August 19, 2017

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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, and other specials

The San Pedro Sun

ADVISORY NO. 1: TROPICAL STORM HARVEY MOVING WESTWARD IN THE CARIBBEAN
The National Emergency Management Organization in collaboration with the National Meteorological Service hereby informs the general public that Tropical Storm Harvey is located near latitude 13.4North, and longitude 62.9 West or approximately 1, 700 miles east of Belize. Harvey has sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (mph) and is moving to the West at 21 miles per hour. If it maintains its projected path over the next 3-4 days based on the forecast, the country could be affected by tropical storm or higher conditions sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday or thereafter. Over the next 3-4 days the only concern

DFC Eco Rangers benefit from Blue Water Grill’s Monthly Donation Program
A group of young environmentalist have set out to make San Pedro Town a cleaner place. Since inception, the DFC Eco Rangers have been hard at work, cleaning up their neighborhood and raising awareness for proper garbage disposal. The actions of these children have not gone unnoticed as several businesses have stepped up to show support by donating to their cause. Most recently, the DFC Eco Rangers received a substantial donation of $3,531 from the Blue Water Grill (BWG), The Phoenix Resort and Wine de Vine. The donation was part of the businesses’ Monthly Donation Program where customers make monetary contributions that are matched 100%. During the month of July, BWG customers donated $1,462, The Phoenix customers donated $275 and Wine de Vine customer donated $29. After matching the donations, a grand total of $3,532 was handed over to the Eco Rangers. “They made us a great trash bin that we will install on the beach in front of our restaurant. If you doubt the work ethic, selflessness, and intelligence of young people in Belize, you should spend time with these kids. We guarantee that your perception will change,” says BWG.

CZMAI reiterates Catch and Release Law
On September 26, 2009, Statutory Instruments (SI) 114 and 115 were passed into law. SI 114 of the Fisheries Act, Chapter210, cites the three main fish species designated for protection including other common sport fish species: Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus), Permit (Trachinotus falcatus) and Bonefish (Albula vulpes). These fish species are intended for ‘Catch and Release’ fishing only. “Catch and release is a practice within recreational/ sport fishing, intended as a technique of conservation. After capture, the fish are unhooked and returned to the water before experiencing serious exhaustion or injury,” says CZMAI. “SI 115 of the Coastal Zone Management Authority Act, Chapter 329 states that ‘every person desirous of engaging in sport fishing within Belizean waters shall apply… for a sport fishing license.’ The CZMAI is thus responsible for the distribution of licenses and the collection of fees from the sale of these licenses.”

Belize Network of NGOs disapprove postponement of Re-registration Exercise
The decision to hold the re-registration of electors until after the 2018 Municipal Election has left several organizations dissatisfied. Among those voicing their concern is the Belize Network of NGOs (BNN), who has indicated their disappointment over the postponement of the exercise. The postponement of the national re-registration exercise was officially published in the Government Gazette on June 30, 2017, after Governor General Sir Colville Young signed a statutory instrument and proclamation to push back the exercise until next year.

Martin Dawson and 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu team up to bring self-defense training to San Pedro
Island residents are honing their Martial Arts skills during a week-long seminar. The summer program is organized by 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu, an international group implementing the non-traditional system of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu developed by Eddie Bravo, and local MMA fighter and instructor, Martin Dawson. The free program taught valuable self-defense techniques to both children and women. The summer program was held from Tuesday, August 15th to Friday August 18th at a training room on Barrier Reef Drive. Participants were encouraged to bring the whole family to take part in this once-in-a lifetime self-defense class led by Dawson and 10th Planet instructors Matt Salinas and Aaron Smith. “I hope that this seminar will give the people an understanding of the discipline of MMA. By taking these lessons, participants can get an idea of what MMA is, building self-confidence and learning self-defense techniques,” said Dawson.

Ambergris Today

Tropical Storm Harvey Sets Sights On Belize Nemo Issues First Advisory
Tropical Storm Harvey Moving Westward in the Caribbean - The National Emergency Management Organization in collaboration with the National Meteorological Service hereby informs the public that Tropical Storm Harvey is located near latitude 13.4 North, and longitude 62.9 West or approximately 1,700 miles east of Belize. Harvey has sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (mph) and is moving to the West at 21 miles per hour. If it maintains its projected path over the next 3-4 days based on the forecast, the country could be affected by the tropical storm or higher conditions sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday or thereafter. Over the next 3-4 days, the only concern for Belize is Tropical Storm Harvey.

Success In Sight Against Offshore Oil Activity In Belize
- Government of Belize Announces Commitment to Legislate Indefinite Moratorium on Offshore Oil in Belizean Waters - Right Honorable Prime Minister Dean Barrow officially announced in the House of Representatives today, Friday, August 18, 2017, his administration’s commitment and plan to legislate an indefinite moratorium on offshore oil activity in Belize’s territorial sea including its Exclusive Economic Zone. The Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage welcomes this decision and commends the Prime Minister for his decisive leadership. The Coalition takes this announcement as a commitment by the Government of Belize to fully incorporate the value of our natural resources in developing a sustainable economy.

Massive Land Clearing Has Island Residents Very Concerned
Once it became obvious last week that the clear cutting was not going to be confined to a small area, residents of south Ambergris Caye started mobilizing and expressing their concerns to local authorities. It’s acres upon acres that have been leveled completely by developers and area residents say they had no regards to any impact on the environment. The large lots of land located in Holiday Lands LLC include property adjacent to Royal Caribbean Resort that extends all the way to Pelican Reef Villas, a distance almost a mile long. Neighboring residents are outraged at the destruction of trees, including mangroves that are natural habitat to many wild animals living in the area.

Misc Belizean Sources

Reef Radio's 18th Anniversary
Let us celebrate Reef Radio's 18th Anniversary at the Hon. Louis Sylvester Sporting Complex on Saturday August 19th, 2017. Entrance fee only 10.00 and includes a drink courtesy of Travellers. See You There!!!

Suspected Ciguatera Poisoning Detected in Fish Consumers
The Ministry of Health informs the public that suspected fish poisoning (Ciguatera poisoning) was detected in persons that had eaten fish bought from a fish vendor in Ladyville, Belize District. Further investigation into these cases has linked and identified that the fish consumed was barracuda. Consumers are warned that ciguatera poisoning is normally seen in predatory fish, mainly barracudas. However, other fish such as the coral trout, red snapper, donu, parrot fish, grouper, Spanish mackerel, red emperor, wrasse, reef cod, sturgeon fish, trevally and moray eel may also cause ciguatera poisoning. It is key to note that this toxin does not affect the appearance, odor or taste of the fish; and freezing or cooking the contaminated fish will not prevent the poisoning. Anyone who consumes fish contaminated with the ciguatera toxin will become ill. ndividuals who consume any fish that contains the toxin can experience many symptoms including tingling and numbness in fingers, toes, around lips, tongue, mouth and throat; nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and/or abdominal cramps, joint pains, headache, and difficulty breathing.

First Regional Media Co-Op program is underway in Los Angeles and we are proud to have Andrea Polanco from Channel 5 represent Belize!
The program focuses on community policing and citizen security issues and includes participants from Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and El Salvador. The program will explore successful at-risk youth community and school-based programs that focus on vocational training, remedial education, life skills and job placement; examples of private sector initiatives that target at-risk youth; conversations with relevant government agency representative at the national and local levels, and with NGOs involved in countering gang violence; and visits to violence prevention programs that could demonstrate the effectiveness of incorporating police, municipal government and local community members into law enforcement and prevention efforts. Participants will also conduct interviews with mayors or municipal representatives in Los Angeles, and Boston.

Paradise Theater playing this weekend
Playing this weekend .. SCREEN 1: Goon the last of the Enforcers @ 7, Baywatch @9. SCREEN 2: The Lion King @ 7, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 @ 9.

"GARVEYISM", BELIZE, IBO TOWN & ISIAH MORTER!
Belizean Legends pay special tribute to the Marcus Garvey Movement in Belize that this monument of the legendary Belizean "Garveyite", Isiah Morter, is depicted here in the photograph. Isiah Morter, like Africa's richest man in the world, Mansa Musa, King of Islamic Mali in Africa, was considered also as one of Belize's richest men; and had at one time owned the Belizean island of Caye Chapel. Morter who made millions from his coconut business, donated most of his wealth to Marcus Garvey's United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). The Isiah Morter symbol of African slave resistance and power in Belize was erected in what was once named, "Ibo Town" in the Yabra Area of Belize City by Belizean musical artist and Kriole activist, Bredda David Obi, through the assistance of the Belize City Council in the 1990s. The statue of Isiah Morter represents Marcus Garvey's vision in Belize of African liberation in the most symbolic form.

Francis Reneau's 'Timeless Motown Memories'
Mark your calendars .... Aug. 31 and Sept 1, Bliss Centre

NEMO ADVISORY No.1 - TROPICAL STORM HARVEY MOVING WESTWARD IN THE CARIBBEAN
The National Emergency Management Organization in collaboration with the National Meteorological Service hereby informs the public that Tropical Storm Harvey is located near latitude 13.4 North, and longitude 62.9 West or approximately 1,700 miles east of Belize. Harvey has sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (mph) and is moving to the West at 21 miles per hour. If it maintains its projected path over the next 3-4 days based on the forecast, the country could be affected by the tropical storm or higher conditions sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday or thereafter. Over the next 3-4 days, the only concern for Belize is Tropical Storm Harvey.

Government of Belize Officially Announces Legislation on Indefinite Moratorium on Offshore Oil Exploration
Today, Friday, August 18th, in the sitting of the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow officially announced Cabinet’s August 15th decision to legislate an indefinite moratorium on offshore oil exploration in Belize’s territorial sea, including the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Prime Minister Barrow stressed that the current administration has had, and has committed to for some time now, an official policy decision to abstain from oil exploration in our territorial sea and EEZ. Cabinet’s decision is in furthering that policy decision, to assure citizens, the environmental community, and investors, that the Government of Belize is committed to sustainable development.

NEMO Training in Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis
Yesterday, August 17, 2017, a number of public officers from various departments, who are stationed mainly in Belmopan, Cayo District and Orange Walk District, participated in a training workshop on Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (DANA) conducted by the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO). The training covered sub-topics such as how to conduct efficient and quality assessments in disaster management situations so that relief can be provided in a timely manner and fair order of priority; differentiating four basic levels (or categories) of flood and hurricane damage; reviewing assessment forms, and understanding how the assessments are used.

Long line today in the Northern Border of Belize
Long long lines at the Northern Border Corozal, FREE ZONE worker and Corozaleños needs to unite and protest demonstrate, take action because if we wait for politicians to do something they will never do. Theres some days that only one immigration officer is working.

Corozal Women's Forum
What an awesome time we had today at our meeting. Ms. Adela Pederson and members of Toone Masehualoon (We are Maya) provided information about the Mayan people of Northern Belizean as well as the mission of the group to bring together Mayan's from the North and South of Belize as one and to ensure their culture is never lost. One of the highlights of today's meeting was the singing of the Belize National Anthem in the Mayan language!

Unsung Hero: Mr Arthur “Banza" Arnold
Hurricane Hattie must have created 100s of unsung heroes that we may never know about because their heroism may have been lost through the passage of time, or nobody around to tell their stories. One of these unsung heroes was no other than Arthur “Banza" Arnold. I have no picture to post of Mr. Arnold and I am not sure if he is even still alive. I am hoping he is though. I am also hoping a relative, or a friend will see this post and will post a picture of this unsung hero for everyone to see. Here is as excerpt from the book “Hurricane Hattie” by John D. Friesen, which shares with us his extraordinary feat of bravery.

Channel 7

House Meeting History: Small Amounts of Marijuana Decriminalized
History was made at the House Meeting in Belmopan today when the bill to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana was introduced. Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Elrington bought it to the house for the first reading:.. Hon. Wilfred Elrington - UDP Area Rep.: "To decriminalize the possession of cannabis in amounts not exceeding ten grams. To provide for the imposition of monetary and non-recordable penalties for the possession of cannabis in such amounts occurring on school premises in specified circumstances, to decriminalize the smoking of cannabis in private premises and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. This bill has long been in gestation. I think it is recognized by members on both sides of this House that the present regime which we have dealing with marijuana is not equitable. As a matter of fact, it is viewed that it is unduly prejudicial, particularly to the poorer members of our society, who for one reason or the other use marijuana in smaller quantities and this is a small step towards ameliorating what we consider to be an injustice over the years perpetrated against our people."

"Weedists" Celebrate, Evangelicals Lament, GOB Calls It Progress
And while tonight "weedists" all over Belize are celebrating, evangelical church leaders are lamenting, and we'll have their points and counterpoints for you later on in the news. But for the Barrow Administration, they are taking it as a progressive and worthwhile step forward. The Prime Minister explained:... Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister: "I feel both as a matter of conviction that it is something good to do, but also that as a society as a whole will support it." Jules Vasquez - Reporter: "Sir, the most cynical interpretation will be that, well, there is an election in a few months and the UDP has had this on the backburner for some while but your government brought it to the front burner to give it a little boost for the elections since you don't have a lot of money to spread around."

Hon. Julius Espat Walks Out, Not Dragged Out
But going back to today's House Meeting, Cayo South Representative Julius Espat did it again! He clashed with the speaker over the very same subject that got him carried out of the house by police exactly one year ago! 51 weeks ago on August 26, 2016, he insisted that he would speak on the audit of the Immigration Department - and when the speaker did not allow him, and ordered him to leave the house, Espat refused to budge, forcing police to drag him out - certainly the most shameful, eye-popping moment in Belize's parliamentary history. Well today - on the adjournment Espat asked to speak again on the latest report coming form the Auditor General's office. But, just as in the last case - the speaker did not permit him, except this time, he played it cool, and simply walked out. Here's how the whole exchange went:..

Espat Says Audit Doesn't Dig Deep Enough
What he also has a problem with is the auditor general. Espat says her new audit doesn't dig deep enough, and it doesn't examine the most important ministry with any depth:... Hon. Julius Espat: "I believe the auditor general has not gone far enough. I believe that you have the biggest budget in all the ministries is the Ministry of Finance. That has not been audited at all, not even mentioned- one section with the GST was mentioned. I believe that even the analysis that was done in the ministry of Works was insignificant. You are talking about 1.2 million dollars being lost when they only analyzed 1.7 million. So of 1.7 million dollars the auditor general is reporting that 1.2 has been lost as revenue and that sends up a lot of signals because the Ministry of Work's main expenditure is not the purchase of tires, it is the awarding of contracts throughout the entire country and no mention has been made of that and no analysis has been made of that."

