back in February was freed of charges that could have landed him in jail for three years. 34 year old Roland Rivers was reportedly driving a burgundy ford escape on February 5th between miles 16 and 17 on the Northern Highway when he got into an accident. Traffic personnel responded to the scene where they found the vehicle extensively damaged and River's apparently intoxicated. Inside the Vehicle police discovered 14 pounds of weed and a stash of contraband beers. He was arrested and charged for drug trafficking. But in court today it was revealed that Rivers never got full disclosure from the prosecutor and as a result the matter was struck out.

Housing Help For Helpage
HelpAge members will now enjoy their recreational center without the ceiling leaks and mold. The Executive Director Ivorine Bulwer called us over today to see their brand new roof. It only took about a week to complete and Bulwer told us how these repairs will make the center a more welcoming space for the elderly. Ivorine Bulwer - Executive Director, HelpAge "This building has been around over 50 years. Initially, it was called the poor house. It was handed over to HelpAge Belize in 1984 and over the years the building started deterioration and we were having quite a number of challenges with the rain and last year with the torrential rain, we had experience some losses with our equipment and we had submitted a claim to the Insurance Corporation ICB. The claim that we made had nothing to do with the torrential rain.

Channel 5

George Gough Liable for Medical Negligence
Chairman of the Belize Medical Council and Laparoscopic Surgeon George Gough has been found liable for negligence in a medical malpractice lawsuit brought against him in 2013 for a gallbladder [...]

ASR/B.S.I. Assess Impact of Molasses Phenomenon
Tonight, ASR/B.S.I., along with the Department of Environment’s technical personnel, is working around the clock to contain a large quantity of molasses. How that will be done, is yet to [...]

Santander Works to Contain Molasses Spill
As ASR/B.S.I. deals with its molasses woes and tries to assess the financial impact, Santander is dealing with its own problems where that excessively sweet by-product is concerned. In their [...]

Santander Says No Stop Order Issued
Santander, the mega-million dollar investment in sugar cane growing and milling, has been issued with a stop order by the Department of the Environment. News Five brought you that story [...]

Company Has Remedied Environmental Breaches
Burke says that during a routine site visit by the Department of the Environment, they were informed that those works should not have been done without the express permission of [...]

Representative Says Minor Glitches Aside Company is Boon to Country
The state of the art facility, set on twenty-thousand acres in Valley of Peace, is one of the largest investments in Belize, close to two hundred million dollars. Burke says [...]

Chairman Says Belize Bank is Recovering from Derisking Woes
For the past two years, correspondent banks in the U.S and Europe have been cutting relations with banks across the Caribbean. Since 2015, the U.S. has been putting the squeeze [...]

Poverty is the Cause of Illegal Chiquibul Incursions
The Chiquibul National Park and the preservation of the bountiful resources within its boundaries are once more in the forefront.  The uphill struggle to monitor, manage and defend this huge [...]

Organized Crime Funding Guatemalan Communities Rape of Chiquibul
According to Castellanos the illegal incursions are caused by poverty, but that poverty is used to great effect by organized crime cartels which reap the lucrative dividends of the illegal [...]

Is Your Financial Data Really Safe?
The banking system is among several private and public institutions that deal with highly confidential or very sensitive personal information.  In this case, it is restricted data regarding individual and [...]

Local Banks Meet to Discuss Security of Restricted Information
According to Cory Caseres, it is necessary to continually invest in training and development to ensure that banks are able to safely store sensitive information across local IT landscapes.   [...]

Roland Rivers Freed From Weed Charges
On February fifth, 2016, Roland Raheem Rivers was busted inside a Ford Escape loaded with fourteen pounds of weed.  He was also allegedly found in possession of contraband beers but [...]

Sixth Form Student in Jail for Robbery
A Belize City man has been unable to post bail and is in police custody accused of committing a broad daylight robbery against a bus conductor on Tuesday at the [...]

Belize Bank Provides 22 High School/Sixth Form Scholarships
Twenty-two students were today granted high school and sixth scholarships. It is the fifth year in a row, that the Belize Bank has stepped up to the plate to ensure [...]

B.T.B. Hosts Digital Branding Conference
Day one of a two-day conference on digital branding took started this afternoon at the Biltmore Plaza in Belize City. The Belize Tourism Board is hosting the country’s second annual [...]

Tourism Stats Up for 2016
The 2016 tourism stats for the first half of the year are in and the numbers are consistently up. There is a twenty-four percent increase from January to June, with [...]

B.T.B. Manager Says Stats Will Surpass 2015 Figures
But while the U.S. market continues to hold the highest share of travelers to Belize, making up close to seventy percent of visitors to the Jewel, Gamero says that the [...]

Healthy Living: Are You Affected with A.D.D.?
Have you been told repeatedly that you’re disorganized? Do you have problems with procrastination? Do you struggle with deadlines? How about being consistently late, no matter how early you wake [...]

CTV3

Opposition Leader Weighs In On First Payment Made For BTL
Yesterday the government of Belize delivered the first half of the over half a billion dollar settlement for the nationalization of the Belize Telemedia Ltd, as set by the permanent court of arbitration. Information is that of the almost two hundred million dollars paid, one hundred and forty million dollars was paid in Belize currency and thirty-eight million dollars was paid in U.S. currency. The entire nationalization of B.T.L. is an elaborate scheme, one which Opposition Leader John Briceño says is costing taxpayers over $500 million for a company that is worth far less than what is being reported by the Prime Minister, something that will untimely bring about more hardships to the Belizean people.

Opposition Leader Stands In Agreement With BBCI on BTL Negotiations
On Tuesday the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BBCI) issued a release chastising the Government of Belize on the nationalization of Belize Telemedia, stating that the acquisition was not made under the parameter of the law, also adding that GOB’s prolonged negotiations will create a negative impact on all Belizeans. Today Leader of the Opposition spoke on the release issued by the BBCI commending them for their stand on the matter and supported their stance that the acquisition was not made in the best interest of the Belizean people and in the end the entire process was a concession on the part of GOB towards the previous owners of Belize Honorable John Briceno – Opposition Leader People’s United Party: “I am happy that the Chamber of Commerce finally came out, they would tell you that they were careful, trying to be cautious and they wanted to look at all the facts, they met with the Prime Minister and they met with us and then they took out their Press Release, their position as to the whole fiasco in the Nationalization of BTL. The chamber has always has always been cautioning the government on this, on the acquisition of BTL and saying that they must follow the law because they have not been following the law...”

Orange Walkenos getting Value for Money
Currently the Orange Walk Town Council is investing one million dollars in the rehabilitation of ten streets that are heavily trafficked by Orange Walkenos and visitors on a daily basis. Today it is evident that progress is being made as the work continues. And attesting to that is San Andres Street which received its first coat of primer earlier this afternoon in preparation for the actual paving of the street in a few weeks to come. The council will also be applying a coat of primer on San Francisco and Stadium Street sometime next week, therefore, residents are advised once more to be extra cautious when walking in these specific areas.

Sport of Volleyball A Huge Hit At Summer Camp
As we told you at the top of the newscast, today marked the fourth day of the annual Summer Sports Camp here in Orange Walk Town sponsored by the Honourable john Briceno. The sports camp gives participants an opportunity to learn more about football, volleyball and basketball. Today we caught up with one of the facilitators from the volleyball category, Benedicto Ramos Sr. who stressed on the significance of teaching the children how to acquire the basic skills and techniques that are essential to play that particular sport. Benedicto Ramos Sr. – Facilitator “What we’re are doing is cool volleyball and this is really beginners volleyball, it is not the high level volleyball that the adults play this one we are trying to teach the children the basic rules for example, the three touches one, two and three and over the net and then we don’t put them to do overhand pass or underhand pass they do catch and toss and this is the beginning sets for volleyball and we’ve been doing it for two years at this camp and some of the kids are coming back because they see that it is to develop skills.”