Finnegan Throws Serious Shade At His Cabinet Colleagues
And in that same spirit of condemnation for corruption in both parties, UDP Party Whip Michael Finnegan had some very uncharitable words for his own parliamentary colleagues. Based on what we have picked up about tensions in the UDP, we asked him how he feels to be seated just a few feet from his much scandalized colleague Gaspar Vega. Finnegan gave a telling and compelling answer:... Jules Vasquez, reporter: "You are 3 seats away from Mr. Vega who is a back bencher, but has been brought to the front bench and backbenchers don't belong on the front bench and also I would think that those on the front bench like Mr. Faber and Mr. Saldivar who have leaders aspirations maybe feel a bit unfortunate about that." Hon. Michael Finnegan, UDP Party Whip: "Mr. Vega probably have company, because a lot of them out of the 31 don't belong in the house any at all."

PM Says Hon. Espat's Walkout Was Wrong
That's heavy stuff, and the PM was not so outspoken - but he did lament the irregularities which have been raised in the audit:... Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow- Prime Minister: "There are things in the report that clearly are worrying, things in the report that are worrying, with respect to things that happened not just under our administration, it went beyond that, certainly, under education. But any report from the auditor general deserves to be ventilated and must be ventilated and there are clear provisions in our laws and in the standing orders for that to be done."

PM Cagey When Discussing Alleged Misuse of Funds At BAA
And one statutory board that does seem to need an audit is the Belize Airports Authority. In 2014, it erupted in a patronage scandal when it was discovered that funds were being used for the then Minister's constituency. That Minister Edmond Castro was stripped, and measures were taken to ensure that it didn't happen again. Except, it now appears that it has. Government has been keeping a tight lid on what the Authority's former accountant pointed out as irregularities supposedly involving misuse of funds. And today, when we asked the Prime Minster about it, he toed the fine line of plausible deniability:...

They Came By River: Big Money Heist at Bowen and Bowen
There was a big money robbery at Bowen & Bowen's Slaughterhouse Distribution Center last night. Armed thieves stole over twenty-five thousand dollars. At around 7:45, 4 masked men - two of them armed - went into the sales office, held up the employees and helped themselves to all the cash they had collected form the day's sales. The foursome then escaped in a boat which sped off toward the Belcan Bridge. Police are investigating, and it appears that they suspect that it may be an inside job. That's caused a lot of worry and concern for the Belize City family of 22 year-old Selywn McDonald Jr. He's a high school graduate who recently began working at the company. He reported for work for his usual evening shift yesterday, but never got home - because police took him into custody.

Beware of the Barracuda
For you barracuda lovers, if you don't want to end up in the hospital - DON'T EAT IT ! That's the warning from public health officials. This is after 10 people had to be hospitalized since August 9th, with fish poisoning also known as Ciguatera Poisoning. Now, no one has actually died from this illness but it causes some serious symptoms and it can severely impact persons with other conditions such as diabetes. Today Senior Public Health Inspector Lisa Tillett explained what Ciguatera is why you have to stay away from barracuda at this time because of it. Lisa Tillett, Sr. Public Health Insp., MOH: "So whatever is a toxin mostly in Barracuda fishes. We have other fishes that they can have it also. How the Barracuda gets the Ciguatera toxin inside them is they would eat on the smaller fishes and the smaller fishes would have the toxin them because they eat the little algae from the bottom of the sea."

Church Council Conservative on Cannabis
As we told you in the first segment, the government introduced the amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act today in Belmopan. While no vigorous debate had begun as yet, we asked Methodist Bishop and President of the Belize Council of Churches, Roosevelt Papaloutte to give his preliminary reaction to the legislation. He was quite diplomatic and open minded on the matter. So he didn't take a hard line stance, but he did say that many factors need to be considered especially when it comes to how this change will impact youth.

PLUS TV Faces Off, PM Barrow Walks Away
And today, one of the members of that National Evangelical Association of Belize, Nazarene Pastor and media personality Luis Wade wore both his hats when he got into the media scrum with Prime Minister Dean Barrow. He wanted to ask some very technical questions about the rationale for legalizing 10 grammes of marijuana. But that's after the PLUS TV cameraman and reporter put in his own testimony about the ills of marijuana use. Here's how that led to a rather awkward back and forth with 7News smack in the middle: Cirillo Choco, "Marijuana destroyed my life": "12 years now that I don't smoke no more. I have money, I have my family and I'm moving forward. I had to take myself and rehab myself so that I can come out of this lifestyle of marijuana that's why I want to say, why pass it? Why?"

The Good and The Bad of Ganja
As you just saw Pastor Louis Wade is against the passing of the amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act. We spoke to Wade, after his sharp exchange with the Prime Minister, about what he doesn't like about the law. But first, here's what someone on the opposite side of the argument has to say. Clinton "Pulu" Lightburn is a long time proponent for the legalization of marijuana, and has voiced his opinion on the subject on this newscast several times before. He gave us his thoughts on the newly read amendment, and what he thinks is the way forward...

Hilux Home
The stolen white Toyota Hilux which was found in Melchor two days ago - has made it back to Belize in record time. Last night we told you that authorities on that side of the border had opened an investigation because the new owner was trying to pay duties on the pickup. Well, that has been worked out and today we confirmed that the pickup was back on the Belize side of the border.

Offshore Drilling Moratorium Ad Infinitum?
And while the controversial marijuana decriminalization issue took the headlines tonight - the other major announcement coming out of today's house sitting is that government has made it official: it will introduce legislation to enact an indefinite moratorium on offshore oil exploration in Belize's territorial sea. Here's the Prime Minister making the announcement: Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister: "We agreed, some time ago, to a policy decision that there will be a moratorium but there were those who wanted a more permanent ban and I've always said that I am completely against that and I am still against that. A moratorium is a different thing. Even though it is indefinite, the fact is that it is not permanent..."

OCEANA Overjoyed
OCEANA's Vice President for Belize Janelle Chanona attended today's house sitting to hear the announcement that her organization has fought so long for. Outside the houses he told us it's exemplary leadership which will benefit all Belizeans:... Jannelle Chanona - VP, OCEANA Belize: "Today is a very momentous day, this is an example of exemplary leadership, we hope it will be replicated around the globe but certainly, I think, as the Prime Minister referenced in his comments, it affords Belizeans the peace of mind, that all Belizeans deserve on this issue, that they have stated and restated, that they want to be involved in this issue, so once this law is passed that is exactly what they would be able to enjoy. That, you know, once this indefinite moratorium is passed, that our marine resources will be safeguarded from the inherent hazards of offshore oil development."

Deviling the Details of Moratorium
As Chanona mentioned, OCEANA will now have to look very carefully at the legislation to make sure that what they agreed to is what they get. The Prime Minister discussed some of the finer details and how the decision came about in the first place:... Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow- Prime Minister: "Madam Speaker, I take great pleasure in announcing to the house and to the nation that cabinet on a meeting on Tuesday, agreed to have prepared and to bring to parliament, a bill that would enshrine into law the moratorium against offshore oil exploration activity. In consequence of conversation with Oceana and the Belize Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage, cabinet felt that the time has come to put the policy commitment into law. It makes no practical difference since under either regime, there is not going to be any licenses granted for offshore oil exploration activity but it certainly, I believe, gives comfort to those who require such comfort that this is a step beyond just the policy commitment."

Harvey Hit Barbados
Yesterday we told you about Tropical Storm Harvey, the storm that is projected to make landfall in this general area on Tuesday. Well, at the time, Harvey was gathering strength off the coast of Barbados and it swept through the small island nation last night. In preparation, all flights in and out of the country were cancelled and all government offices were closed and public transportation was suspended. So far reports say that Harvey caused minor damage and flooding, and officials believe that no widespread public utility outages occurred.

Is Harvey Coming This Way?
So, what's next for Tropical Storm Harvey? Well, as of 6:00 pm today the storm was moving west at 21 miles per hour with maximum winds of 40 miles per hour. Currently, it's about 1,700 miles east of Belize, and forecasters say that it will not arrive close enough to affect the country until around next week Monday or Tuesday. But, there is a lot that the storm could do before it is close enough to become a serious threat to Belize. This evening, the deputy meteorologist told us via phone that Belizeans should be closely monitoring this storm to find out what it eventually does. Here's what he had to say: Derrick Rudon, Deputy Chief Meteorologist: "Nothing has changed really from last night or from this morning. The forecast is still the same. Coming out if the national hurricane center, they still forecast Harvey to strengthen a bit and to move over the Caribbean Sea and by next week Monday/Tuesday should be over the northwest Caribbean which is basically in our area. The center of the cone comes right over Belize, but it is not necessarily have to go right up the center, it could be anywhere in the cone, in the area at that time."

PM on Banos-Vega Land Deals: It is What It Is
10 years into government, Prime Minister Dean Barrow has clearly grown tired of having to answer for the less than stellar conduct of many in his cabinet. That was clear today when the press asked him to answer for the Bano's-Vega land deals which we showed you two weeks ago. Its a series of transactions, where Ramon Rosendo Banos - who is Rene Montero's sideman - would acquire crown lands in the name of every imaginable member of his family and then sell those lands to Eduardo and Alma Vega. Today, the PM said he saw our story, and concludes, resignedly, "it is what it is":

PM Says Shoman Has Answering To Do
But the PM did regain some of his trademark wit when we asked him about that letter that former Foreign Minister Lisa Shoman sent him yesterday. The open letter complains lyrically about the many failings of current Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington. And with clear relish, the PM suggested that the letter may have gotten Shoman into some trouble:... Jules Vasquez, reporter: "Former Senator Lisa Shoman, former foreign minister has written you a letter. Will you respond to it, what do you make of it?"

Aimee Flores On Making It
And that's it for politics tonight. For a more refreshing perspective, we have a little leftover from our interview with Belizean Biochemistry Researcher, Aimee Flores. In our profile last night we told you about the groundbreaking stem cell research team which she led. But, breaking into the research world wasn't as simple as it might seem from the outside. She had done her masters in Pathology and got into the research setting by volunteering in a lab. That's where she met some of the most highly regarded published researchers, and top international students entering the Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research. We asked her how she competed with the best in the US and the world:

CODICADER Kids
On Sunday, 110 Belizean youth athletes will embark on a journey to Tegucigalpa, Honduras where they will participate in the 2017 CODICADER students sports games. This evening at the Marion Jones conference room, a press conference was held to introduce the team and here's what they had to say: Jones and the sports council also donated 2 motorcycles to Police Superintendent Moody. The bikes will be used to heighten security around the area while those who use the facility are exercising.

Mayor Loves Track and Field Athletes
And that wasn't the only attention given to young athletes today. Earlier on in the afternoon, a few of Belize City's youngest and most talented track and field stars were invited to City Hall for a small award ceremony. Mayor Darrell Bradley and his Councillors distributed plaques as well as a monetary token as a way to recognize their achievements. We spoke to Bradley after ceremony about why he felt the ceremony was an important gesture... Bradley also presented awards to the parents and coaches of the athletes.

Channel 5

Julius Espat Walks Out After Being Denied Speaking Time on Audit Report
The House of Representatives’ special session in Belmopan today was chock-full of news inside and outside. There were eight bills presented, one of which was taken through all its stages, [...]

G.O.B. Begins Road to Decriminalizing Marijuana
Five years after the first proposals were made and three years after an officially constituted committee, today G.O.B. brought legislation to the House to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act. [...]

P.M. and Louis Wade Clash over Science of Decriminalization
But there will be opposition to the bill, primarily from church groups. They believe that marijuana along with alcohol is a ‘gateway drug’ to harder drugs such as cocaine and [...]

NEAB Says No; P.M. Has ‘Ultra-Liberal’ Agenda
The National Evangelical Association of Belize has registered its disagreement with the proposed new legislation, which it says is a wrong move in the wrong direction that will bring wrong [...]

Oil Moratorium Becomes Law, but Has Anything Changed?
By its next session in October, a bill formally legislating the indefinite moratorium against offshore oil exploration activity should be before the House of Representatives. It is considered a major [...]

Environmentalists Savor Victory ‘For All’
OCEANA in Belize has been lobbying tirelessly for a complete ban on offshore exploration since it established itself in the country under the leadership of Audrey Matura.  During that time, [...]

Harvey Coming; Belizeans get ready
Going into the weekend, the National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO, has issued its first advisory in respect of Tropical Storm Harvey which continues a westward path in the direction of [...]

Bowen Distribution Center Robbed; 2 Detained
The distribution center of Bowen and Bowen located at Slaughterhouse Road in Belize City was robbed on Thursday night. The brazen robbery occurred before eight o’clock and involved four masked [...]

Shooting Victim in Customs Incident Remains under Coma
The family of thirty-year-old Dwayne Almendarez is demanding answers from the Belize Police Department.  The Yo Creek resident remains in an induced coma at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after [...]

Why It’s Better to Wait for Re-Registration
The decision to postpone re-registration to 2018, after the municipal elections and before a planned referendum to the International Court of Justice, has raised hackles. Having waited twenty years, opponents [...]

Should Government Settle B.S.I./B.S.C.F.A. Impasse?
The first issue raised on the adjournment of the House was the ongoing impasse between the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association and American Sugar Refining/Belize Sugar Industries Limited. The Association [...]

P.M. Says Lisa Shoman Under IDB Investigation for Elrington Comments
On Thursday, former Foreign Minister Lisa Shoman publicly criticized current Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington for his repeated statements suggesting that Belize does not have internationally recognized borders, especially with Guatemala. [...]

No Bail Yet for Christian Espat
Twenty-one year old Christian Espat of San Pedro Town will remain behind bars for another week since his bail application was not heard today. The Director of Public Prosecutions’ office [...]

Twin Towns and Other Municipalities Get Power to Borrow
In our last story from the House, the sole bill introduced today to go through all its stages was an amendment to the Town Councils Act which purports to give [...]

Warning Issued for Ciguatera Fish Poisoning
The Ministry of Health says that suspected fish poisoning, specifically Ciguatera poisoning, was detected in persons who had consumed barracuda bought from a vendor in Ladyville, Belize District.   The toxin [...]

NICH Demands BSCAP Present Certified Audit
The National Institute of Culture and History is calling on the BSCAP Board to present certified and audited financials to its membership at an annual general meeting to be convened. [...]

CitCo Recognizes Top Track Athletes
This afternoon Mayor Darrell Bradley and several of his councilors hosted three National Team Track and Field athletes and their coach at the City Hall. The team was presented with [...]

N.S.C. Raises Funds for CODICADER Team
Over a hundred young athletes under the age of fifteen years, are traveling to Honduras this weekend to participate in the CODICADER Games.  Despite initial concerns that Belize would be [...]

Belize Getting Support from Central American Partners
Chief of Mission, Charlie Slusher, also shared with the audience the sentiments of other CODICADER executives who are in support of Belize, despite the financial difficulties in defraying the cost [...]

Patrons of Inspiration Center Enjoy Fun Day
Over a hundred persons with disabilities and their families converged at the Inspiration Center just outside Belize City. But today’s session was not for the routine visits for therapy, the [...]

The Highlights of Channel Five’s Summer Fest 2017
Just before we close tonight’s newscast, we have the highlights of our ninth annual Summer Fest held this morning on our outdoor stage right here at our compound on Coney [...]

LOVE FM

Lisa Shoman calls remarks made by Minister of Foreign Affairs concerning our borders “ridiculous” and “wrong”
Former Foreign Minister Lisa Shoman has written an open letter to Prime Minister Dean Barrow asking him to reject statements made by Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington. Last night when questioned on the Belize Guatemala issue and going to the International Court of Justice, Elrington had this to say. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs “I […]

Opposition Leader comments on Auditor General’s report that will be tabled in the House on Friday
Tomorrow Area Representatives will meet in Belmopan for the Special Sitting of the House of Representatives. During that sitting, the 2012-2013 Auditor General’s Report is expected to be tabled. In Chapter 4, the report zeros in on the Ministry of Works, Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Education and the Department of Sales Tax. According […]

Opposition Leader comments on amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act
Also expected to be tabled during tomorrow’s Sitting of the House of Representatives is a bill to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act. The bill comes after a Decriminalization of Marijuana Committee was formed in 2012 and its final report was presented to cabinet in 2015. The bill seeks to decriminalize up to ten grams […]

BSI and BSCFA must meet to discuss impasse
The Belize Sugar Cane farmers Association and the Belize Sugar Industries Limited, BSI, are still at odds after not being able to agree on the proposed changes to the existing Commercial Agreement. As we reported, BSI is willing to invest twenty two million dollars to produce direct consumption sugar as soon as the new crop […]

Opposition Leader says Castro borthers must be held accountable for misdeeds
Yesterday Jafari Castro, son of UDP Minister Edmond Castro was arraigned on a charge of harm. Castro along with James Young and Gilbert Franklin who were also charged for harm, were released on a bail of one thousand five hundred dollars. They are accused of beating 21 year old Kevin Brown. This is not the […]

HFLE Curriculum revised after consultation with churches
At the beginning of the month we reported on the training of trainers’ workshop that was held and which surrounded adjustments made to the HFLE Curriculum for the upcoming academic year. In 2012 the Ministry of Education had come under fire by stakeholders especially the churches who expressed serious concerns over the HFLE Teachers’ Manual […]

DPM explains why new Civic to be privately managed
The Civic in Belize City is nearing its completion. The thirty two million dollars infrastructural investment began in 2015 and it’s now expected to be completed three months before the scheduled time and within its budget. It will be a multipurpose, structure that will be privately managed. This means that after Medina’s Construction and International […]

More emphasis to be placed on ITVET’s curriculum
Technical and vocational institutions, including the ITVETS in Belize, need to improve its curriculum. According to the Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, they have engaged with several stakeholders who have told government that the quality of the instruction in the ITVETS and other vocational and technical institutions in the country don’t meet high standards. He […]

University of Belize holds first ever matriculation ceremony
Almost six thousand students are enrolled at the University of Belize for the new school year. Yesterday, these new students were welcomed to the University of Belize with the first of its kind matriculation ceremony held at the Belmopan Campus. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Patrick Faber was the […]

Road Safety Unit hopes to curb the number of road traffic accident
Pauline Soberanis Tillett reporting… “This morning a special meeting was held at the Road Safety Unit, the purpose of the meeting was to address the number of road traffic accidents occurring primarily on the weekends. On board to address the issues were Senior Superintendent of Police Howell Gillett, Transport Officer Valen Hyde, Manager of […]

Amandala

Works’ $1.7 mil deal with Special Effects
There have been five outstanding audits of the Government of Belize, but that will be reduced to four when the 2012-2013 annual report of the Auditor General of Belize is tabled at a special meeting of the House of Representatives this Friday. Since parliamentarians began receiving their papers last week, the questionable relationship which the Ministry of Works had with two companies — Special Effects and Special Effects Performance — has come to light. According to the report of Auditor General Dorothy Ann Smith-Bradley, the Government, which should be spending public funds with a view of obtaining value for money, lost well over a million dollars under the arrangement it had with those companies.

Garifuna leaders disapprove of reinstatement of Eldred Neal
Leaders of two prominent Garifuna organizations, the United Garifuna Association Inc., representing Garinagu residing in the United States, and the National Garifuna Council (NGC), representing Garinagu in Belize, have expressed their disapproval of the decision by the Council of Management of the Public Service Union (PSU) to rescind the suspension of their president, Eldred Neal, which was effected in May in consequence of a recording on which he was heard to be making derogatory remarks against the Garinagu in general, and specifically, against Garifuna members of the union. Neal, elected in 2015, came under fire over allegations that he intended to “purge” the executive of the union of its Garifuna members. It was also alleged that anti-Garifuna comments were made by him — that the Garifuna people would do anything to ascend to power and are by so doing claiming high ranks in the public service.

Tropical Storm Harvey could threaten Belize early next week
Belizeans are keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Harvey, the 8th named storm for the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane season, which formed east of the Caribbean islands earlier today with winds of 40 miles per hour. On its current track, Harvey is a concern for Barbados, Martinique, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which could feel direct impacts tonight and tomorrow. Tropical storm warnings are now in effect for those territories. Early next week, it could become a concern for Belize, Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua – which are all within the 5-day cone of uncertainty.

Omar Gomez, 22, remanded for burglary of Caribbean Tires
Omar Gomez, 22, who had spent the last three years as a truck driver at Caribbean Tires, has been arraigned for the burglary of his workplace. Today, he appeared before Magistrate Hurl Hamilton in the San Ignacio Magistrate’s Court, and was charged with the offences of burglary, handling stolen goods and damage to property. Gomez, who was represented by attorney Rachael Montejo, was offered bail of $20,000. However, he was unable to meet bail and was remanded to prison until November 17, when he is scheduled to reappear in court.

Update on Hummingbird Highway low-boy accident
Three of four men who were traveling in a low-boy truck survived a road traffic accident when the truck overturned between Miles 38 and 39 on the Hummingbird Highway, near the Hershey community, at about 6:00 yesterday morning. The driver of the truck, Winston Dawson, 36, died of the injuries he sustained as a result of the accident, but three men who were with him survived the accident. They are Kenton Pollard, 29; Dorian Buckley, 21; and Albert Che, 21, all employees of Benny’s Home Center of Mile 2, Philip Goldson Highway, Belize City. Police said that Pollard discharged himself from the hospital, while Buckley, who suffered two cut wounds and abrasions on both arms and both knees; and Albert Che, who received abrasions to both arms and both knees, have received medical treatment.

Male inmates at the Belize Central Prison are mostly Creole; female inmates are mostly Hispanic
The Kolbe Foundation has released January to June statistics for the Belize Central Prison, which as of the end of June, had a population of 1,297 inmates. The data is very revealing, especially when it comes to the ethnic make-up of the prison population. Two ethnicities stand out: Creoles, who make up 50% of the inmate population, and Hispanics, who make up 25%, but the primary reasons for which inmates from those ethnic groups end up in prison are vastly different. In the case of Creoles, the majority of those inmates who belong to that ethnic group are there for murder and crimes of dishonesty: robbery, burglary, theft, etc., while the majority of Hispanic inmates are at the prison for immigration offences and crimes of dishonesty.

“In the Paint” : INTEROFFICE BASKETBALL – Dragons rout Grace Kings, 94-45, while Bulldogs prevails over Kings, 65-62
League leaders, Dragons won their 7th game of the season in eight outings last Friday night in Interoffice basketball, this time in blow-out fashion over the lowly Kings of Grace Kennedy. An early 18–0 run created an 18-point lead (27-9) at the conclusion of first quarter play, and the Dragons cruised into the winner’s circle from there. Everyone on the Dragons roster scored, with Eyan Rene’s final line being 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting, to go with 3 rebounds and 1 steal. Meanwhile, Devon Defour scored 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while adding 3 rebounds and 1 steal, with Denford Bevans adding 13 points of his own. Grace Kings’ Alex Gordon scored a game high 23 points, however, had no other teammate scoring in double figures.

Introduction of Belize delegation attending the 2017 CODICADER Under-15 Games
The Belize delegation of one hundred and ten (110) members is scheduled to leave the country on Sunday, August 20, en route to Tegucigalpa, Honduras for the VI CODICADER Student Sports Games for 13–14 year-olds from August 20 – 26. A press conference will be held on Friday, August 18, at 3:30 p.m. in the Marion Jones Sports Complex Conference Room to introduce the Belize delegation.

2017 Strong and Weak Doubles Table Tennis Tournament results
The 2017 Brodie’s Annual Strong & Weak Doubles Table Tennis Tournament took place this past Sunday, August 13, at the BES Auditorium, the home of table tennis. Competing in a Double Elimination format, 13 Strong & Weak Doubles teams began competing for this year’s title. Last year’s winners, Carlos Cui and Terry Su could not form a pair this year, as Terry has grown significantly into a strong player of his own.

Billiards News – Belikin 8-Ball Nationals this weekend in Belize City
The championship in Orange Walk was decided yesterday between Infierno and Team Picame. In the 3rd place game at 1:00 p.m., Chattas defeated Eagles two straight after blowing them out in game one on Friday, 4-0, securing the 3rd place. Ramon Witz defeated Joseph Jacobs, 3-1; and Miguel Chatta defeated Ernest Arzu, 3-0. In the championship game Friday night, the mighty Picame defeated the upstart Infierno, 4 to 1, on their table. Infierno had the momentum going into this game, after blowing out the number 2 seed Eagles, 6-0, just to run into a brick wall with team Picame. Sunday saw game two, with Picame needing two wins to seal the deal. Infierno won the first two games, as Abimael Godoy defeated Zadiel Smith, 3-0; and Jose Carballo defeated Byron, 3-0.

Editorial: Garvey’s 130th
As we write, today, Thursday, August 17th, 2017, is the 130th birthday of Marcus Mosiah Garvey (1887-1940). Two of the reasons Garvey comes to mind for us are the white supremacist incidents in Charlottesville, Virginia, last Sunday, and the tabling of a marijuana decriminalization bill in the Belize House of Representatives tomorrow, Friday, August 18. Marcus Garvey was a black nationalist who was born in Jamaica but reached the peak of his power and fame when he led the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) from headquarters in Harlem, New York City in the 1920s. The British Empire abolished the African slave trade in 1807 and emancipated its slaves in 1838. The United States of America freed its African slaves in 1863, and Western Hemisphere countries like Brazil and Cuba did the same in 1888, fifty years after the British.

Belize’s onerous departure tax
Dear Editor, History is littered with ill-conceived policies that were rashly implemented to fix problems, only to make them worse. Often made in haste, and without proper consultation, these so-called solutions have created problems much bigger than the ones they were designed to solve. A recent example is the GOB’s recent increase to the departure tax imposed on travelers leaving Belize – a legislative “fix” that has been shown to make matters worse, and has already resulted in Tropic Air abandoning three travel routes. In what is looking like a classic case of killing the golden goose, the government is milking Belize’s visitors to cover budgetary shortfalls, and in doing so is compromising the very lifeblood of our economy. In a very volatile and fragile global tourism market, and with a country that is already one of the region’s most expensive travel destinations, such a heavy-handed impost carries a very real potential to backfire – and backfire disastrously.

Rough vibes from Russell Czarnecki
Dear Editor, Is it mere incompetence, or is it simple GREED ? Let’s put down our rum and Cokes for a minute and ask ourselves, what has the GOB ever done that contributed to the stability and betterment of society? A free T-shirt and a bucket of chicken at election time don’t count! Belize, what is your future when you acquiesce to, and tolerate these scoundrels?

Heighway’s discussion of “social protection”
Dear Sir, The recent discussions between members of the current Belize City Council are interesting from a political point of view with municipal elections in the near future. But of even more importance I believe, is that it starts a conversation about how we support the most vulnerable people in our society – a system of support called social protection. Social protection is commonly understood as “all public and private initiatives that provide income or consumption transfers to the poor, protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks and enhance the social status and rights of the marginalised; with the overall objective of reducing the economic and social vulnerability of poor, vulnerable and marginalised groups”.

Bernard Bulwer’s two cents
Dear Editor, I’m out of circulation, FB/social media, but from what I’ve glimpsed (and maybe I shouldn’t comment because I haven’t digested or discussed deeply), this smells of a dangerous game at Belize’s expense. Could Taiwan, a country under existential threat, be cozying up (to such a great financial extent) to Guatemala—a country that poses an existential threat to Belize—in the form of a potential Trojan horse? So this is my 2 cents: • Option 1. Belize can easily get Taiwan’s attention if it really wants, and sign up to the PRC-One China policy, unless Taiwan reconsiders

Guatemala claims and the Special Agreement
News is that the Guatemalan Congress has approved the holding of the Referendum to take the Guatemalan claims to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), their public education campaign has commenced, and their national referendum is scheduled to be held by the end of 2017. Noting Guatemala’s theatrics, it is very unlikely that said referendum will be held as indicated; however, should Guatemala surprise us and hold said referendum then the probability is very high that a YES vote will be realized. The simple reason being that Guatemala, unlike Belize, has virtually nothing to lose by going to the ICJ and can only gain if the ICJ rules in their favour. There is no doubt that our Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is monitoring said public education campaign in an effort to sensitize the Belizean public and prepare itself should we need to go to the ICJ. We will not know exactly what Guatemala claims will be unless both Belize and Guatemala vote YES in their national referendum. As Belizeans, we need to know what are the claims Guatemala will be advancing at the ICJ so that we can properly vote in our national referendum and be prepared for any eventuality.