Party Leader John Briceno Speaks on Guatemalans Trip To The SarstoonSince Monday we have been reporting on the trip to the Sarstoon taken over the weekend by a group of Guatemalan civilians. The Guatemalans who belong to a social media group called “Belice es de Guatemala” claimed to have circled the entire island venturing well into Belizean territory, bearing Guatemalan flags and Guatemalan maps including Belize as part of their territory. On Tuesday Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke about the trip, saying that he was not surprised at the presence of the nationalistic civilians, today leader of the opposition Hon. John Briceño shared his input on the situation, stating that he is not at all taken aback by the FM’s response to the alleged intrusion since his reaction to the entire Guatemala Claim has always been concessionary towards them.
Since Monday we have been reporting on the trip to the Sarst

LOVE FM

Tourism Arrivals Exceed Past Figures
Tourism continues to be one of the top revenue generators for Belize and it is expected to become even greater with the upcoming Harvest Caye Port in southern Belize. For now, however, tourism is booming and the Belize Tourism Board has sent out the statistics on tourist arrivals describing them as being impressive. With the […]

Chetumal Records Increase in Belizean Visitors
And while, the Belize Tourism Board is boasting of the large number of visitors from the US and Europe coming to Belize, the officials in Chetumal, Quintana Roo are speaking of an influx of Belizeans crossing the border. According to the publication, La Jornada Maya, there has been a significant increase in locals heading over […]

Maillard Reaction – A First for Belize Sugar Industries
For the first time in its history, Belize Sugar Industries is dealing with what is called Maillard Reaction in one of their tanks. Maillard Reaction is a chemical reaction signaled by froth fermentation caused by the quality of the cane delivered at the mill which contains high levels of reducing sugars. The company issued a […]

Chiquibul Continues to Be Raped by the Guatemalans
Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) in Belize has teamed up with Balam Association of Guatemala in combating the territory war that is currently ongoing in the Chiquibul Forest. The Chiquibul Forest Reserve landscapes goes beyond Belize’s boarder into Guatemala which then becomes Montas Mayas Biosphere Reserve. Rafael Manzanero, Executive Director of Friends for Conservation […]

Belize’s Foreign Minister Yet to See The Chiquibul
One of the main reasons for incursions as reported by the Balam Association of Guatemala is poverty and the abandonment of the adjacency zone communities by the Guatemalan Government. While most of the projects being worked on are not funded by their Government, Byron Castellanos Executive Director of Balam Association says they are confident that […]

US Embassy Calls for Applications for the Humphrey Fellowship Award
Assistance from the US State Department through the US Embassy is nothing new to Belize as they have been engaged in several programs geared at promoting the enhancements in education, culture and technical cooperation. One such program is the Humphrey Fellowship Award which is currently open for applications as explained by the US Ambassador, Carlos […]

Moving Up in the Digital Age in Tourism
Dozens of stakeholders in the tourism industry attended an all-day session on digital marketing hosted by the Belize Tourism Board at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize City. Presentations were made by representatives of Expedia, The O Group, Gravity Media, among others. Maynor Larrieu has responsibility for the digital media unit at the Belize […]

US Ambassador Tours Belize’s Youth Services
With various programs currently ongoing at the Department for Youth Services in Belize City, the US Ambassador, Carlos Moreno paid a visit to the institution today, where he witnessed first-hand what the young persons are learning over the summer holiday. Sabrina Daly is the Public Relations officer for the Regent Street based facility. According to […]

GOB’s Financial Adviser Talks BTL Arbitration
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry shared its perspective on the BTL arbitration award yesterday. In its release the BCCI questions the delay in reaching a settlement. Today, Love News sat down with Government’s Technical and Financial Advisor, John Mencias who addressed some of the concerns that have been floating in the general public, […]

The Guardian

How Did 7 Year litigation with Ashcroft impact Government Coffers?
The usual suspects have flocked the airwaves to criticize Government’s execution of the BTL nationalization. They claim that the administration cost Belizeans millions of dollars for dragging out the legal battle with the Ashcroft Alliance. This argument is based on the fact that Government must pay $191 million in interest for the seven years that has passed since the acquisition of shares belonging to the alliance in August of 2009. If Government had compensated the previous owners of BTL immediately after the takeover, the country would have saved all this money. NOT TRUE. The truth is that if Government compensated the former owners of BTL immediately after the nationalization it would have taken hundreds of millions more out of its account to do so. | Government’s Financial Advisor, John Mencias, and BTL’s Chairman, Net Vaquez, appeared on Love Television’s “The Morning Show” on Wednesday, July 13, to make their best attempt at explaining the compensation so a child may understand. If Government wanted to compensate the previous owners immediately without litigation they would have had to agree to the value being claimed. The former owners were claiming $10.23 per share of BTL. They owned 95 percent of the company, 45,199,961 shares.

Investing on the Southside - Cumberbatch field reconstructed
The Belize City Council is closely working with the Ministry of Human Development and Social Transformation and Poverty Alleviation in the implementing of what is called the Youth and Community Transformation Project. Among other investments to be made is the rehabilitation of the Wilton Cumberbatch field located in the Yarborough area. The contract which was awarded to SM Construction Limited is for BZD$905,879.04. Supervised by Young's Engineering and Project Engineer Esther Ayuso, the project will feature the complete upgrade of the facility to include the rehabilitation of the field as well as the basketball court. The entire park will be more user friendly with better lighting facilities as well as play areas for children.

New office Building for Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taxpayers save money
Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington, H. E. Benjamin Ho, the Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize, and H. E. Lawrence Sylvester, held a modest opening ceremony of the new headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It’s a 3 million dollar residence located at #10 Saint Mark Street, and the purchase document was officially signed on Tuesday, July 12. The property is called Casa De Fiori, and not one cent of the 1.5 million US dollar cost is coming out of the pockets of Belizean Taxpayers. It’s all being afforded from money that the Taiwanese Government had been giving to Belize to strengthen its Foreign Affairs Ministry, as one of the SICA countries. With the purchase of Casa De Fiori, this very important ministry now has its own offices for the first time in its history of existence. Previously, the Foreign Affairs Ministry was being housed at the NEMO building in Belmopan. That arrangement was inconvenient to the NEMO Ministry, since it has need of that space.

CODICADER 2016
Three months ago, Elodio Aragon Jr., Minister of State, Ministry of Youth & Sports introduced CODICADER to the Belizean Public, “This is the first time ever Belize will hold the under-thirteen CODICADER Games for primary school students. It has not been an easy task because at the end of the day everything comes down to resources. But I’m proud to know that we have come together at the level of the Ministry, at the level of the National Sports Council, stakeholders and businesses in Belize to make this a reality. This will become a reality for Belize and I know that we are all anxious for this to happen here in July. This will be a great social and economic opportunity for Belize.” And so is was that Belize was this year, for the first time since its inception, the host for the “Under 13 CODICADER games”. CODICADER is the CENTRAL AMERICAN council of Sports and recreation. It was created on the 6th October, 1992 ironically in Guatemala City by state officials of the sports and recreation organizations of the Central American countries.

Taiwan’s donates to September Celebrations
The Republic of China (Taiwan) has once again made a contribution towards Belize’s September Celebrations. On Tuesday, July 12, His Excellency Benjamin Ho, Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize, handed over a check for BZE$40,000 to the Co-Chairperson of the September Celebrations Commission, Diane C. Haylock at the House of Culture in Belize City. In his presentation, Ambassador Ho voiced his pleasure in being able to contribute to the 35th anniversary of Belize’s Independence and the 218th anniversary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye. In accepting the donation, the Co-Chair of the September Celebrations Commission expressed her gratitude on behalf of the Chair, Hon. Manuel Heredia, Jr., to the embassy for their continued show of friendship and solidarity to the people of Belize and conveyed that the money will be used to enhance various cultural activities on the calendar of events this year.

Attending the health needs of Cayo Central
Two teams of doctors and nurses from Boston attended to patients from both Santa Elena and Buena Vista in the Cayo Central Division this week. The Headquarters for the Cayo Central Division became a temporary clinic on Monday as both doctors and nurses prepared their shift to attend to the health needs of local residents. Medications were also given out free of charge by the attending doctors to all patients. For Arita Lemus, it was a special occasion as her oncologist Dr. Steve Stokes, who had successfully treated her in the past was among the team of visiting medics. Dr. Steve Stokes and nurses were also attending patients in Buena Vista. The Hon. Rene Montero, Representative for the Cayo Central Division was recently in Buena Vista to greet the medical team.

Mexican Navy helps Belizean Coast Guard recover
The Mexican Navy has been very generous with an injured Belize Coast Guard Officer who lost a limb due to an unfortunate accident. He’s Petty Officer Class 3 Kevin Diego who accidentally shot himself in the left foot back in April 2016. He was on-duty and reports are that he was clearing his weapon when it went off. He was rushed to the KHMH for medical care, and due to complications, the doctors started recommending that he would have to amputate the left foot. There were medical complications which threatened his life, and that’s when his Coast Guard commanders contacted their counterparts from the Mexican Navy. They airlifted him to the Mexican Navy Hospital in Mexico City. There, the medical professionals saved his life, they performed the amputation. They assisted him with the healing process, and with the rehabilitation phase which accompanied the medical procedure.