JANUS 2
A few weeks ago an aspiring political candidate visited my home seeking endorsement. I was not at home, and he said he would return. He hasn’t! If he does, my answer will be: I will publicly support the party and the candidate who promises to return to me, my Belize, Constitution and my school. As far as I know, there is only one place where I have been mentioned in a historical document. It is on page 262 of the “Years of Grace”, the history of the Catholic Church in Belize. It says: “Scholastic Paul Rodriguez left the Society.” This happened in 1964, a time of peaceful political change in British Honduras. However, it was an era of upheaval in the Catholic Church worldwide. Vatican 2, inspired by Pope John 23rd, had been in session for almost 2 years. Here and elsewhere, cosmetic changes took place with nuns getting rid of habits and leaving convents to live in private homes to appear to be more like ordinary women.

Guatemala claims and the Special Agreement
News is that the Guatemalan Congress has approved the holding of the Referendum to take the Guatemalan claims to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), their public education campaign has commenced, and their national referendum is scheduled to be held by the end of 2017. Noting Guatemala’s theatrics, it is very unlikely that said referendum will be held as indicated; however, should Guatemala surprise us and hold said referendum then the probability is very high that a YES vote will be realized. The simple reason being that Guatemala, unlike Belize, has virtually nothing to lose by going to the ICJ and can only gain if the ICJ rules in their favour. There is no doubt that our Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is monitoring said public education campaign in an effort to sensitize the Belizean public and prepare itself should we need to go to the ICJ. We will not know exactly what Guatemala claims will be unless both Belize and Guatemala vote YES in their national referendum. As Belizeans, we need to know what are the claims Guatemala will be advancing at the ICJ so that we can properly vote in our national referendum and be prepared for any eventuality.

Eulogy for William “Chi Chi” Fonseca
TRIBUTE TO DAD: August 8, 2017–On my Dad’s last birthday September 14th he published his second collection of poems entitled Poems to Ponder. Both his collections Lessons in Living and Poems to Ponder provide many wonderful lessons about life, love, faith, and hope. These lessons came from the many memorable experiences he had in his many years working as a teacher, counselor, Chief Education Officer and founding member of the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired. Dad’s poems and reflections focus on the lives of ordinary persons like a caretaker, a curandero, a teenage girl, a riverboat captain, a young widowed mother and persons with disabilities – persons of exemplary qualities of character and commitment who every day faced many challenges in their lives but refused to allow these challenges and obstacles to dictate how they should live their lives. He wrote about the personal challenges of three blind persons like himself who he considered to be family: Teresita Moh, Donovan Reneau, and Hector Hoare, who all faced discrimination, prejudice and marginalization because of their disability.

RIGHT TO THE POINT: It is property you get while married!
The topic of matrimonial property has sparked many questions and has clearly shown that many do not appreciate how the changing circumstances in a relationship can actually affect the property rights of each spouse in the marriage. For example, all property obtained during the subsistence of the marriage can be affected by death in a different way than it would be affected by divorce. Property affected without divorce: Now it has always been an unsettling issue for me that a man and woman may work together and even build an empire, yet the legal rights of all those property may lie solely in the name of one of the spouses. Yes, this happens more often than not. Too often when the marriage is sweet… or merely holding together, the property remains in the name of only one spouse, yet at the critical point of separation, abandonment, or even divorce, the other spouse may find him/herself displaced and in an desperate situation..

Over $600,000 for BSCAP CEO; $2,500 for BSCAP members
Seven days ago, Music Ambassador and political aspirant, Shyne Barrow, son of Prime Minister Dean Barrow, dropped a bombshell with his sudden resignation from his post as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Belize Society of Composers, Authors, Publishers (BSCAP). Barrow claimed that his departure was triggered by the actions of his predecessor, Heather Cunningham, who, he alleges, claimed that BSCAP owed her over $600,000 to cover her salary (and expenses) for the period 2010-2013. In his resignation letter, Barrow explained that amidst Cunningham’s claims for compensation, there was, “absolutely nothing to show as far as generating revenues [for BSCAP] or getting the nation to be copyright compliant.”

Crazy gunman shoots boys, 9 and 12, and man, 27
Two minors and an adult were hit by a hail of bullets in San Pedrito, San Pedro Town, on Saturday night. According to police, at around 9 o’clock they received information about a shooting, and thereafter visited the San Pedro Polyclinic. They saw 9-year-old Jaheem Martinez with a gunshot wound on the left wrist, 12-year-old Armando Bernardino Hernandez, Jr., with a gunshot wound on the right side of his buttocks, and 27-year-old Lloyd Tyndall, who suffered the worst injuries, with three gunshot wounds to the left side of his abdomen and three to his left leg. Police investigations revealed that the three victims, were at a social gathering in the Easy Does It, A & A, Wood Work Shop, when two gunmen, with dark blue rags concealing their faces, emerged. The men stood at the front of the establishment and recklessly fired into the crowd. The victims were transported to the San Pedro Polyclinic and later to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH).

1 dead, 3 injured after 18-wheeler overturned on Hummingbird
At about 6:00 this morning, an 18-wheeler lowboy truck that was traveling on the Hummingbird Highway from Belize City, transporting construction material from Benny’s Home Center to the south, overturned between Miles 38 and 39 in the vicinity of Hershey Community. The truck reportedly suffered a front-wheel blowout, causing it to veer off the road to the right. The driver lost control of the vehicle, and it overturned. As a result, the driver, identified as Winston Dawson, 45, a truck driver of Belama Phase 3, Belize City, suffered massive head and body injuries, and died almost immediately.

Prices up for regular gas and diesel
At midnight last night, pump prices were increased for regular gasoline and diesel at service stations across Belize. In the case of Belize City, the price of regular gasoline increased from $9.70 a gallon to $10.21, an increase of 51 cents on the gallon. The price of diesel went up in the City by a much smaller margin, from $8.68 to $8.82 – a difference of 14 cents. Meanwhile, there has been no price change for premium gasoline, which remains at $10.49 a gallon, and kerosene, which is still priced at $5.09 a gallon.

The Reporter

Bail for Castro and friends
Jafari Castro, son of Transport Minister Edmond Castro, is out on bail this week, after being formally charged and arraigned on a single count of harm against Kevin Brown. Police charged Castro, 21, jointly with James Young, 19, and Gilbert Franklin, 21. All three men […]

Gas prices go up again
This week, gas prices had its tenth price adjustment since the start of 2017, with both Regular and Diesel fuels seeing increases. The increase took effect at 12:00 a.m. on Wednesday, sending Regular fuel up by 51 cents, from $9.70 a gallon to $10.21. Diesel went up […]

Diabetes could be better control with new medical inventions
The invention of artificial pancreas device system, coupled with a digital contact lens, patented by Google, that can measure blood glucose levels from tears may be two inventions that can help to better control diabetes. The world’s first artificial pancreas has been proven to monitor […]

Taiwan makes contribution to health
The Republic of China (Taiwan) this week gave the Ministry of Health US$ 221,850 for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Renal Failure project. The donation on Monday at the Corozal Community Hospital is the first disbursement for the project. Taiwan’s Ambassador to Belize, H.E. […]

The BSCAP back and forth
The ongoing conflict between the Belizean Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (BSCAP) and former Chief Executive Officer Moses Shyne Barrow, continued this week, with both parties taking their side of the story to the media. Barrow had resigned from BSCAP last week, claiming that the former […]

Mexico helps light Marion Jones Stadium
Mexico’s Agency for International Cooperation in Development (AMEXCID) has allotted US$10 Million for the building of an indoor basketball and volleyball facility at the Marion Jones Sports Complex in Belize City, which included state of the art lighting for the football pitch at the stadium. The $500,000 lighting installation is […]

Belize to benefit from IDB investment
Belize will be among the nations benefitting from funding that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is providing to Mesoamerican countries in the areas of transportation, logistics and integration. The IDB announced this week that it is planning to fund special studies, investment and action plans for regional […]

Police looking for daring Dangriga Treasury bandit
Dangriga police are searching for a brazen gunman who walked into the Dangriga Sub Treasury last Friday afternoon and robbed the cashier at gunpoint. According to police, sometime after 12:30 p.m. on August 11, the thief escaped with approximately $1,750 in cash along with two cellphones. According […]

Two children, one man shot; suspect charged
Two children and a man suffered gunshot injuries in San Pedro town on Saturday night, but police have charged a suspect. Sometime around 9:00 p.m., Jaheem Martinez, 9, Armando Bernardino Hernandez Jr., 12, and Lloyd Tyndall, 27, a farmer of Dump area, Toledo were in […]

Man found dead on George Price highway
Roaring Creek are looking for a hit and run suspect who knocked down and killed a Camalote resident in the wee hours of Saturday morning, near Cotton Tree village. The victim, 41-year-old Oscar Cermenio, was discovered near mile 45 on the George Price highway laying in the […]

Supreme Court bail for cop and friends busted with stolen Guatemalan firearm
Three people, including a police officer, who were accused of smuggling a stolen weapon into the country from Guatemala were granted bail by the Supreme Court last Friday. Police Constable Franklin Ramirez, Trevor Brown and Elorey Graham were granted bail by Justice Herbert Lord for the sum […]

Editorial
Sometimes in the tide of times, advice comes too late. It may be so in this case, but we feel honour bound to offer it. The Government of Belize is about to introduce legislation to decriminalize the use of small amounts of marijuana for recreational smoking. The legislation, we believe, […]

Marijuana Decriminalization Bill going to House
After five years of consideration, the Government of Belize is preparing to take the first step in decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana. Authorities have confirmed that the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill 2017, which will decriminalize possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana among […]

Belizean makes groundbreaking scientific discovery on hair loss
A hometown girl is making great strides in the global scientific community, having been featured in the journal Nature Cell Biology for groundbreaking new research with the potential for developing new treatment for hair loss and baldness. Aimee Flores, the author of the benchmark study is a Belizean student completing […]

Tropical Storm Harvey treks towards Belize
Belizeans may be in for a real threat from Tropical Storm Harvey, which formed over the Eastern Caribbean on Thursday afternoon. The projected path of the storm puts it directly over Belize by Tuesday of next week, if it continues on the westward track that […]

San Pedro tour guide shot and killed
San Pedro police are investigating a case of murder after tour guide Scott Charles was shot on the island on Wednesday night and died on Thursday afternoon. Charles, 24, was at his home in the Bayside area of San Pedro on Wednesday night when someone […]

Breaking Belize News

Lisa Shoman in trouble for comments about Sedi?
Prime Minister Dena Barrow, today confirmed that former foreign Minister Lisa Shoman may be in trouble with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for statements made against Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington. Barrow explained that Shoman had written an open letter to him regarding the Foreign […]

NEMO issues advisory 1 on Harvey
The National Emergency Management Organization in collaboration with the National Meteorological Service is informing the general public that Tropical Storm Harvey is located near latitude 13.4North, and longitude 62.9 West or approximately 1, 700 miles east of Belize. Harvey has sustained winds of 40 […]

National Evangelical Association of Belize disagrees with GOB intent and steps in decriminalizing marijuana
The National Evangelical Association of Belize (NEAB) and it’s 250+ represented churches expresses its disagreement with intent and steps of the Government to decriminalize marijuana, according to a press release issued by NEAB today. NEAB says that they are convinced that the move is […]

GOB Officially announces Legislation on Indefinite Moratorium on Offshore Oil Exploration
Today, in the sitting of the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Dean Barrow officially announced Cabinet’s August 15th decision to legislate an indefinite moratorium on offshore oil exploration in Belize’s territorial sea, including the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Barrow stressed that the current administration […]

NEMO trains public officers in Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis
Yesterday, a number of public officers from various departments, who are stationed mainly in Belmopan, Cayo District and Orange Walk District, participated in a training workshop on Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (DANA) conducted by the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) at NEMO headquarters […]

Goldson House teams up with BCVI for 3 day Summer Camp
The National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) through The Goldson House for Democracy and Patriotism in Belmopan will be holding a 3 day summer camp with the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired (BCVI) from August 16-18, 2017 from 9:00a.m. to 12:00 p.m. BCVI is […]

Belize Coalition responds to PM’s commitment to legislate moratorium on offshore oil activity
The Belize Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage (BCSNH) today issued a statement in response to Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s official announcement in the House of Representatives that his administration has committed and plan to legislate an indefinite moratorium on offshore oil activity in Belize’s […]

Corozal police find weed, gun, and ammo
Yesterday, police visited the residence of David Salvador Samos of Altamira area, Corozal Town; however, he was not at home at the time. Police then conducted a search of his residence which was witnessed by a relative who resides in another house in the same […]

Orange Walk retiree missing
Reymunda Wright,59 of #3 Barbados Street, Orange Walk Town reported to police that yesterday evening around 5, her 84-year-old father Nicolas Wright, retiree of the same address left home. Wright said that he was going for a walk but has not returned since. He […]

Bowen & Bowen robbed of $25K
The warehouse manager for Bowen and Bowen Distribution Center located at #1 Slaughter House Road, Belize City reported that last night around 7:45, four masked men entered the office. Two of the men were armed with firearm, held up the personnel and took $25,594.22 in […]

Julius walks out
Member for Cayo South, Julius Expat has walked out of today’s special sitting of the House of Representatives. Espat rose to raise an issue contained in the Auditor General’s Report, but was told by the Speaker of the House, Laura Longsworth to stick to […]

Fort George Area Rep calls for Re registration
Former Prime Minister of Belize and Fort George area representative, Said Musa today at the sitting of the House of representatives stressed on the importance of the re registration exercise in Belize. Musa accused the present administration of winning elections by corruption. ” Winning […]

GOB to pass bill on offshore oil exploration in Belize
A letter circulated on social media from the office of the Prime Minister to Oceana, in which he assured that legislation will go to parliament to “ enshrine the moratorium, already in effect as a policy matter, on offshore oil exploration in Belize.” The […]

Ministry of Health warns of fish poisoning
The Ministry of Health today informed that suspected fish poisoning (Ciguatera poisoning) was detected in persons that had eaten fish bought from a fish vendor in Ladyville, Belize District. Further investigation into these cases has linked and identified that the fish consumed was barracuda. […]

GOB to pass bill to decriminalize 10 grams of weed today
A special sitting of the House of Representatives is in session today in Belmopan. Eight bills will be introduced today including an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Bill. The bill proposes to “decriminalize the possession of cannabis in amounts not exceeding ten grams, […]

Stolen Hilux still in Guatemala
Last Friday, a Toyota Hilux was stolen from a mechanic shop in San Ignacio. According to police reports, the Hilux was found in Melchor de Mencos and Guatemalan authorities were making arrangements with Belizean officials to return the vehicle. However, according to a report […]

Tropical Storm Harvey moving into the Caribbean
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is reporting that Tropical Storm Harvey continues to move west into the Carribbean and could make landfall next week as a hurricane. Harvey is also drenching the Windward Islands with rain. As of this morning, Harvey was located about […]

Former Harlem Globetrotter, Melvin Adams, in Belize for charity event
Former Harlem Globetrotter, Melvin Adams, has been spotted in Belize. He was seen at the National Fire Services Office in Belize City where he delivered an inspirational speech to the fire fighters. Information to BBN is that he will be in Belmopan tomorrow night for a […]

Blogs

Tropical Storm Harvey Pointed Towards Belize
Tropical Storm Harvey is now poised just east of Barbados – the easternmost island in the Caribbean and almost 2000 miles away from our shores. He is moving forward at about 14 miles per hour. Always a storms scariest look – the satellite image. Here are the projections as of now. Again, they are talking landfall on Monday and Tuesday…and slight jogs to the north could change quite a bit. That is all reflected in forecast cone.

Top 10 ways to stay fit on your vacation to Placencia, Belize! (Yoga, Gym, Crossfit, and more!)
We get this question from guests pretty often (and if you just want to lay on the beach, there are PLENTY of people doing that and nothing more.) Here's what we learned from our past guests about their favorite ways of staying fit while they are in Placencia... 1.) Bike riding - Placencia is a 16-mile peninsula, with one road all the way to the "top"- this is a GREAT ride, very interesting for people and sight seeing. There are plenty of places to stop on the way up and get water, have lunch, jump in a pool/the sea. Most people will stop when they get to the "Placencia Hotel," this is north of Maya Beach in the "Plantation" area of the peninsula. If your hotel doesn't offer free bikes (many do) you can rent from a place in town.

How to Explore the Blue Hole by Air – Belize
It’s a hole. And it’s blue. But really, it’s so much more. After getting glimpses of this amazing oceanic formation from afar, we knew that we could not go to Belize without exploring this natural wonder. The Blue Hole, otherwise known as the Great Blue Hole, is a large submarine sinkhole off the coast of Belize. The Belize Barrier Reef, Lighthouse Reef Atoll and Turneffe Atoll are other beautiful sites that you’ll fly over. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot manatees, rays, sharks and dolphins. We went with Tropic Air from San Pedro on the island of Ambergris Caye. There are 2 ways to see the Blue Hole with Tropic Air: A private charter or a scheduled tour. We did the private charter, as we wanted more flexibility with our days and times.

5 Questions to ask your international mortgage loan officer
There comes a time in life when you become mentally ready to take the steps toward fulfilling a dream or making the biggest investment of your life, but are you financially prepared? You might be interested in seeking funds from an international bank, and thanks to technological advancements, this is another option available for you to get the financing you need. However, going overseas for a loan may cause doubt and fear so research is important when it comes to choosing the right bank. Begin with emailing, calling or scheduling Skype meetings with a few different International banks for an interview and consultation. To help you prepare, we’ve outlined 5 important questions you should ask your loan officer during or before the loan application process so as to remove any doubts on the process of a loan with an international bank.

Celebrating a Decade at Ka’ana
It’s almost September and we wanted to let you know in advance just what an exciting month it will be in Belize and at Ka’ana Resort. The country is alive with celebrations, parades, street parties and crowds celebrating Independence Day on September 21. And this year, we’re also commemorating our 10th Anniversary on the same day! We’ve already been commemorating our 10 Year Anniversary Celebration for several months, but the real party comes on September 21, when we invite you to a grand fête. Enjoy celebratory cocktails with our general manager Wolfgang Brandl at The Wallace Bar, where our talented mixologists craft specialty drinks using our homegrown produce. And on the yoga deck, we’re hosting a Maya barbecue with live music—a feast honoring both 36 years of independence and 10 years of award-winning service here at Ka’ana. An outdoor screen will be showing movies under the stars as well. And at the end of the night, fireworks will light up the jungle sky.

Meet the Birds of Belize
With over 590 bird species, it is safe to say that Belize is a paradise for birdwatchers. Interestingly, even regular folks who aren’t really into bird watching are drawn to this recreational activity when in Belize – may be it’s because birds are so easy to spot here. Most of the birds in Belize are local species and approximately 20 percent are migrants who fly down to Belize during the harsh winter months in North America. With almost half of Belize’s land made up of protected areas, it doesn’t matter if you are inland or on the cayes, you will encounter numerous beautiful birds. I recommend you visit the jungle lodges in western Belize, it is especially easy to spot birds there. At many of those resorts, in the morning you can have your breakfast while you’re treated to a ceremonial chatter of several types of birds. Another option is waking up early and going to the Mayan sites – the ruckus of the rainforest is absolutely amazing.

Tropical Storm Franklin never came for a visit, but Dopey the potlicker did!
Just one year and three days after Hurricane Earl decimated our tiny island, we had another intruder lurking at our door. His name was Franklin and he was a tropical storm. The morning that Franklin was to hit, the SAGA Humane Society put out the call, “We have over 20 dogs living at Fort Dog that need shelter for the storm.” We asked Dooley Bear if he wanted to have another slumber party and he was all in. We drove over to SAGA to pick up our foster potlicker. We introduce to you, Ms. Dopey! We introduce to you, Ms. Dopey!

International Sources

Belize Loses Bid To Block Assignee In $27.4M Award Row
A D.C. federal judge chided the Belizean government Friday in a decision that allowed a Turks and Caicos entity to pursue a confirmed $27.4 million arbitral award over a tax arrangement with banks, discounting Belize’s “meritless” arguments to keep the case with another plaintiff. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled that Belize brought arguments that are “meritless and require little discussion” in trying to prevent Midway Investments Ltd. from taking over the litigation for a $27.4 million arbitration award. The judge wrote that Belize had regularly...

Belize Asks High Court To Review $18.5M Arbitration Award
The government of Belize has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its appeal of a decision that enforced an $18.5 million London arbitral award in a case involving a Central American bank. The Belizean government said in its filing, dated Aug. 8, that the D.C. Circuit wrongly affirmed a lower court opinion that said the arbitral award could go forward. Because Belize is not party to the New York Convention, an international agreement providing for the reciprocal enforcement of international arbitration awards, U.S. courts should...

Turlock’s Mr. Safety finds himself ‘Naked and Afraid’ in Belize
Cory Williams has always been up for a challenge, however, the Hilmar High grad and former Turlocker didn’t know his love for adventure would eventually find him “Naked and Afraid.” On Sunday, the world will be able to watch Williams, an original YouTuber, and pro surfer Anastasia Ashley try to survive in the jungles of Belize in the Discovery Channel’s popular reality show that takes two strangers and leaves them naked and stranded on a desert island.

Videos

August 18, 2017

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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, and other specials

The San Pedro Sun

Meteorologists monitoring three storms in the Caribbean
So far, the National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on a Tropical Storm Harvey, located several hundred miles east of the Windward Islands. The low pressure’s center is located 13.0 N 55.8W moving at 18 miles per hour (mph) with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. Meteorologists are predicting that the low pressure has a 100% chance of developing into a Hurricane within the next 48 hours and 100% chance to grow further in strength within the next five days. Another low pressure, Invest 92L being monitored is located about 1,200 miles east of the Leeward Islands and continues to show signs of organization. As it moves west-northwest at near 20 mph, the low pressure has 60% chance of forming into an organized storm in the next five days.

Scott Charles shot at his Elliot Subdivision residence
The sound of gunshots once again disrupted the tranquillity of island residents on Wednesday, August 16th in the Elliot Sub-division of San Pedro Town. Police confirmed that 24-year-old Scott Charles a Belizean Tour Guide, suffered gunshot wounds to the lower part of his abdomen and his upper thigh. He was transported to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II where he was stabilized, and later airlifted to Belize City for further medical treatment. Police are yet to make any arrests as investigation continues. According to eyewitnesses, over a dozen gunshots were heard. Many of the residents around the neighbourhood took cover under their tables and beds when the shots rang through the area. “At first I thought it was fire crackers, but after I saw some commotion on the street I realized something had happened,” remembers one witness. “It was like a war zone out there. What is happening to our island?” People keep asking. The official report from the Police Department indicates that around 8:40PM, while Charles was at home someone knocked on the door. As soon as he opened the door, a barrage of bullets greeted him, causing his injuries.

BTB holds workshop with hoteliers and property managers in San Pedro Town
The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) hosted a two-day workshop with representatives of the hospitality industry in San Pedro Town from Monday, August 14th to Tuesday, August 15th. The workshop took place at the Lions Den and was aimed at training participants in emergency planning, climate change adaptation, being resilient to climate change, crisis management and how to share information when a crisis takes place at an establishment. Attendees from small properties to large ones participated, after the two-day training, participants expressed satisfaction with the new information acquired. This nationwide initiative from BTB aims to better prepare the accommodation sector of the tourism industry. According to Memory Castro, Capacity Building and Sustainable Tourism Manager at BTB, the idea came after their audits showed a lack of emergency planning at most of the hotels countrywide.

Ambergris Today

Help Bring Justice For Faye Lin Cannon Make A Sworn Statement
David and Anke Doehm will appear in court on August 24, 2017, in San Pedro Magistrate court for the hearing on their charges for “Cruelty to a Child”. The entire country has been appalled by the circumstances surrounding the death of Faye Lin Cannon and by the lack of evidence from the police department to charge anyone for her death. First on the list of murder suspects are David and Anke Doehm, Faye Lin Cannon’s adoptive parents, but police and prosecution have not been able to obtain enough strong evidence to charge them with murder.

Look At The Baby Turtles Hatching
Turtles are hatching on North Ambergris Caye and the Ambergris Caye Marine Turtle Program (ACMTP) has this awesome video to share. This year they have recorded 92 nests on the island and most of the turtles are hatching at the moment. The ACMTP closely monitors all the turtle nest their personnel find along the beaches north of the island and ensures they are protected from poachers. They also keep a close count and record data that can be use for research. Turtle nesting Season is at its peak with green and loggerhead turtle nesting July/August. The season runs from June to October.

Man Shot As Assailant Opens Fire At His Residence
Police reports indicate that Scott Charles, 24 years Belizean Tour Guide of Bay Side Area, San Pedro Town, was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City via air ambulance after suffering from gun shot wounds last night, Wednesday, August 16, 2017. Police say they visited the San Pedro Poly Clinic where they encountered Scott Charles suffering from a gunshot wound to the lower part of the abdomen and a gunshot wound to the upper part of the thigh. Initial police investigation revealed that about 8:40p.m., whilst Charles was at home, someone knocked at his door and upon opening several shots were fired at him causing his injuries. Police are investigating; more information as it becomes available.

University Of Belize Records 4,668 New And Returning Students For 2017
Students Welcomed at Historic and First Matriculation Ceremony in Belmopan - The new Academic Year 2017-2018 has begun for the University of Belize (UB). Faculty, staff and the leadership team formally welcomed students at the historic and first matriculation ceremony in Belmopan on 16th August, 2017. The packed ceremony took place from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the UB Jaguar Auditorium. Professor Emeritus Clement Sankat, President of UB indicated to students that the matriculation is a formal ceremony “to mark your enrollment as a student of the National University of Belize. It symbolizes your right of passage into this University, that you have met the standards for entry into our University and that you are now all enrolled as a student in a Certificate, Associate Degree or Degree program of the UB”.

Misc Belizean Sources

Introduction of Belize Delegation Attending the 2017 CODICADER Under 15 Games
The Belize Delegation of one hundred and ten (110) members is scheduled to leave the country on Sunday, 20th August 2017 in route to Tegucigalpa, Honduras for the VI CODICADER Student Sports Games for 13 – 14-year-olds from 20th – 26th August 2017. A press conference will be held on Friday, 18th August 2017 at 3:30 p.m. in the Marion Jones Sports Complex Conference Room to introduce the Belize delegation.

Belmopan Ministry of Labour, Local Government & Rural Development Office Relocating
The Ministry of Labour, Local Government & Rural Development (Belmopan Office) hereby informs the public that our Ministry will be relocating effective from August 28th, 2017. Our new office will be located at the following address: Corner 29 Raccoon Ave & 6129 Brown Street (Upstairs Daily Superstore, beside Peace Corps) Mountain View Area, City of Belmopan Our phone numbers, fax numbers and email addresses remain unchanged. We look forward to serving you at our new location.

School items gifted to SPTC
Ms. Linda Clark-Fonda of Lake Charles Louisiana brought some school goodies to the San Pedro Town Council on her visit to San Pedro Town. She would like to give thanks to her friends at the Eye Clinic - Dr. Mark Crawford, Dr. Tom Price, Dr. Lori Goldberg, as well as her friends and grandchildren, who gave up some of their most treasured and personal items.

EXPORTBelize and the Belize Bureau of Standards hold Stakeholders Consultation
EXPORTBelize in collaboration with the Belize Bureau of Standards held a Stakeholder Consultation on Tuesday August 15, 2017 at BELTRAIDE’s Headquarters in Belmopan City. This consultation was aimed to review and discuss the Final Draft for the CARICOM Regional Standard on Cocoa and Chocolate Products where approval or disapproval of the standard would be commented on and submitted by Belize for further submission to CROSQ, the regional organization for standards. The session consisted of those key stakeholders within the cacao industry who the regional standard, when passed, would ultimately impact.

Caye Caulker September Holidays
Our final calendar coming soon!