Byron Pope’s test revealed four banned substances
For an athlete to challenge a suspension for doping they would have to make an application to the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne, Switzerland. Top Belizean cyclist Byron Pope is unlikely to do so after the National Anti-Doping Association (NADA) handed down a two year suspension on Thursday, July 7, for doping in the 26th Annual Krem New Years Cycling Classic. According to NADA, “The cyclist tested positive for the In-competition prohibited substances: Androstanediol Androsterone, Epitestosterone, Etiocholanolone, Testosterone all included as Endogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroid.” With this amount of banned substances in his system, it is difficult to believe Pope accidentally used performance enhancers. He is now the second top finisher to be suspended for samples taken from the 26th Classic.

Pittsology 101 - I Am Him, He is Me
Every time I hear sirens howling from a distance through the city streets, I can imagine that the lifeless body of a young, black man from Southside Belize City is being hauled away. I know that his mother is being assaulted by the memories of his first step, his preschool graduation, the potential she saw in him, and quite normally, she reflects on the first time he started giving trouble. I know that his father feels a sense of guilt, wishing he was around more. I know his girlfriend wishes he had spent the night next to her instead of on the unforgiving street side. I know that the lifeless body in the rusty pan of a police mobile was, one or two hours ago, powered by vibrations, illuminated by a smile covering the hopelessness, fear and anxieties of the young black man. Most importantly, I know that I am him and he is me. Our stories are all the same. I grew up on Pen Road in the heart of the South Side of Belize City. Hardly anyone on my street had a father present in the household, and most of us depended on a grandparent to serve as babysitter while our mothers would clock in extended hours at work to make ends meet.

Universal Postal Union and Belize Postal Service hold training sessions in Belize
The Universal Postal Union (UPU), in cooperation with the Belize Postal Service, held two separate training sessions in Belize, at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel. The initial training, which ran from Monday, July 11th to Tuesday, July 12, 2016, covered the “Quality of Service Fund” (QSF). This is a special fund which is administered by the Universal Postal Union to finance projects aimed at improving the quality of letter mail to enable speedier, reliable, and secure national postal services and international mail flow. The second training which will be on the topic of “Postal Reform” will run from Wednesday, July 13th to Friday, July 15th, 2016. The objectives of the trainings are: - To inform participants of the new rules and regulations governing the Quality of Service Fund, and the procedures in accessing the said fund. - To assist participants in the development of a framework that can be used as a tool to implement reforms to their various postal sectors.

Beware of roaming charges
BTL has recently implemented a program where persons travelling outside of Belize are automatically put on roaming. While many customers are grateful for the service, what does it cost to roam? One customer who benefitted from the service brought it to the Guardian’s attention that customers need to be mindful of the cost of roaming. The customer provided us with a copy of her bill where she noticed that there was a charge for roaming. While on an ordinary month the rates of BTL are very well priced, she noticed two additional charges on her bill. One of the charges was for Roaming SMS charges and the other for Roaming Calls charges. She says that her roaming charges are actually almost 24% of her entire Post-Paid bill. She says she remembers visiting Melchor de Mencos and receiving one call and making two calls, all told it must not have added up to more than 5 minutes total, and sending just a few text messages, however her bill came at a staggering $28.76.

World Bank funds Energy Resilience and Climate Adaptation Project
The Government of Belize under the leadership of Minister of State in the Ministry of the Public Service, Energy and Public Utilities Hon. Frank Mena and CEO in the Ministry Dr. Peter Allen; along with the Energy Director Mr. Ambrose Tillett, completed negotiation with the World Bank which agreed to provide funding for the Energy Resilience and Climate Adaptation Project (ERCAP). An integral component of Belize’s national development agenda is to develop strong sustainable energy policies and programmes that underpin the national economy. It is for this reason that since its formation in 2012, the Energy Unit of the Ministry of Public Service, Energy and Public Utilities has been working towards integrating energy in national development planning and decision making to catalyze sustainable development in Belize.

Mayan Man Warriors lead the Firms Basketball Competition
The Belize District Basketball Association Firms Competition continued over the weekend at Bird’s Isle with a number of games on the schedule. On Saturday 2nd July, 2016, in the first of three games played, Infotel defeated Belize Telemedia Ltd., by the score of 93-79. The top scorers for Infotel were Earl Johnson with 34 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal; Darwin Elijio with 18 points, 2 rebounds and an assist and Evan Rene who contributed 14 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 5 assists and had 5 steals towards the win. For the Belize Telemedia Ltd squad, the top scorers were Mark Swift with 18 points, Jason Vasquez with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals; Devon Lozano with 14 points and an assist and Lupito Acosta who also scored 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.

West Line Female Football competition enters Quarter Final Round
The 2016 West Line Female Football Competition entered its Quarter Final Round on Sunday 3rd July, with two games. The competition which is being sponsored by Mr. Sergio Chuc is played out at the Norman Broaster Stadium in San Ignacio Town. In the first game played, Real West Strikers defeated Gentle Touch by the score of 2-1. The first goal of the game was scored by Vicky Ponce in the 27th minute of play to give Real West Strikers an early 1-0 lead. However, that lead was short lived when Blanca Lopez scored an auto goal in the 37th minute of play. The final goal of the game was scored by Vicky Ponce in the 55th minute of play to give her team a 2-1 victory. The Quarter Final Round will continue this coming Sunday 10th July at 1:30 pm with 7 Starz going up against Belmopan Lightning Strikers and this will be followed by game 2 at 3:00 pm between Belize Coast Guard and Infinites.

Michael Salazar shines with two goals in first start for Montreal
MONTREAL—Michael Salazar got to live out his dream in his first MLS start for the Montreal Impact. Drawn into the lineup with superstar striker Didier Drogba sidelined by a leg injury, Salazar scored his first two goals in six league games for Montreal, which overcame a two-goal deficit for Saturday’s 3-2 victory against the New England Revolution at Stade Saputo. “Yeah, no pressure,” said Impact coach Mauro Biello. “He knows it’s about understanding your defensive responsibilities and expressing yourself offensively, play simple and get in the box. He scores in practice and I’m glad he was able to score tonight.” Salazar, selected in the second round of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft (No. 24 overall), scored his first goal 40 minutes in, cutting New England’s lead to one after Revolution striker Kei Kamara’s brace left the Impact trailing 2-0 in the 33rd minute.

Seine Bight Flames win slug fest game in Stann Creek Softball competition
The Stann Creek Softball Competition continued on Sunday 26th June, 2016, with three games on the schedule. The games were played at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium in Independence Village and as was also used as part of the celebration activities for Olympic Day. In the first game played, Independence Pals defeated Hopkins Beach Girls by the score of 15-0. The winning pitcher was Leona Coe Linarez and the losing pitcher was Verna Lewis. In the second game of the day, Seine Bight Flames and Sittee River Lucky Stars were involved in a slug fest that lasted almost 4 hours and had to utilise the Tie Breaker Rule. At the end of the game, Seine Bight prevailed over Sittee River by the score of 28-22. The winning pitcher was Shannon Augustine and the losing pitcher was Pinky Andrews.

Conscious Youth Development Programme U-15 competition continues
The Conscious Youth Development Programme U-15 competition continued on Tuesday 5th July with a single game in the football competition. In the only game played, Thurton FC defeated Carlson FC by the score of 4-2. The goals for Thurton FC were scored by Akeem Sutherland (3) and Denroy Lopez. Meanwhile, the goals for Carlson FC were scored by Kenrick Ortiz and Cion Augustine. The competition then continued on Monday 4th July, 2016, with two more games on the schedule. In the first game played, Survivors and Mahogany Heights played to a 4-4 draw. The goals for Survivors were scored by Eyean Reid, Terrell Estrada, Jamel David and Mike Baltazar. For Mahogany Heights, the goals were scored by Adrian Usher (hatrick), Jian Augustine and Eric Thompson.

The saga of the turtle, chopped rooster necks, burning black candles and capturing shadows in bottles
I remember characters extremely eager to tease others but who cried bitterly whenever attention was focused on them. I could spend hours having fun at the turtle’s expense – but that would not be using my time wisely! Nowadays, I need only shout:” PUP da big thief, ‘liad’ Said, $3.34 M Eamon, baby voucher specialist Cordel, squeaky rat Johnny, dumdum Mose, disingenuous X,- etc., etc., etc…”and I am then quite happy to move on. I will abandon the above title and spend my time helping the good-government crowd! The more good things that PM Barrow and his Ministers do for the citizens of Belize the worst the thieving, lying, and scurrilous PUP feel. For sure, the majority of them are broke, hungry and mad (Ralph and Said tricked the PUP, pocketing the entire moolah). Let’s keep the Criminal Gang out of power for the next hundred years! Enough is enough – I will not waste any more time with the turtle or the big thieves! There are many more interesting sagas out there…

The PHD Man
In a previous article I fleetingly commented on the sharp price tag which came with the nationalization of BTL, without getting into any detail. Since then Belizeans have had the opportunity to listen to all the arguments, for and against, related to this important subject, thanks to the various talk shows hosts and guests. While a few of these shows have tried to be factual and informative, some have really gone overboard in bias and sensationalism. Even after the Prime Minister’s press conference which focused on this topic, some of the more lurid hosts like Hyde and Wade keep elevating the final cost of the acquisition by a few hundred million dollars each time they speak, so much that at this time the cost is close to a billion dollars, which is far from accurate. I will touch on that shortly. The one tactical error made by one of the more prominent media outlets is to have invited a certain Brackett to discuss the BTL issue and the IMF report on their morning show. Now I may be a simple, unlearned man, but I have never heard of Brackett having earned a graduate degree in economics, management or any other financial field for that matter, so I don’t know who gave LOVE the bright idea to cater to this empty drum. Brackett may own a PHD, but we Creole would call that one a post-hole digger.

Belizean youth in Cayo gunned down with crude weapon
An 18 year old construction worker of Roaring Creek Village, Maleek Norris, was gunned down with a crude weapon on Sunday of this past weekend in the Another World area. His alleged attacker was sitting on a sofa under a house when the incident occurred. The pellets hit Norris on the hip and arm. Norris was picked up by the Special Patrol Unit and was taken to the Western Regional Hospital where he passed away during treatment. Belmopan police would later retrieve the homemade firearm, in less than 12 hours from a farm on the Young Bank Road. They were also able to capture the suspect during that time frame. According to Senior Superintendent Howell Gillett the demise of Maleek Norris was as a result of a stabbing incident that Norris may have been involved with the accused about a week or two ago. Police have since picked up and charged Ashton Puerto with the crime of murder.

Jason Almendarez in contempt for cursing Magistrate
Jason Almendarez, 26, was getting off easy when he appeared before Magistrate Deborah Rogers on Thursday, July 7, for a drug possession charge but he made things much worse on himself for opening his dirty mouth. Almendarez appeared in court for being in possession of 17 grams of weed. He was unrepresented when he appeared before Magistrate Deborah Rogers and pleaded guilty to a single charge of possession of a controlled drug. Magistrate Rogers imposed a non-custodial sentence in a fine of $400 which he was ordered to pay immediately. Before he could get off however, court records showed that he owes the court $810 from a prior conviction. The fine has been outstanding for quite a while and the magistrate ordered him to pay all his old fines before he could go home. This caused Almendarez to explode and he said, “f... you b...h.” He was held in contempt of court immediately. That matter has been deferred for a later date.

Life in Prison for friend who killed friend in Cayo
Linsbert Bahadur who was charged with the killing of his own friend, Albert Wade was found guilty of murder in the Supreme Court in Belmopan on Wednesday July 13. Bahadur had originally been charged along with Benjamin Peters and Samuel Neal in the killing of Wade. On Friday April 14, 2006 the body of 32 year old Albert Wade was found inside his Toyota Camry off the Negro Man Road in Benque Viejo, he had been shot to the left side of his face. Police quickly apprehended the suspects but the charges against Peters and Neal were dropped after they turned crown witnesses. Four years after the original charge however on September 2, charges against Bahadur were withdrawn with the prosecution entering a Nolle Prosequi after forensic pathologist Dr. Mario Estradabran was unable to testify as he was out of the country.

Banner killed because he owed for drugs
Roger Banner, a 29 year-old resident of Roaring Creek, was murdered on Saturday July 9th, 2016, at around 9:15 p.m. That was about 17 and a half hours after Karim Hafiya was killed. Police believe the killings to be unconnected, we note also that the area where Banner died is also not too far from where Hafiya was gunned down. In fact, investigators believe at this time that Banner’s street slaying is not a part of the recent spike in gang violence. They suspect at this time that he may have been killed due to his alleged connection to underworld activities in Roaring Creek. Reports to the press are that Banner was socializing with his girlfriend on West Canal Street when 3 men walked up to him. One of those men pulled out a gun and immediately fired multiple shots at him, injuring him several times in the head and body. He died on the spot. It is believed that he was executed as a result of him owing for drugs.

Brandon Bennett cleared of attempted murder charge
Just before 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12, a jury of nine men and women in a unanimous decision found Brandon Bennett, 23, not guilty of use of deadly means of harm upon Kent Moss. Bennett was arrested and charged with attempted murder in September of 2011 after a group fight at the Belikin Fest in Memorial Park resulted in the stabbing of Moss. Both men were hanging out with a group of friends when the fight broke out. The two eventually got tangled up and Moss ended up being stabbed but the two share different tales about how the incident went down. In court, the prosecutor had to first get Moss to cooperate in trial. He refused to show up to court after being summoned. Justice Adolph Lucas had to issue an order for him to be arrested and taken to court by force. Once in court, Moss made it clear that he does not wish to testify. Prosecutor Sherigne Rodriguez treated him as a hostile witness.

Jareth Crawford convicted of shooting at a Police Officer
Jareth Crawford, 30, is serving a three year sentence after he was convicted of shooting at police corporal Barrington Flowers during a robbery attempt on September 5, 2015. Cpl. Flowers reported that he was acting on information received of a robbery in progress at a Chinese grocery store on Canada Road off Fabers Road when he ran into the assailants. Flowers met Crawford exiting the shop with a gun. He identified himself as a police officer, since he was in casual wear, but Crawford opened fired at him and ran. He chased after Crawford who stopped running, turned around and fired at him again. Flowers was able to see the shooter on those two occasions before he ran into a bushy area and disappeared. Shortly after the shooting, two other robbers exited the Chinese shop and Flowers ordered them to freeze. One armed with a knife did not stop and he ran away. The third robber was detained. Police eventually charged six individuals in connection with the robbery for conspiracy, robbery and handling stolen goods.

Customs Officer, Emmerth Flowers, acquitted of firearm charges
Emmerth Flowers is no longer in trouble with the law after he was acquitted of two firearm related charges on Thursday, July 7. Just about two years ago, on July 31, 2014, police charged Flowers with the offenses of altering a firearm without the permission of the Commissioner of Police and for being in possession of a firearm that was not licensed. Allegations made by police is that Flowers had a license for a 16 gauge shot gun but on July 31, 2014, he was busted with the shot which had the barrell cut to make it a sawed off shotgun. Police informed Flowers of the offense, arrested and charged him.

Davon Guzman busted with gun minutes after shooting
Quick police response resulted in the apprehension of a teenager a couple minutes after he attempted to execute Errol Flores on Lakeview Street. According to police reports, at about 5:25 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12, officers responded to reports of shots being fired in the Lakeview Street area. Upon arrival they observed a male riding a bicycle on Sarstoon Street with what appeared to be a firearm in his hand. As the mobile unit got closer to him the individual sped up and threw the object in an empty lot. Officers acted quicly to detain and take him to the area where the object was thrown. A search was conducted and resulted in the discovery of a .38 revolver with black electrical tape on the handle. It was loaded withone live round of .38 ammunition and three expended casing. As a result, the youngster was arrested and taken to the police station. He was later identified as 19-year-old Davon Guzman of #4 Moya Street in the St. Martin de Porres area. Guzman was charged with “Keeping a Firearm and Ammunition without a Gun License”.

Karim Hafiya killed for unknown reason
Karim Hafiya, 40, a security guard working for the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), was shot and killed in front of his home on Plues Street. It happened on Saturday, July 9th, in the early morning hours, sometime after 4 a.m. Residents of Plues Street were awaken to the sound of around 10 to 15 gunshots, and when the police responded, they found Hafiya’s body, riddled with multiple gunshot wounds. From their investigation, the hard-working security guard was heading home from work, and he was just about to open the back gate to his residence. That’s where the assailant or assailants ambushed him from behind and shot him to death. Police believe that a possible motive for his killing was retaliation because he made a complaint to the cops which landed a young man in jail. The complaint came after he had been robbed. Another angle may be related to an argument which he had with a woman some time earlier.