Kathak Ballet group of Hemantha Kalita
You are kindly invited to this wonderful cultural experience presented by the High Commission of India to Belize, Tuesday August 22nd. August 22nd at Las Vegas Hotel, Free Zone, Corozal starting at 7:00 p.m.

Ricardo Elias "EL BUKY" from Monterrey, Mexico
Coming to you live at the Princess Casino Free Zone, Corozal this Friday, August 18th and Saturday 19th. It is a comical, magical and musical show you don't want to miss. It all starts at 10:00 p.m. No cover charge. Plus get a chance to win and enjoy yourselves.

Teaching vacancy at Concepcion R C School
A teaching vacancy exist for one school year at Concepcion R C School. All applicants must possess a background in Primary Education, a valid Full License to Teach in Belize and Police Record. Candidates must meet the Belize Teaching Service Commission requirements to teach as posted before. Applications must be Address to: Assistant Local Manager, Corozal Catholic Public Schools, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Corozal Town, P O Box 34. For further information call 422 2018 or email [email protected] Deadline for submissions of applications 24th August.

Great News for women entrepreneurs!
Vital Voices Global Partnership opened 2018 VV GROW Fellowship application to women business owners from around the world. The Fellowship: A Leading Global Accelerator for Women Entrepreneurs is a highly competitive one-year global accelerator program for women owners of small and medium businesses. The program includes customized business skills training, technical assistance, leadership development, and access to networks to grow their businesses and increase their leadership impact.

The young cacao trees being grown in Belize’s first agroforestry concession (within a protected area) are getting lots of love
29 farmers of the Trio Farmers Cacao Growers Association were involved in a practical pruning training over a two-day period. The farmers are expecting their first harvest early next year and we are excited! This unique conservation model – guided by a management plan, conservation agreement and expertise of Ya’axché – is providing a lot of success!

Caye Caulker September Celebrations Calendar of Events

UB’s First Matriculation Ceremony
The new Academic Year 2017-2018 has begun for the University of Belize (UB). Faculty, staff and the leadership team formally welcomed students at the historic and first matriculation ceremony in Belmopan on 16th August, 2017. The packed ceremony took place from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the UB Jaguar Auditorium. Professor Emeritus Clement Sankat, President of UB indicated to students that the matriculation is a formal ceremony “to mark your enrollment as a student of the National University of Belize. It symbolizes your right of passage into this University, that you have met the standards for entry into our University and that you are now all enrolled as a student in a Certificate, Associate Degree or Degree program of the UB”.

Chevening scholarship
We would like to congratulate our friend and colleague Sylvia on receiving a Chevening scholarship and will be pursuing her graduate degree in Public Archaeology at the University College of London!

Channel 7

Man Killed, Gunmen Ambushed Him At Door
There was a shooting last night on San Pedro, which unfortunately, has now turned into a murder investigation. The victim is 25 year-old Scott Charles, a tour guide of the Bay Side area of the island town. His loved-ones say that he is a hard-working family man, but last night, gunmen went hunting him at his house. Reports to police are that gunmen knocked on his door, and when he opened it, they opened fire. We've spoken with his family today, and their account is a little different. They believe that his killers were watching him, and as soon they realized that he was alone, they kicked in his door and shot him to death.

Retired Cop Beaten, Loses Tooth
Well-known retired Assistant Superintendent of Police Francis Williams was badly beaten by three men who allegedly jumped him one week ago. Police have arrested the suspects and they appeared today before Acting Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser today. They are 24 year old security guard Darrell Brown, his brother, 29 year old personal trainer Rayford Brown, and 28 year old sales agent Eckert Powell, from Freedom Street. They all pleaded not guilty.

Not Another Tropical Storm!
About a week and a half ago, stores, banks and businesses countrywide closed down early in preparation for Tropical Storm Franklin. Fortunately for us, Franklin veered north, and his rains and winds had very little effect on Northern Belize. But before you can properly say, "Farewell Franklin", it may already be time to say "Hello Harvey!" - with a clear sense of dread! That's right, today, a weather system that formed off the coast of Africa has made its way into the Caribbean, and as of 3:00 this afternoon, has been upgraded to a tropical storm, and its projected path has it coming straight to Belize by early next week. Now, we stress this is just a projection, but we spoke to the Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Catherine Cumberbatch, to get a clearer idea of where this storm may be heading...

Stolen Hilux Almost Made It Back Home
The next story about a stolen vehicle almost has a happy ending, but not quite. It's about a Toyota Hilux pickup that was stolen from a mechanic shop in San Ignacio last week Friday. And like every other stolen Hilux it ended up in Melchor. But, yesterday there was a major break in the case, when the Hilux showed up at the border and Guatemalan police were ready. They had been told to look out for the pickup and they dutifully impounded it.

Finally! Carnival Route Finalized
After much anticipation and speculation, the route for the 2017 Carnival Road March has been confirmed. It's been an unresolved issue for months now because authorities insisted that the safety hazards posed by the route were just too great: it blocked Belize's two major highways and the entrance to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for hours. The carnival committee has been weighing multiple options and routes, and has finally made a decision. The vice president of the Committee told us what the route will be:..

Belize Biochemist Groundbreaking Stem Cell Research
A young Belizean's groundbreaking research has been published in a top US medical Journal. On Monday, Aimee Flores, who is pursuing a Ph.D in Stem Cell Research and Bio-chemistry at UCLA had her paper published in the "Nature Cell Biology", a leading medical journal. She's in Belize on a week's break and sat down with Jules Vasquez - to talk about her project. We looked back at her long history of academic excellence which has brought her to where she is now:

Wilfred Riles Them Up Again
Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington is no stranger to controversy - and his seemingly blasé comments about the border always find a way to properly tick people off. And, last night, he did it again, which is why, tonight, he's the subject of an open letter of protest which Former PUP Foreign Minister Lisa Shoman addresses to Prime Minister Dean Barrow. She's angry about what Elrington told the press yesterday in an interview about the Jacobo Arbenz 4-lane freeway to Puerto Barios . Here are his remarks:... Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Foreign Minister: "The whole issue of the building of the road under the 1859 treaty was regarded by the British as a non-issue, that's a non-issue. So whether they build it or not is not of any moment, it's not going to affect in any way the litigation in which we have, that's a non-issue, it has no real bearing on the issue. Why we have to go to ICJ is because we don't have borders that are internationally recognized and that can put us in trouble."

Cunil For Cultivation
Yesterday police conducted a search on small farm about 4 miles West of Cotton Tree Village where they found 47-year-old Rosendo Cunil relaxing in a hammock under a palm hut. The cops searched him and found about 2 ounces of cannabis. They proceeded to search the rest of the hut, where they found a 16 gauge shotgun and 6 shotgun cartridges. Police then inspected the surrounding area and found 3 small marijuana plantations about 100 feet away from the hut. In total the cops found 638 marijuana plants ranging from 3 inches to 3 feet in height.

Pounds of Weed in Bze District
Police made two weed busts in the Belize District yesterday. The first one occurred in the evening at mile 19 and a half on the Phillip Goldson Highway in Sandhill. The team searched a bushy area and found a crocus bag with one pound of weed divided into 4 parcels. No one was in the area, so it was labelled as found property. The second bust was made last night. Going on a search warrant, the south side strike team searched the residence of David Haulze on Aloe Vera street. They found 4 plastic bags weighing in one pound of weed. Haulze was charged with possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.

Capital Cops Crackdown on Highway Craziness
Just this week, we've reported on two fatal accidents on the George Price Highway. And that's why the Road Safety Project Management Unit, Belmopan Police, National Transport Department and Belmopan Municipal Traffic Department met today to discuss traffic management on that Highway and within Belmopan. Police statistics show that most serious and fatal accidents occur mostly during the weekends and so they have agreed to increase patrols during peak hours on the Western corridor and also on the Hummingbird highway, and within the Capital city. Motorcycle offenders will specifically be targeted.

Yoga Therapy Expert in Belize
Earlier this week we told you about the BELTRAIDE "Maya Spa Experience Brand Competition". Well, today, an expert in another kind of massage arrived in Belize to offer training to masseuses at resorts and spas across the country. Sudevi Kramer will conduct a training in Vedic Thai yoga therapy at the Om Shanti yoga studio here in Belize City. She explained her craft to us today:.. Sudevi Kramer, Vedic Thai Yoga Instructor: "The roots of this work actually are in Thailand and it goes back about to 500 BC and its actually part of their medicine. It originated with the indigenous people and it's around because it works. Its accessible folk medicine yet in the last degree of a physician training they study Thai massage. That kind of says it all. So it's not just people coming for a massage to feel good although that's certainly part of it. It can be taken to the level where if somebody has like frozen shoulder or rotator cuff or a sprain ankle or any just mundane things that happen to us in life. Certainly it's not a surgical procedure, but it is everyday first aid for the mind, the body, the spirit. It works with energy lines in the body."

BELTRAIDE Wants To Find You A Job
We have reported extensively on many entrepreneurship trainings and small business programs hosted by Beltraide. Well, they want to go a step further by connecting you to your potential employer. They plan to do this through an online registration system and if you were unable to register today you can do so tomorrow at their talent fair. Today was day one of the fair and We dropped by to find out how you can finally get that job you were desperately looking for.

CITCO Looks to Kid Advisors
This afternoon, the Belize City Council held a grant ceremony to recognize 15 children who they will assist with back-to-school funding. They are all members City Council's Child Advisory Board, which was set up to give youths a seat at the table where City Hall makes policy decisions. The Councillors say that the Child Advisory Board often give their opinions on different policies that could affect the children of the City. For over 2 years, they've been diligently working with these municipal leaders, and today, as show of appreciation, they were gifted with a back-to-school package. 7News was there, and we spoke with the City Councillor responsible for children about the advice they have gotten from this board:

Fire At FUNDAECO, Guatemala
Fundaeco is a Guatemalan NGO that operates on the other side of the Sarstoon river. They recently got a grant along with Toledo's TIDE NGO to invest in communities. TIDE built piers and tourism attraction in Punta Negra and Monkey River while FUNDAECO built a restaurant for the fishing co-op on the Guatemalan side. Well, that restaurant - opened only weeks ago by the German funders and Belize's Ambassador to Guatemala - went down in flames this week. Reports from FUNDAECO say that it was caused by a faulty gas tank while other reports say tensions are high on that side between the fishermen and the CO-OP.

John B Defends Home Turf On Campaign Trail
We're about 7 months away from the 2018 Municipal Elections, and both political parties are getting in campaign mode. Apart from the paid political ads on the evening news, many of you have started getting visits from the municipal candidates. The PUP, which hasn't won a major election since 2003, has a lot of ground to make up for because the ruling UDP won 8 out of the 9 municipalities countrywide, and 62 of 67 seats in 2015. The PUP was only able to hold on to a split council in Orange Walk Town, and now PUP Leader John Briceno has to defend his home turf. Our colleagues at CTV3 News caught Briceno on the campaign trail earlier this week where he spoke about the importance of retaining Orange Walk.

Channel 5

Murder Victim “Shot Up” at San Pedro House
The latest murder victim is a tour guide and fisherman from San Pedro killed within days of a shooting that left an adult and two minors injured. On Wednesday night, [...]

Public Accounts Chair Julius Espat Says Report Must Be Ventilated
Friday’s meeting of the House of Representatives in Belmopan should see the tabling of the 2012-2013 Auditor General’s Report on which we have been reporting all week.  It is all [...]

More Audited Irregularities in G.S.T., B.D.F., but Not Lands or Finance
Two of the largest ministries in the government service – Finance and Natural Resources – were not included. Coincidentally, the same man, Prime Minister Dean Barrow, is currently directly in [...]

1-Year Integrity Commission ‘a Joke’
Formed last December, the Integrity Commission was intended to provide independent assessment of the assets of Belizeans in public life. But a few weeks ago it was announced that the [...]

Lisa Shoman Tells P.M. to Reject Elrington’s ‘No Borders’ Comment
Foreign Minister Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington, in an interview with the media on Wednesday, once again raised the ire of many, including former Foreign Minister Lisa Shoman.  While speaking on the [...]

Former Foreign Minister Says Guatemala Must Respect our Borders
Shoman who has been an advocate for going to the I.C.J. has now changed her position in light of what is being said by the incumbent foreign minister.  That is [...]

Can Guatemala’s Referendum Be Trusted?
Following a round of fruitless bilateral discussions with Guatemala in Istanbul, Turkey in May 2016, which ultimately failed to produce a Sarstoon Protocol, the former foreign minister’s perspective on the [...]

Carnival Goes through Belchina This Year
While the Battle of Saint George’s Caye and Independence Day remain the twin towers of the September Celebrations Calendar, in Belize City, the Carnival Road March reaches those heights.  September [...]

Relief for Indigent Property Taxes is Based on Process
Campaign efforts to elect a U.D.P. mayoral candidate for Belize City are in full swing and, as expected with any political race, promises are being made ahead of the August [...]

Julius Promises Governance Reform under P.U.P.
As you’ve heard at the top of the news, two-term representative Julius Espat is under no illusions about the state of Belize’s governance, which he says can be traced back [...]

Don’t Let UNCAC Die!
Belize is now a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which was signed in December. But there has been no discernible movement to implementing its dictates and Cayo [...]

Storm Harvey Coming to Belize Next Week?
Belize is in the projected path of newly formed Tropical Storm Harvey.  And we say projected because it is still early to determine whether it will really head this way. [...]

CitCo’s Child Advisory Board is Going Back to School
This afternoon, a handful of students, all of whom are members of the Child Advisory Board, an arm of the Belize City Council, were recipients of back-to-school grants.  The initiative [...]

BELTRAIDE Plays Employment Matchmaker
If you are looking for a job, here is an opportunity that can help you. BELTRAIDE today launched a talent fair to create an employment database to meet the demands [...]

Ministry of Education Expands Response on Medical Schools
A month or so ago, the president of Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action and his counterpart in the Poor People’s Organization for a Healthy and Righteous Society, visited the [...]

Reward to Return 3 Months’ Missing Erin Linarez
In May, thirty-two-year-old Erin Linarez left his family home on the island of Ambergris Caye to voluntarily check himself into the REMAR rehabilitation center in Bullet Tree Village. Linarez, battling [...]

Healthy Living Gets You Ready for Back to School
If you’re a parent, you have definitely heard the advice that children enjoy routines. There are only a few weeks left before the start of the school year. And, that’s [...]