Lionel Kelly arraigned for killing Tevin Palmer
A teenager of Mayflower Street, Lionel Kelly, 18, is at the Belize Central Prison on remand after he was arraigned for the murder of 19-year-old Tevin Palmer. Palmer was gunned down and killed in a house on Castle Street at around 3 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6. He was socializing inside the house when someone pulled out a gun and fired a shot at him. He was hit in the head and died on the spot. Kelly appeared before Magistrate Carlon Mendoza on Friday, July 8, and was read a single charge of murder. He was unrepresented in court and no plea was taken from him since the charge of murder is an indictable offense which will be tried at the Supreme Court. Due to the nature of the offense, Kelly was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until his next court appearance on September 8, 2016.

Kent Brooks succumbs 11 days after being shot
In last week’s edition of the Guardian Newspaper, we reported on the Belize City shooting which killed 20 year-old Kieran Morrison and landed 18 year-old Kent Brooks Jr. in the hospital in a critical condition. After 11 days of clinging to life, Kent Brooks has unfortunately passed away. His family, who had been worried sick about his injuries, were contacted by the KHMH staff, that they should rush to the hospital because his health had taken a turn for the worst. His father recounted to the press that they arrived 6 minutes too late. He had only just taken his last breath on Sunday, July 10, at around 8:40 a.m.

Sanjay Lino cleared of Ernesto Myvette’s murder
Sanjay Lino, 22, is a free man after the prosecution’s main witness in the murder of Ernesto Myvette developed a case of amnesia during trial. Myvette, a Sandhill Village businessman, was shot and killed at his place of business on the night of October 4, 2011. He was at his store located at the entrance of the Old Northern Highway when three men walked into his store and shot him 4 times. He sustained two gunshots to the midsection, once to the chest and once to the back. Myvette’s gun, a 9 millimeter pistol, was stolen during the incident. Shots were also fired at Myvette’s son Jermaine, who was in the store but escaped uninjured.

Blood samples taken for DNA testing in shooting death of Michael Lopez
In last week’s edition of the newspaper, we reported on the Wednesday spike in gang violence which led to the killing of two young men in less than an hour and a half apart: 20 year-old Tevin Palmer, and 19 year-old Devin Parham. The spike didn’t end there because about 3 hours later, 22 year-old Michael Lopez Jr. was gunned down at around 7:30 p.m. On July 6. Police inquires revealed that Lopez was walking on Jones Street, and he was heading in the direction of Lawrence Avenue. That’s when 2 assailants on a motorcycle sped past, and they immediately opened fire on him. Lopez was injured to the right side of the head, and first responders were quick to rush him to the KHMH. The doctors tried to save his life but at around 9:40 p.m., he succumbed while undergoing treatment.

American Veteran charged for immigration offense
Retired United States soldier Tarry Eugene Rhodes, 46, is at the Belize Central Prison after he pleaded guilty to an immigration offense in Belize and will be deported to his country once he pays the fine handed down by Magistrate Deborah Rogers on Monday, July 11. According to police reports, Rhodes visited the Phillip Goldson International Airport to pick up a friend on Sunday, July 10. That was when immigration officials approached him and asked to see his documents. When authorities made checks into his passport, they found out that his visitor’s permit expired since September 29, 2015, almost 10 months ago. He was arrested and charged with failure to comply with a visitor’s permit.

Police grab Fat Back’s step-son for his stabbing
Police have arrested and charged 20-year-old Michael Marvin Baptist for attempting to kill his step-father, Eugene Webster, known to the public as “Fat Back”. Webster was attacked while sleeping at his Los Lagos residence on Wednesday, July 6. According to reports, he was in a relationship with Baptist’s mother a few years ago but maintained a relationship with the youngster. He reportedly would give Baptist chores to earn a buck. On Wednesday it appeared Baptist wanted a bigger cut with far less effort. He visited his step-father and asked to stay the night. Webster agreed to provide lodging but in the middle of the night he woke up with Baptist on top of him with two knives in hand. Webster fought off his attacker but not before he was stabbed multiple times to the body. ACP Edward Broaster, Regional Commander for Eastern Division Rural, told the media that when they responded to the scene Webster was alone in the house bleeding profusely on the ground with stab wounds to the back, arm and neck area. He was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial where he is in a coma.

Breaking Belize News

Fitness Dance comes to the City
Fitness is becoming all the talk in several parts of Belize these days and instructors from broad have been coming to Belize to conduct some work out sessions with interested Belizeans. One of these sessions is set to take place on July 16th at two in the […]

Accused contrabandista walks from drug charges
On February 5, 2016, 34 year old Roland Raheem Rivers was busted inside a burgundy Ford Escape vehicle with 14 pounds of marijuana and contraband beer, and was also accused of various traffic offenses. But the single charge of drug trafficking was dropped after […]

Student charged with robbing bus conductor
A bus conductor got robbed at the old Novelo’s Bus Terminal on West Collet Canal on Tuesday, and today a junior college student was accused of the crime. 35 year old Elroy Hemmans Junior, student and part-time accountant, pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbery […]

Hamanasi is Finalist in 2016 Eco-Excellence Awards
Hamanasi Dive and Adventure Resort in Hopkins, Stann Creek District, is honoured to be selected as one of the Finalists in the Travel Category in NCW Magazine’s 2016 Eco-Excellence Awards. Voting for the winners is open to the public with voting commencing on June 29, […]

Belize loses 60 spots in FIFA World Ranking
In the last two months, the Belize Men’s National Football Team made it for the first time to the 114th spot in FIFA World Ranking, but this month took a downturn. Belize currently holds the 164th spot in the latest FIFA World Ranking which was released […]

Two charged for drugs on La Isla Bonita
Authorities searched and apartment on San Pedro, Ambergris Caye where they discovered three different kinds of drugs at around 4:00 this morning. The joint team of Special Branch and the Quick Response Team of the Police department on the island acted upon receiving information and headed to […]

TOURISM STATS: Overnight arrivals in new record
Belize’s overnight tourism industry has set a new record for arrivals in the first half of 2016, shaking off the after-effects of a torrid few weeks following several attacks on tourists in January. According to the Belize Tourism Board, for the first time ever, more […]

GOB makes 1st payment for BTL
The government of Belize has made its first of two payments as settlement for the nationalization of Belize Telemedia Ltd. (BTL). Government officials have been mum for the most part regarding the details of the first payment. Financial Secretary Joseph Waight, Central bank Governor Glenford […]

Blogs

Belize Bean to Bar: Learning to Make Chocolate at the Belize Chocolate Company
Luckily…so luckily for us, we have AMAZING hand crafted Belizean chocolate right here on Ambergris Caye. A lovely couple, Jo and Chris, who created the Belize Chocolate Company and who take chocolate seriously for us…so that we can just enjoy AND EAT. And now learn. Yesterday I stopped by the shop because they are doing a new chocolate making classes at 930am and 1030am each morning. $10bzd and you really get the full experience, you can ask one million questions (it’s super interesting) and taste chocolate at each and every stage. Rub off the shell and you have the nibs, the essence, the taste of the chocolate. Chris showed us how it is ground down with stone. In the traditional method. They still use stone but on a much larger scale. The beans are ground between two huge stones for 2-3 DAYS to produce a silky smooth liquor. That when tasted is INTENSE…bitter and incredibly chocolatey.

10 Perks of Retiring in Belize (That You Never Considered Before)
Often overlooked by showier destinations in Mexico or Costa Rica, Belize is a sparkling gem in Central America with hundreds of miles of gorgeous coastline, more nature preserves and parks than any other country in the region, and just 355,000 residents. With a stable, peaceful democracy and some of the friendliest and most tolerant people on the planet, Belize is a top retirement destination. Mainland Belize is approximately the same size as Massachusetts and is home to a staggering diversity of cultures, including Mestizos, Garifuna, Creole, Mennonite, Chinese and Maya. The harmonious combination of low population density and a melange of different peoples, languages, cultures and identities make Belizeans extremely tolerant of their neighbors. This plus a business-friendly government translates to few regulations or restrictions on businesses, property ownership or investments. Below are just 10 of the perks of retiring in Belize:

Belize Continues to Deliver Impressive Tourism Results
Overnight arrivals for January to June, 2016 has seen 213,430 visitors to Belize. This is an incredible 16.5% increase over the same period of 2015. Never before has the first six months of a year seen figures surpassing 200,000. All six months of 2016 have seen double digit increases, with January having the highest increase at 24%, followed by May, with a 19.6% increase. The US market continues to hold the highest share of travelers to Belize, making up close to 70% of our travelers. The first half of 2016 has seen 25.9% increase in US travellers. The European market has the second largest market share, making up 10.4% of visitors to Belize. Thus far, 2016 has had 22,109 European travelers, which is a 3.9% increase over the same period of 2015. The cruise industry has seen an overall increase of 2.6% for the first half of 2016.