LOVE FM

Three men charged for harm following assault on Kevin Brown
This afternoon twenty one year old Jafari Castro, twenty one year old James Young and eighteen year old Gilbert Franklin appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser who read them a single charge of harm. The three men are accused of brutally beating 21 year old basketball player Kevin Brown on August 6 while at the […]

Accident on the Hummingbird Highway leaves one man dead and three others injured
Pauline SoberanisTillett reporting… “An early morning traffic incident on the Hummingbird Highway just before reaching Hershey claimed the life of one person and left three others injured. Love News was called to the area and upon arrival saw a trailer truck loaded with building materials on the right hand side of the highway in a […]

Foreign Affairs Minister speaks on proposed amendment to Misuse of Drugs Act
On Friday, a piece of legislation to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act will be tabled in the House of Representatives. As we had reported yesterday, the bill seeks to decriminalize up to ten grams of marijuana. We are not expecting much debate on the matter since parliamentarians from both sides of the house have […]

Belize represented at Human Trafficking Seminar in Washington
Belize is participating in a Human Trafficking Seminar in Washington D.C. Representing Belize are Minister of Human Development, Anthony Martinez and Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte. (VO STARTS) Both men met with the Deputy Attorney General for the US Department of Justice, Rod Rosenstein and discussed the partnership between both countries to halt human trafficking. During […]

Marion Jones Sporting Complex gets state of the art lighting system
The Mexicans have invested one million Belize dollars to have a lighting system for the football pitch at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex. Those lights were officially inaugurated and tested last night during a ceremony that saw the presence of one of Mexico’s Vice Minister, Ambassador Agustin Garcia-Lopez. The ambassador explained to Love News that […]

Minister Elrington comments on reports of Taiwanese loan to Guatemala
This evening the media caught up with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wilfred Elrington. One of the questions posed to the Minister was in respect to the recent news that had emerged from Guatemala in respect to the hundreds of millions of dollars purportedly being loaned to the Guatemalan government by the Taiwanese Government. However, as […]

Education Minister stands behind Chair of Gwen Liz Board
Dr. Lorna McKay came out to the media earlier this month after receiving a letter formally putting her on administrative leave for twenty days. The letter was personally delivered to her on August 7 by the School Board Chairman, Roosevelt Blades. Dr. McKay has claimed victimization and has stated that the intimidation tactics by Blades […]

Minister Faber responds to Commonwealth report on youth work in Belize
At the end of July we told you of a report from the Commonwealth Secretariat has expressed dissatisfaction at the support being given to youth workers in several of the member countries with Belize performing extremely low. The 275-page document reveals the outcomes of a study done in thirty five Commonwealth countries and the steps […]

Update on the Church State Commission
By now the findings of the Church/State Commission should have been tabled to Cabinet and there should have been a definitive way forward by now on the Gender Based Policy and the issues arising out of the Section 53 ruling. There was a hiccup in the plan, however, when the Council of Churches and the […]

Auditor General’s Report goes to the House on Friday
The 2012-2013 Auditor General’s Report will be tabled at the House sitting on Friday. It looked at a number of areas within government, and among many things, the Auditor General points that most bank accounts and other government accounts have not been reconciled for several years. But there is more in the report, and these […]

Deputy PM comments on his trip abroad
Deputy Prime Minister, Patrick Faber returned home last week after going away for business and pleasure. Last night we caught up with him at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex where he spoke of his trip and its success. Patrick Faber – Deputy Prime Minister “It was not all holiday, I was engaging with the […]

Minister Wilfred Elrington questioned about Progresso Heights Limited
Last month we reported on a case involving politician and attorney, Wilfred Elrington. The case was heard by the Justices of the CCJ on July 21. It was Progresso Heights Limited versus Pitts and Elrington Law Firm. The matter dates back as far as seven years when both parties were in business together. Progresso Heights […]

Man hospitalized after being shot by law enforcement officer
Police in Orange Walk have confirmed a shooting involving BDF soldiers, customs officers and civilians. That shooting happened yesterday evening and left 30 year old Dwayne Almendarez wounded. Police say that BDF Soldiers and customs officers conducted a search on a bus in Yo Creek Village. Uncustomed goods were found and the authorities attempted to […]

Juan Sis charged for beating a police officer
Twenty year old Juan Sis, a sales clerk of Antelope Street who allegedly beat a police officer, was charged with grievous harm when he appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. Senior Magistrate Fraser told him that she will not take a plea because the complainant is still in the hospital. The prosecutor objected to […]

Search in Chan Chen Village nets over nine pounds of marijuana
Today Corozal Police made a huge drug bust, recovering over nineteen pounds of marijuana. According to police, a team of officers in Corozal conducted a joint operation and searched an open lot in Chan Chen Village in the Corozal District early today. There they found nineteen and a half pounds of compressed marijuana. No one […]

Police make arrest in burglary at Caribbean Tyre
Police have charged 22 year-old Omar Gomez, a Belizean truck driver of Billy White Village for the burglary of Caribbean Tyre in Spanish Lookout. Gomez has been charged with burglary, handling stolen goods and damage to property. He was arraigned at the San Ignacio Magistrate Court and was granted bail of twenty thousand dollars. His […]

Students receive book scholarships
Paul Mahung reporting… “The annual book scholarship program is a project of Toledo Institute for Development & Environment as explained by TIDE’s Operations Manager and coordinator of the Scholarship program, Stephanie Supaul.” Stephanie Supaul – TIDE’s Operations Manager and coordinator “The TIDE scholarship program began in 2001 with a total of ten high school students. […]

Taiwanese Ambassador donates to Albert area representative
Ambassador Charles Liu of the Embassy of the Republic of China, Taiwan today handed over a donation to Area Representative for the Albert Division, Tracy Taegar-Panton for a back to school drive under the Constituency Development Initiatives for the constituency. Minister Panton says aside from the donation, she will be holding further discussions with the […]

Councilor Dion Leslie donates gardening equipment to Samuel Haynes Institute
This afternoon Belize City Councilor Deon Leslie handed over gardening equipment worth over one thousand dollars to Samuel Haynes Institute of Excellence to benefit their Landscaping & Beautification Program. The handing over ceremony occurred on the school grounds. Barbara Elrington, one of the Directors of the Samuel Haynes School of Excellence spoke to the media […]

BWS employees and ITVET teachers complete training on plumbing code
The Public Utilities Commission held a training on the plumbing code with sixteen participants including ITVET teachers and field supervisors of the Belize Water Services Limited. The group received their certificates of completion this morning at the ITVET compound in Belize City in a brief ceremony. Director of the water and waste water sector at […]

The Guardian

Decriminalize It
The National Assembly will be meeting on Friday August 18, and one of the items on the agenda is a bill to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act. This amendment proposes to “decriminalize” a certain quantity of marijuana which is a control drug. This particular subject has been part of the Belizean discourse for some time now and after much consideration and consultation, the government is tabling the bill at this Friday’s House Sitting. In essence what this bill will do is to make the possession of a certain amount of Marijuana – in this case 10 grams an offence which can be dealt with via a ticketing system. It also means that persons caught with 10 grams or less of cannabis will no longer be liable to serve prison time nor will it be reflected in their police record.

Shyne resigns from BSCAP saying artists are being chanced
Shyne Barrow, Belize’s Music Ambassador, has resigned from the Belize Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (BSCAP). He is accusing the board and the former CEO of financial mismanagement, which he thinks is going to hurt the over 100 artists who became members to collect their earnings for the use of their intellectual property. In a letter dated Thursday, August 10, Barrow wrote, “Dear BSCAP members, I resigned as CEO… I cannot justify why my predecessor, Heather Cunningham, currently the Chairwoman of the BSCAP Board, is claiming $600,000 in expense and salary from 2010-2013… Yet, at this year’s AGM, the paltry sum of $2,500 is being proposed to distribute to BSCAP members… The only reason I agreed to become CEO of BSCAP was to empower artists!”

Towhead turns over results in fatality
Around 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 16, 2017, Belmopan Police responded to a report of a traffic accident in the vicinity of Hershey Community where they saw an overturned towhead truck. Winston Dawson of Belama Phase 3 was reportedly driving in a southerly direction and upon reaching an area around Mile 38, the truck’s front wheel blew out and the truck overturned. As a result, Dawson died on impact. Traveling with him were Albert Che of Lord’s Bank, Dorian Buckley of Hattieville, and Keaton Pollard of a Belize City address, all employees of Benny’s. The other men were taken to the Western Regional Hospital and treated for injuries. They were transporting construction materials.

Albert division tapping into new areas for youth support
Its back to school time and as parents and guardians go about getting their children ready for the new school year, it is not only they who are making preparations. Among those who also take on the responsibility of assisting children to return to school well equipped are Area Representatives. For the United Democratic Party reps its always about doing more for the children. One such area rep is Hon. Tracy Panton who is not only focused on helping children get back in school well equipped but her goal is always about doing more.

Remember Marconi...
This past Sunday, the People’s United Party (PUP) held a convention at the Sacred Heart College in San Ignacio Town to elect a mayoral candidate for the 2018 municipal elections. A total of 863 persons voted in the polls which opened at 9 a.m. and closed at 5 p.m. Three candidates vied to lead the PUP team. Marconi Matus, won with 345 votes. Arthur Smith, was second with 261 votes, and Javier Castellanos, was third with 240 votes. There were 17 spoilt ballots. After the results were announced Matus made the following speech in front of the media. “Today is the start of a fight against the United Democratic Party; against corruption and transparency.

Belmopan slate good to go!
On Sunday August 13th, the United Democratic Party successfully completed its convention to select a team in Belmopan to contest the upcoming municipal elections of March 7, 2018. A total of 1067 persons cast their ballots and the results are as follows: Angel Pastrana received 786 votes; Jacklyn Burns received 769 votes; Jem Pascacio got 754 votes; Louise Willis got 747 votes; Isidoro ‘Richie’ Galvez got 734 votes; Paul Chun got 702 votes and Anna Banner-Guy received 512 votes.

Customs Officer shoots civilian in an attempt to diffuse rowdy altercation
On Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 5:05 p.m., police visited the Yo Creek Village in Orange Walk where they saw 30-year-old Dwayne Almendarez of Union Town area, Orange Walk Town, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Investigations revealed that earlier that evening, a Customs officer supported by BDF soldiers conducted a search on a passenger bus in the area where they attempted to confiscate some uncustomed goods. An altercation reportedly ensued during which Almendarez assaulted the officers. The crowd threw rocks at the team. The team fired a warning shot as a result. The shot did not deter Almendarez. He continued to attack the officer who, in fear for his life, pulled out his 9mm pistol and fired several shots causing injuries to Almendarez.

What is Derek up to these days?
Ask someone to name a work of science fiction off the top of their head and chances are they’ll say Star Wars. It’s got space ships, aliens, robots, futuristic inventions, the whole nine yards. We in Belize may not have any SciFi movie being made here, but it is not because of a shortage of SciFi Writers. We may have our version of a SciFi writer right here in Belize. It seem that one such person who has the potential of and skills of such a writer is Derek Aikman. This gentleman, was once poised for greatness some 30 years ago, until his arrogance got the better of him and like Humpy Dumpy , Derek had a great fall.

The Im-Pastor and marijuana
There is a certain “Im-Pastor” who has his panties all tied up in a bundle over the proposed tabling of the amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act to Decriminalize Marijuana. This guy is all over social media spewing lies and haft truths linking the decriminalization of 10 grams of Cannabis to the end of the world. In one of his posts he cites a study carried out by Dr. Natalie Castellanos Ryan at a University in Montreal Canada as his authority for opposing this move. What he failed to mention is that the effects of smoking marijuana are social in nature and not neurological.

Dion Leslie makes donation to Samuel Haynes Institute of Excellence
On Wednesday, August 16, 2017, Councilor Dion Leslie, made a donation valued at $1,000 to the landscaping program at the Samuel Haynes Institute of Excellence. There to receive the donation of hoses, sprayer, wheelbarrows, and an array of shovels and hoes was Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Area Representative of the Pickstock division. The program has somewhere around 55 members and it is the intention of Leslie to superimpose the blueprint of the program to include more people, even outside Pickstock. Leslie is looking for an expansion of the program throughout the city which will include single mothers and fathers as well as having a positive effect on the city.

Mexico lights up Marion Jones Stadium and assists in school feeding project
The Ministry of Sports signed a contract in October 2016 to place “Class Two Lights” on the Marion Jones Sporting Complex’s football field. The contract was one for a half of a million dollars, a part of a larger USD $5 million dollar plan. The project is one funded by the Government of Mexico as a plan to build an indoor sporting facility. On Tuesday, August 15, 2017, the lighting system at the stadium was inaugurated. The Lighting System of the Marion Jones Sports Complex was officially opened by Hon. Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, during the visit of the Executive Director of the Mexican Agency for the International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID), Agustín García-López. The opening ceremony was also attended by the Governor-General, H.E. Sir Colville Young, Ambassador of Mexico Carlos Quesnel, Deputy Foreign Minister, Hon. Patrick Andrews, and the Director of the National Sports Council, Ian Jones.

OUT OF THE BLUE
Well, the municipal elections are just around the corner, and things are beginning to heat up. Then again, that might not be too accurate a characterization, because while the RED machine is certainly revving up, the other side (the once invincible BLUE machine) is finding it difficult, if not impossible, these days to even crank up. Their first two contested municipal conventions have been, to say the least, disappointing. In Dangriga, over three weeks ago, among aspiring mayoral and councillor candidates, they barely pulled out 500 votes. And this past weekend, in San Ignacio/Santa Elena, with three mayoral candidates contesting, they only managed to bring out a total of 850 votes. That turnout, proportionally, was actually worse than Dangriga because, after Belize City, San Ignacio/Santa Elena is the most populous municipality in the country, with a total of over 13,000 voters. So, their turnout this past weekend was a pathetic 6.4 percent of the total number of voters in that municipality.

Rural Eastern Police Division distributes almost 200 back to school packages
The Rural Eastern Police Division embarked on its Back to School Drive. A total of 195 bags with school supplies were distributed to students of the entire rural region. Those supplies included exercise books, erasers, folders, crayons, pens, pencils, sharpeners, rulers, and glue, all donated by members in the community since the initiative was a community effort.