On the road again, with a bicycle: Where green is the new black
It was time. I’ve been waiting since March for Mario to return my bicycle and here it is mid-July. I don’t think it’s coming back. Not that I was expecting to see it again. Mario used to work for the complex where we live. When he started showing up for work on foot I was kind of surprised and concerned. I knew that he lived over behind the airport and that is a bit of a hike to be taking twice a day. It turns out that his bike frame had rusted in half. It happens a lot. We’re an island surrounded by salt water. Nothing metallic survives for long. Walk down most any road and you can count the number of rusty broken bike chains, coiled like withered snakes off to the side. They rust. They snap. They drop off and are abandoned.

International Sources

You’re Probably Throwing Away ‘Expired’ Food That’s Totally Fine To Eat
Up to 40 percent of the U.S. food supply goes uneaten every year, according to a widely cited 2009 study of food waste. Nearly 20 percent of food waste in people’s homes is caused by the confusing date labeling system, according to Niki Charalampopoulou, managing director of Feedback. Simply making date labels easier to understand would avoid 398,000 tons of wasted food every year, one study found. The vast majority of food is safe to eat even after it passes the date on the label, Broad Leib said. “The worst that happens if you eat something spoiled is it doesn’t taste good and you’re like, ‘That was gross,’” she added. “But we’re starting to realize we only prioritize safety and we draw a halo around safety — then we end up throwing away food.”

Climate change department killed off by Theresa May in 'plain stupid' and 'deeply worrying' move
The decision to abolish the Department for Energy and Climate Change has been variously condemned as “plain stupid”, “deeply worrying” and “terrible” by politicians, campaigners and experts. One of Theresa May’s first acts as Prime Minister was to move responsibility for climate change to a new Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. Only on Monday, Government advisers had warned of the need to take urgent action to prepare the UK for floods, droughts, heatwaves and food shortages caused by climate change. The news came after the appointment of Andrea Leadsom – who revealed her first question to officials when she became Energy Minister last year was “Is climate change real? – was appointed as the new Environment Secretary. Kyte, a British national who until recently was head of climate change at the World Bank, was speaking to Climate Home at a business summit in London on 28 June. Appointed yesterday, UK’s new prime minister Theresa May has so far offered little indication of her plans around the country’s climate change and development budgets.

UN energy chief urges UK to maintain climate funds
The UN’s top energy official has urged Britain’s new government to remain “open and outward looking” and maintain its development budget commitments. Rachel Kyte, chief executive of the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative said the UK still had a critical global role to play despite a vote to leave the EU.

Belize trip a sobering experience for Ellis
Arkansas senior middle linebacker Brooks Ellis enters the 2016 football season with two distinctions apart from his Razorbacks teammates. The three-year starter from Fayetteville is the only current Razorback on the preseason Butkus Award watch list honoring in December college football’s best linebacker. However, one distinction Ellis seems to have clinched. As a pre-med student, he is the only Razorback that joined his fellow biology class students experiencing a summer internship in the Central America country of Belize. Ellis was asked about his Belize experience as he and senior defensive tackle Deatrich Wise of Carrolton, Texas, and senior tight end Jeremy Sprinkle of White Hall joined Arkansas coach Bret Bielema during the Razorbacks’ Wednesday session of SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala. It literally was a hot time, Ellis said. “I stepped off the plane, and did not stop sweating the entire time,” Ellis said. “Three nights I had no AC and that was probably the worst nights of my life, I need some AC to sleep. But it was a great time, learned a lot, great experience.”

Medical tourism promotion spurs Yucatan health sector
In 2016, SEFOTUR is participating in two international specialized Medical Tourism fairs. The first is called Destination Health, in Ottawa, Canada from September 9 to 11. The second is organized by the Medical Tourism Association (MTA) in Washington, D.C. in the United States, and will take place from 25 to 28 September. In both events, the state of Yucatan will be present as “Yucatan Healthcare” to promote the state as a competitive world-class medical tourism destination. SEFOTUR is also preparing a campaign to promote medical tourism worldwide including video and photography shoots, a catalog featuring a medical directory, and a strong communication campaign on social networks, among other actions, in order to get ready to attend these important international fairs.

Latest FIFA Rankings
Belize dropped 50 places to 164th

Videos

July 14, 2016

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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

BEL holds public meeting regarding power outage issues in San Pedro
After the frustration of San Pedro Town’s most recent 18- hour power outage, an important public meeting was held by the nation’s electricity provider Belize Electricity Limited (BEL). A large delegation of BEL employees, including senior staff members, addressed a small group of residents on Monday, July 11th at the San Pedro Lions Den. Also present at the meeting were local authorities, including Mayor Daniel Guerrero and Area Representative and Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Honourable Manuel Heredia Jr.

Canary Coves donates eye screener to San Pedro Lions
Through a request from Lion Members Melanie Paz and Jan Brown, Canary Coves Resort handed over a Plus Optix eye screening device to the San Pedro Lions Club on Friday, July 8th. Since November 2015, the San Pedro Lions Club has conducted an “Eye Screening Program”, and has screened over 1,500 children on Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, and Corozal. On hand to receive the donation was President of the San Pedro Lions Club, Fatima Graniel, who was grateful for the much needed equipment. “We are so thankful for this donation. We have two eye screeners, but we have to rotate them between Belize City, Belmopan, and San Estavan. Now that we have our own, it is more convenient to carry out the screening here in San Pedro,” said Graniel. The Lions are committed to providing eye glasses for free to children who need them, and parents/guardians who cannot afford them. Up to the month of April 2016, over 180 children in San Pedro and Caye Caulker have been referred to obtain eye glasses.

Two men injured during shooting incident in Escalante Subdivision
Dwayne Hyde, a 30-year-old mechanic from the Escalante Subdivision of San Pedro Town, is recovering at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City after being involved in a shooting incident. Police responded to reports of a shooting in the said area early on Wednesday, July 13th, and also discovered a second person suffering from stab wounds. According to the official report from the police, about 12:30AM, 22-year-old Kimberly Humes reported that while at home, she heard a knock at her door. When she opened it, it was her common-law husband, Hyde, who stated that someone wanted to kill him. Shortly after, two male persons reportedly entered the yard of their home; one of them was identified as 23-year-old Luis Manuel Carter from the San Pedro area who is mainly known as ‘Wizz.’ He approached Hyde and after a brief exchange of words, an altercation ensued, resulting in Hyde being shot in his abdomen. During the struggle, Wizz also sustained stab wounds to the neck, mouth and abdomen.

Yerbaklan set to perform at Costa Maya
The entertainment lineup at the International Costa Maya Festival has gotten more exciting as the Honduran group Yerbaklan is set to perform for Tropical Night. On Friday, August 5th, the most recognized and established urban duo from Honduras will be adding to the fun onstage. Cesar Castaneda (Csarec), singer/songwriter of San Pedro Sula, Honduras and Jaime Colindres (Jimmy James) singer/song writer of Tegucigalpa, Honduras are no strangers to Costa Maya, having brought their energy to the stage in 2010. Now they will be back with some new and exciting originals. Together they have performed on the best stages locally and internationally, with artists like Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Wisin y Yandel, Mark Anthony. Yerbaklan has even performed at the Latin Billboard Awards! One of their greatest hits, Meneando La Cintura, has surpassed the million-view mark on YouTube. The tropical tune was done in collaboration with Panamanian artist Mr. Saik. Their collaborations also include “Ahora Marchate” with artist Nicky Jam.

Bucket Brigade Fundraiser a grand success
The event was organized by entertainment group, Higher Levelz Promotion. For a fee/donation of $5, supporters enjoyed a full slate of entertainment starting at 10PM. DJ Boss, Shuga Vybz, Fyah Statah , DJ Patron, DJ Smallz, Top Ranking, No Fear Deejays, and 5 Star Int’l kept the dance floor full. Live performances from Andidre of Corozal and Punta King Supa G added to the fun. Traveller’s Liquors and Carib Beer were busy keeping everybody refreshed, and they even donated half of their sales towards the Fire Relief Fund. Corozal adds to the Fire Relief Fund: On that same day a similar event took place in Corozal Town. Organized by DJ Callie Promotions and Euphoria 21 night club, the event was called ‘Relief for San Pedro fundraiser event,’ with its proceeds sent to the island to be added to the Fire Relief Fund.

Ambergris Today

American Airlines to Introduce New London to Belize Flight in November
The biggest inconvenience travelers face when traveling to Belize form Europe is the overnight in the United States of America or Mexico, but American Airlines is changing all of that with a new flight that launches in November 2016 from Heathrow Airport in London. Although the flight is not a direct connection from London to Belize, the new afternoon flights departing from London Heathrow will have a few hours' connection in Miami onto Belize City. Factors as flight delays, long TSA lines my be a factor when balancing a few hours for connecting flights, but it is understood that PGIA in Belize may also have to activate extended hours of operation to accommodate the new flight.

Parkour/Freerunning Athletes Film Commercial in Ambergris Caye
Tempest, a US company dedicated to the support and development of Freerunning and Parkour, is in Belize this week working on a commercial shoot. Ambergris Today spotted their film crew in downtown San Pedro as parkour/freerunning athletes performed for the production. Top athletes in the sport/lifestyle including Mich Todorovic, stuntman Richard King, Cory DeMeyers and Luci Rumberg all have posts on their individual Facebook profile accounts about their experiences in Belize that include photos and videos.

Misc Belizean Sources

Paint N Splash
Join us to paint "Crab in a Net. For our regular customers please bring your detail brush. Sign up here

Job opportunity at The Belize Zoo for an Environmental Educator
TBZ will soon be saying farewell to Deidra, our excellent Environmental Educator. She is off to pursue an exciting new chapter in her professional career, and goes with our very best wishes and deepest thanks for all her hard work at the Zoo! TBZ is now looking for another bright young Belizean to take up the position of Environmental Educator. This post requires the minimum of an Associate's degree in Natural Resource Management, Biology, or a related field. Responsibilities include: Delivering on-site and outreach environmental education programs developed for local school groups and communities. Conducting natural history tours, presentations, and animal encounters. Contributions to design, preparation, and distribution of zoo education resources. Assisting with logistics and preparation for public zoo events. Interested applicants can contact the Zoo's Education Director at [email protected] for more details and with formal queries.

Vocal Training for Kids Day Camp
July 16-23, Government House

Belize Screen on the Green in Belmopan
How's your week going? Take a break, and LET IT GO this Thursday at the Belize Screen on the Green in Belmopan at GG Field. We will be featuring the movie "Frozen." Movie starts at dark and as always it's FREE.

Commentary: Race can influence police officers in carrying out their duties
By Wellington C. Ramos. Before I came to the United States, I served five years in the Belize Police Force and was assigned to the Patrol and Criminal Investigation branches in Belize City, NCO i/c Criminal Investigation Branch Orange Walk District and NCO i/c Hattieville Police Station Belize District. I joined the Belize Police Force on April 23, 1973, and was enrolled at the Police Training School in Ladyville Village with about 40 trainees for six months. At the school we learnt; police duties, criminal law, traffic law, immigration, rules of evidence, first aid, self defence, drills, weapons training and physical training. Belize is a multi-ethnic country that is populated by Creoles, Mayas, Mestizos, Garifuna and other ethnic groups. Most of the people that had the highest ranks in the Belize Police Force at the time were Creoles and a majority of them came from Belize City. They were the ones who controlled the Police Departments including the Police Training School. Some of them were prejudice towards people from the other ethnic groups and districts throughout the country of Belize.

Corozal Destination Launch
The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and the Inter-American Development Bank, in partnership with the Corozal Town Council, cordially invite you to the Destination Launch of the Corozal Tourism Development Plan and the Sustainable Tourism Program II. Date: Saturday July 16, 2016. Time: 3:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. Place: Corozal Town Hall. Free bocas and refreshments will be offered after the event. This is an important event for Corozal, so no excuses not to be there! Please share with all stakeholders!

Taste of Belize 2016 With a Cup of Victory
Congratulations, Kevin Chi! The San Ignacio Resort Hotel cook took 1st place in the Anateur Cook category at the BTB's Taste of Belize competition, which was held in Orange Walk this year. Way to go, Kevin! "For the competition, he prepared a delicious Pan Seared Belizean Duo consisting of beef fillet and shrimp accompanied by coco mash, string beans, drizzled with wine butter reduction sauce, and seasoned with his mystery blend of herbs and spices (because we can’t give away all the secrets!) ;) YUM!"

Barefoot Skinny 25th Anniversary Concert
Barefoot Skinny is celebrating 25 years of playing in Belize this Friday, July 15th, at Bamboo Bar. They'll have some great BBQ there too. "Hey folks! It's on this Friday with Barefoot Skinny and friends! BBQ on sale and cold Drinks will be served! Live music starts at 6pm! Tell your friends!"

All that jazz!
The Belize International Jazz Festival is back!

Channel 7

GOB Finances Strain to Cough Up 190 Million For Ashcroft Alliance
190 million dollars – that's how much the Government of Belize had to pay the Ashcroft Alliance today as partial payment for the BTL final settlement. The government had announced that half would be paid within 10 business days of the decision from the Permanent Council on Arbitration. Government paid 60% - or 114 million dollars of the total in Belize currency and 40% in US dollars – amounting to 38 million US dollars. The Belize currency was raised through the selling of government treasury bills and notes, while the US currency came out of the Central Bank Reserves. It's a serious strain on government's finances and hard currency reserves – and they'll have to do the same thing in a year's time when the final 190 million is due.

Michael Baptist Remanded
Last night, we told you about how Corozal Police captured Michael "Wani" Baptist, the stepson of Eugene "Fatback" Webster after we put his picture on the news. Well tonight, he's at prison after he was taken to court on charges related to Webster's stabbing. He was arraigned this morning of the offences of attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm, and dangerous harm. Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer did not take any plea, and did not grant him bail. He was remanded to prison untilSeptember 2. The stabbing happened in the wee hours of last week Wednesday morning at Fatback's Los Lagos home. He allowed Baptist to sleep at his house, and according to Webster, he was asleep when Baptist attacked him and stabbed him with 2 different knives. The family says that Baptist was trying to rob him.

Molasses Meltdown At ASR/BSI
Molasses is one of the by products of sugar production – and, locally, it is usually sold as an animal feed supplement, or to rum distillers. It's also exported, likely as a key element in ethanol. But something has gone very wrong with the molasses stored at ASR/BSI. The company issued a release today saying that for the first time in the history of cane production in Belize, there's been a case of what is known as a Maillard Reaction. It's a chemical reaction which heats up the molasses and sort of cooks it, into a blackened solid. BSI says it has only affected one tank so far, but the quantity of molasses affected is not known. Now, this affects ASR/BSI's bottom line since the molasses cannot be sold – and that means less money for farmers. And now, it's an issue for the public because disposing of the blackened mass could prove problematic.

Sharp Cops Get Gun And Suspects Quickly
Belize City Police made an effective weapons bust yesterday evening at 5:30. Police responded to reports of shots fired in the area of Lakeview Street, and saw a man feeling on bicycle with a gun in his hand. When the police closed in on him, he threw the gun into an empty lot. Police caught him and took him back to where the object was thrown and they found this.38 revolver loaded with1 live .38 round and 3 expended .38 casings. 19-year-old Davon Guzman, of #4 Moya Street St. Martin de Porres area, Belize City was arrested and charged for the offence of “Keeping a Firearm and Ammunition without a Gun License"and aggravated assault with a firearm. In court today, he pled not guilty to the charges. He was remanded into custody until September 13.

Cops Waiting For DNA Results In Lopez Murder
So, while Southside police have that case neatly wrapped up, they aren't getting the same kind of success with several the recent murders in their jurisdiction. The murder of Karim Hafiya continues to be investigated with no luck so far, and the double murders of Kieran Morrison and Kent Brooks Jr remain uncertain because eyewitnesses won't come forward. The investigation into the shooting death of Michael Lopez, the third murder which happened on last week Wednesday, hinges solely on scientific evidence at this time. The two suspects who were caught in the St. Martin's area have been detained, thoroughly questioned, and they have been released without any charges. The cops say that the results of the DNA samples taken form their shirts stained with what police believe to be Lopez's blood is away being tested. Today, Eastern Division South's Deputy Commander told us that they're in a holding pattern for this investigation until the results are in:

Man Shot On San Pedro, Cops Say Could Be Drug Business
A man is struggling to stay alive after he was shot on San Pedro. 30 year old Dwayne Hyde was heading to his common law wife's home this morning at around 12:30. But he wasn't alone, he was being followed by 3 men. As soon as he got to the house, he saw the men in the yard. That is when Hyde and one of the men, who he knows as Luis ‘Wizz" Carter got into a fight. Carter drew his gun and shot Hyde in stomach but Hyde got a chance to grab a screwdriver and stabbed Carter 4 times. Today police told us what they know so far. Insp. Fitzroy Yearwood - PR, Eastern Division North: "Something around 12:30 am Mr. Dwayne Hype ran home and he had to bang on his door because he was in hot pursuit by some persons that wanted to harm him. By the time his common law wife opened the door to their residence he was shot somewhere in the abdomen and he was transported to the KHMH where is undergoing treatment as we speak. How the stabbing came about we believe that one of his assailants was stabbed with a screwdriver. We cannot determine as yet who inflicted that wound to one of the assailants but we know that one of the person out of the 3 attackers was known to the victim and the common law."

City Police Hope Victim Cooperates
And while San Pedro cops got the community's help, City police are only hoping for the cooperation of the victim of a recent shooting. As we told you last night, 26 year-old Clifford Anderson was shot in the abdomen while he was on the Penn Road Basketball Court on last week Friday night at around 10. He's since been taken off life support, and the doctors are hoping that he will make a full recovery. In fact, the police are hoping that not only will he recover, but that he will be able to name his shooter so that they can prosecute the gunman:

Mayor: Don't Know Jack About Joe
Yesterday we told about the "Joe" situation in the Belize City Council. Now, we aren't talking about any average Joe, we mean Joe Bradley, UDP mouth piece and City Council employee, under his son, Mayor Darrell Bradley. Bradley works in the City's PR department, but he could be in a disciplinary pickle because, according to reports, he berated and threatened the City Engineer. We understand that a disciplinary complaint was made by the City Engineer but when we asked the Mayor about this today he told us he told us he learned of it on the news:… Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor: "In relation to any disciplinary hearing that's not something that comes to my desk and it's not anything that I would have direct knowledge of or involvement in. Actually I became aware of that issue because I saw it on Channel 7's news last night much to my surprize." Emanuel Pech: "But I mean you must be keeping tabs on the doing of the..." Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor: "I do not keep tabs of any staff, no. Human resource is not something that the mayor is involved in. One of the reasons why we created a human resource regulation is to depoliticize any kind of hiring or any kind of firing...."

Siltation, And Other Hydraulic Problems
In another matter related to city hall, the silt buildup in the Belize harbor is gone – well, almost anyways. For months we've been documenting the buildup of silt in the Belize harbor. It was turning into a real disaster as the silt continued to push further across the mouth of the Belize River almost clogging the entire canal and making passage rather tricky. But it seems that behind us for the time being, because shortly after the dredge began ploughing into the silt, immediate change was apparent. Today the waves are once again crashing against the seawall and the Foreshore sea-view is restored. But the effort to find a more sustainable solution to the problem is still on. We spoke to the Mayor about this today.

Mayor On Mass Manhole Substitution
And while the mayor may have his hands full with flood mitigation, another project that is surely keeping him busy is the 3 month initiative to replace 3 thousand 6 hundred manholes and drain covers in the City. If you or anyone you know has ever fallen in one then you'd understand the urgency of these works. But the project has been experiencing setbacks because of the rains and other technical complications. The works started about three weeks ago and have 12 weeks to go before they should cover all the manholes as proposed by the project. Mayor Bradley gave us an update today. Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor: "We've seen much improvement in relation to how it looks. Actually I did an inspection in relation to some of them and you can visibly see the fact that you in many cases have old sidewalks with these brand new manhole covers. And one of the reasons that we decided to do this is because of the interest in wanting to make Belize City more child friendly and more safe and secure and we upgrading a significant amount of the carriage way but one of the areas which I would concede that we have neglected is sufficient attention to drainage and also sufficient attention to the sidewalk and the manhole covers and we just wanted to ensure that when kids for example are walking on the streets it's a safe walk for them."

NEMO And San Pedro's Fire Needs
On Friday, we told you how relief efforts on San Pedro have raised 225 thousand dollars to aid the 98 residents who lost everything in the June 27 fire. The residents have been getting help from generous donors, the Emergency Operations Committee, the Belize Red Cross and other NGOs. The NEMO Ministry has also chipped in to help out, but the victims are short of as much as 700 thousand dollars to cover the total losses. So today, we asked the NEMO Minister how much aid can the residents reasonably expect the Government to provide them. He told us that he has to balance the need against his Ministry's resources: Hon. Edmond Castro - Minister of State, NEMO: "From the get go within the first 3 hours NEMO was out there assisting those victims with basics such as food, hygiene and we followed up with some of the other hardware such as stoves, gas tanks, bed, bedding, mattress and so on. NEMO has played a significant role in terms delivering of those good and services to the people affected in that fire."

Belmopan Woman Found Man In Her House With Knife
A Belmopan woman got a terrifying surprise on Monday afternoon when she found a man in her house. 22 year old Marlin Maldonado got to her home on Venezuela Street at about 1:30. She noticed that someone had moved her laptop and tablet that she’d left on her bed. Maldonado searched her room and found them in a black plastic bag and that is when a man with a knife emerged from the bathroom and tried to grab her. She dashed out of the apartment and the man escaped with her $250 dollar tablet. Police are looking for the burglar.

Island Vice
Regularly on the news you hear about police finding wholesale quantities of marijuana. But, San Pedro police came up with an Island twist on that everyday drug. At 4:00 this morning, based on special branch intelligence, the quick response team did a few raids and hit the jackpot when they found cocaine, hashish, ecstasy and cannabis at an apartment on Sea Grape Drive. Police arrested 27 year old waiter Juslyn Daniels and a minor. They have been charged with two counts of trafficking for one pound of cannabis, AND 26.1 grammes of cocaine, and possession of controlled drugs for the 27.2 grammes of hashish and 0.7 grammes of ecstasy.

Youths Leading Youths
We're well into the summer break that means that school children will be attending all kinds of camps. Today, we found one in the Fabers Road Area. It's a sports camp organized by the YMCA, and though the organization's staffs are in charge, they're using teen coaches to run it. We spoke to the YMCA Executive Director about the benefits of utilizing youths to help at-risk kids: Dr. Clara Cuellar - Exec. Dir, YMCA: "There are lots of reasons to build youth coaches. One I think that in the volunteer world it's more difficult sometimes for adults to find a time given how busy our society is and so this way I can have an adult come in 1 hour a day during my training session for 5 days they can find that time more experts and we did that. And then there are teen coaches, they love sport so now they are giving back in an area or learning how to teach in something they enjoy. So it's fun for them but while it's work at the same time and we just find that lots of our youths out there don't have a summer job but want a summer responsibility that allows them to grow without feel laborious. After all it is a break from so they join our camp, we train them, they do a week of training and then every day they come an hour early so we go over the daily plan and after a year of this they are ready to start teaching another group and two, three years we can certify them of coaches on their own by the time they are hitting 17."

From Hollywood To Our Neck Of The Woods
For most of you, whenever you want to watch a really good movie, you'll head to the DVD store, or surf the web or Netflix and load up, let's say …"The Hangover" or "Neighbors" for comedy and "The Conjuring" if you are in the mood for horror. Well, the Belize Film Commission hopes that one day, people all over the world will stream and enjoy a fully Belizean produced high quality movie. Now, that hope might not seem all that realistic but Belize Film Commissioner Nigel Miguel says that through more exposure and connections with the right people in the US film industry, Belize can reach the next level. And one of the ways in which Miguel plans to promote Belize, is by hosting a meeting with movie producers and directors in Santa Monica, California. Miguel told us more about the significance of this meeting The first meeting was held in March 2015. This year's meeting will be held on July 21st. Miguel also told us that HBO and HBO Latino are working on 2 projects in Belize. Representatives and producers from these global powerhouses plan on com