Winner selected for Queen of the West
The San Ignacio & Santa Elena Town Council along with the September celebrations committee would like to congratulate Miss Alyssa Grant, Cayo North Candidate on her win of Miss Queen of the West 2017-2018! The first runner up at the pageant was Miss. Amy Reyes from Santa Cruz, followed by Miss. Samantha Cruz from Cayo West. Referring to the winner Miss. Alyssa Grant, pageant organizer Karen Fernandez told the Guardian, “She did a wonderful performance and we are proud of her” Some 350 persons crowded the Octavia Waight Center on August 12th to select a highly talented Queen.

Road Safety is a priority says UN Special Envoy
While the Belize Road Safety Project is about to come to an end, a visit by a United Nations delegation last week has underscored a commitment to keep road safety in Belize as a top priority. On Thursday, August 10th, the Government of Belize, through the Ministry of Economic Development and Petroleum, received the United Nations Special Envoy for Road Safety Mr. Jean Todt. Special Envoy Todt and his team are in Belize to meet with the Road Safety Unit, as they prepare to launch the Road Safety Project’s national communications strategy.

Republic of China (Taiwan) donates toward Chronic Renal Failure Project in Belize
On Monday, August 14, 2017, the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) announced the first disbursement of US$ 221,850 to Hon. Pablo Marin, Minister of Health, for the Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Renal Failure in Belize at the Corozal Community Hospital. There, the donation was made by H.E. Ambassador Charles Liu, on behalf of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The project, implemented on February 10, 2016, has seen the training of 51 medical officers, 7 dialysis nurses, and 79 community health workers. They were trained by 4 Seed instructors in 2016. The dialysis nurses have each also all been certified as “Registered Dialysis Nurse” by the Nurse and Midwives Council of Belize.

Cop caught tampering with urine sample
Police Constable Ishmael Monima, a police officer posted at the Corozal Police Station, has been charged with the offense of perverting the course of justice. He is being accused of abusing public trust and his office in an attempt to destroy evidence. A police corporal reported that at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 10, he went into the Corozal Police Station’s Traffic Office, where he placed a urine sample inside a refrigerator. This sample was supposed to have been used in the prosecution of alcohol related offenses for a defendant. The officer told his police bosses that he returned about 12 hours later, and made a check to ensure that all was in order.

Traffic accident leaves three people hospitalized
At around 10:30 a.m on Sunday, August 13, 2017, Azel August, a 19-year-old of Santa Elena, was driving a Pontiac SUV on the Loma Luz Boulevard in the direction from Hon. Rene Montero Bridge to La Loma Luz roundabout when he collided into the rear end of a Toyota pickup travelling in the same direction. The Toyota was being driven by Justin James. The impact caused the pickup truck to careen and flip off the road and onto the guard rail on the road As a result, James, 19-years-old, and Thais Escober, 18-years-old, received severe head injuries and both were taken to KHMH. Evian Escober, 13-years-old, received abrasions on the right elbow and back. She complained of pain to the lower hip. She was transported to San Ignacio Community Hospital.

Joshua Augustine and Antwone Rivero denied bail for robbery
A woman, Kaysha Arnold, was robbed on Saturday, August 12, 2017 in Belize City. Although she managed to put up a fight against her two attackers, they managed to overpower her and run off with her cell phone. The incident occurred on Newtown Barracks. According to Arnold, she was walking toward the Ramada Hotel when she was approached by two men. According to the victim, one of the men grabbed her around her neck while she was on her cell phone. The other man rushed toward her and although she did not see an object in his hand, fearing for her life she dropped her cell phone. The men ran off with the phone and managed to escape until they were picked up by police and jointly charged with robbery.

Burglary at Caribbean Tires
Acting upon information received of a burglary at Caribbean Tires Limited in Spanish Lookout on August 12, 2017 at 7:15 a.m. police visited the area. There, 54-year-old David Reimer reported that between the hours of 6:15 p.m. on August 11, 2017 and 7:00 a.m. on August 12, 2017, someone broke into the business establishment and damaged an iron safe located in a room at the lower flat of the building and stole USD $20,000, BZD $5,000, banking cheques, and an undisclosed amount of cash.

Carlos Coronado is found with over 2 pounds of weed
Carlos Coronado was intercepted by police when he walking from East Collect Canal to West Collect canal heading towards the Novelo’s bus terminal on August 13, 2017. He was found to be in possession of 1,149 grams of cannabis, over two pounds of weed. He was arrested and charged with drug trafficking. Coronado, a Belize City laborer, appeared in court before Magistrate Carlon Mendoza on August 14, 2017 to answer to a single charge of drug trafficking. He was unrepresented and pleaded not guilty to the charge. There was no objection to bail and he received it in the sum of $1,000 plus one surety of the same amount.

Accused drug trafficker receives bail
Richard Borland, a 22-year-old employee of the Radisson Fort George Hotel as a House Keeper, is out on bail after he was read a single charge of drug trafficking. Borland appeared in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Aretha Ford on August 11, 2017 where he was read a single charge of drug trafficking for having 2,124.6 grams of cannabis in his possession.

Fatal hit and run on George Price Highway
About 10:40 p.m. on August 10, 2017 acting upon information of a road traffic accident in St. Matthew’s Village in the Cayo District, Roaring Creek Police visited a scene between miles 37 & 38 on the George Price Highway where they saw 57-year-old Juan Eulalio Chavin Vitzil of St. Matthew’s Village on the road side with injuries to the head and body. Beside him was a damaged bicycle.

Robert Flores punished too harshly
Robert Flores, a 41-year-old fisherman, was tried at the Magistrate’s Court for handling stolen goods. Flores pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods on March 1, 2016 before Magistrate Carlon Mendoza. The allegations against Flores are that on February 16, 2016, he dishonestly assisted in the retention of 12 bottles of Lindeman’s Chardonnay wines value $372.00, property of Premium Wines and Spirits. Pleading guilty typically results in leniency but Flores was initially sentenced to two years in prison for the crime since March 1, 2016.

Stabbing robbery in Hatieville
On August 10, 2017, police responded to a robbery on Ysaguirre Boulevard in Hattieville where they spoke with 36-year-old Otoniel Pech, a driver for Quality Poultry Products. Pech reported that at approximately 1:00 p.m., he, along with 36-year-old Heraldo Chiac and 29-year-old Orlando Teul, arrived in Hattieville to make a delivery.

Orange Walk teenager denied bail on firearm charges
Crevaun Cardenas, an 18-year-old from Orange Walk, has found himself at the Belize Central Prison after he was charged with two criminal offenses of kept a firearm and ammunition without a gun license. He was arraigned before Magistrate Carlon Mendoza where he was read two criminal charges, one count of aggravated assault with a firearm upon Bernard Wade and one count of escaping from lawful custody.

PC Ramirez and two others out on Supreme Court bail
A Police Constable Franklin Ramirez along with 2 others- Trevor Brown and Elorey Graham were all granted Supreme Court bail when they appeared in the Belize City Supreme Court on August 11, 2017 before Justice Herbert Lord. The trio was charged in the Belmopan Supreme Court on firearm charges. Their arrest was made following a Mobile Interdiction Team (MIT) bust on Monday, August 7, 2017 when they stopped a white Ford Explorer travelling from San Ignacio to Belmopan.

Police shoot rape suspect in Maya Center, was excessive force used?
On Saturday August 12, 2017, a 19-years-old female, reported to police that sometime around 4:30 p.m. that same day she caught a ride on a motorcycle with a male person unknown to her to get from Hopkins Village to the junction of the Southern Highway. Upon reaching the junction, the driver did not stop. He proceeded towards Maya Center Village. She stated that the man drove past Maya Center and between miles 18 and 19, he took her into a feeder road and raped her. During the ordeal, she observed a tattoo on the assailant.

Robbery in West Landivar
On August 10, 2017 about 7:00 a.m., 35-year-old Andre Castillo, a car dealer, reported that while in the West Landivar area, he was approached by 2 male persons. One reportedly pointed a firearm at him and demanded his belongings. He was then relieved of his wallet, personal belongings, and jewelry amounting to $7,850.00. The robbers then made good their escape.

Stabbing victim has to recover in prison
Kendall Green, a 24-year-old victim of a stabbing incident, is behind bars after he was accused of being involved in a shooting incident. Green appeared unrepresented before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser on August 14, 2017. Green is being accused of injuring 27-year-old Marvin Ramirez during a shooting incident which occurred on Thursday, August 10, 2017 on Antelope Street Extension. Also shot and injured was 34-year-old Ryan Arnold. Both men have been listed in a stable condition.

Brandon Taylor out on bail for firearm offense
Brandon Taylor, a 31-year-old man who beat a murder rap in March of this year and who was recently dragged to court after allegedly possessing a firearm, is back on the city streets after he was granted Supreme Court bail on August 11, 2017 before Justice Herbert Lord. Taylor was arraigned on Tuesday, August 8, 2017, in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Aretha Ford for one count of kept unlicensed firearm without a gun license and one count of kept ammunition without being granted a gun license.

Toyota Hilux missing in Cayo
A Toyota Hilux was allegedly stolen last Friday morning in the Cayo District. Isias Banner, an employee of Key Works reported to police that last month a mechanic had come to pick up his Hilux for repair. This Hilux had on a license plate SI C-04065 and was worth $30,000.00 The mechanic communicated to Banner on Friday that his Hilux had been driven away from Joseph Andrews Drive, San Ignacio Town.

Lerone Williams is accused of stealing motorcycle
In court on August 15, 2017, the fisherman found to be in possession of a stolen motorcycle, was brought before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser where he was unrepresented. He has been identified as 31-year-old Lerone Williams of Faber’s Road. The motorcycle was assigned to the Ministry of Education and was recovered by police in possession of Williams. According to Williams, he met a group of minors swimming in an area of Belize City and he said that it was from the minors that he got the motorcycle. His claim was that he was taking the motorcycle to the Police Station.

Cops charged for extortion
Two police officers from Punta Gorda Town have been charged with extortion after a career educator accused them of taking advantage of her in a moment of desperation. A principal from Toledo reported to police that on Tuesday, August 8, she was driving her vehicle when she arrived at a police checkpoint, where she was stopped by Woman Police Constable Jenny Tanner and Constable Arden Jones.

Trevor McFoy receives sentence and fine
The Belize River Valley Supplies Gas Station located in Scotland Half-moon Village Belize Rural District was robbed in March 2016. The Manager and two patrons were also robbed of their personal belongings and cash at gun point. The quick response of police in the area at the time led to the arrest of the men who were found not too far from the scene. Over a year later, the arrest led to the conviction of 25-year-old Trevor McFoy and 19-year-old Kendall Staine. They were both found guilty of the charges of robbery and for keeping an unlicensed firearm and ammunitions when they appeared before Magistrate Carlon Mendoza in court on August 16, 2017.

San Pedro man shoots two students and an adult
Christian Espat, a 21-year-old San Pedro resident, was rushed over to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court late Monday, August 14, 2017 to be arraigned on seven criminal offenses. He appeared before Magistrate Carlon Mendoza who denied him bail due to the nature of the offense he allegedly committed. As a result, Espat was remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until November 14, 2017.

Taxi driver attacker remanded to prison
One of two men accused of badly beating an interdicted police officer, now taxi driver, has been identified as 20-year-old Juan Sis. Sis appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser on Wednesday, August 16, 2017 after more than two days of lock down. Doctors have yet to determine the level of injuries inflicted on the victim, therefore no plea was taken from Sis. He was arraigned on a single count of grievous harm.

Caribbean Tires burglar receives $20,000 bail
Acting upon information received on August 12, 2017 at 7:15 a.m. of a burglary at Caribbean Tires Ltd. in Spanish Lookout, police visited the area. There, 54-year-old David Reimer reported that between the hours of 6:15 p.m. on August 11, 2017 and 7:00 a.m. on August 12, 2017, someone broke into the business establishment and damaged an iron safe located in a room at the lower flat of the building and stole USD $20,000, BZD $5,000, banking cheques, and an undisclosed amount of cash.

Digicell inches a step closer to regaining prestigious Belize City Softball Title
The Digicell Senior Female Softball Team, moved a step closer in regaining the prestigious Belize City Senior Female softball title, that it lost four years ago when it defeated Beacon, in an extra inning game by the score of 13-12 to take game one in the best of three series, which was played on Friday 11th August, 2017, at Rogers Stadium. The lead in the game changed hands many times before Digicell was able to pull out the stops to secure its first win in the championship series. The winning pitcher was Mary Flowers and the losing pitcher was Hortence Thurton.

Belize Athletics Association to hold National Track and Field Championship
The Belize Athletics Association invites all athletes and track enthusiasts once again to be a part of its National Track and Field Championship event. The event will be hosted at the Marion Jones Sports Complex on the 26 – 27 August, 2017. All athletes 16 years and older can participate in the events.

Belmopan Bandits open defence of national football title on the right footing
The Premier League of Belize 2017-2018 Opening Season commence on Saturday 12th August, 2017, with two games on the schedule. On Saturday 12th August, 2017, at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan, the defending National Football champions of Belize, the Belmopan Bandits opened its defence on the right footing when it blanked the San Pedro Pirates FC by the score of 2-0. The first goal of the game was scored by Jerome James in the 6th minute of play while the 2nd and final goal of the game was scored by Elroy Smith in the 90th minute of play to give the defending champions the win. While at the MCC Grounds, the Belize Defence Force FC edged out the visiting Placencia Assassins FC by the score of 2-1.

HUMAN RACE: JUSTIN WILLIAMS
Justin Williams was still in the saddle, already in the 54×12, ready to explode toward the finish line and away from the sound of splintering carbon fiber. The 2017 Dana Point Grand Prix would be over in about 12 seconds, but in that moment, he still had two Cylance Cycling teammates in front of him and two dudes fighting for his wheel. Williams had been banging bodies with one of them, the racer with No. 99 pinned to his jersey, a few laps earlier and had pushed him off a teammate’s wheel. “That guy had been riding aggressive all day,” Williams recalls. “This is my home race and my whole squad was out there. Sometimes you just need to establish dominance.”

Mayan Man Warriors win back to back games in firms’ competition
The Belize District Basketball Association 2017 Firms’ Competition continued over the last weekend with a number of games on the schedule. On Thursday 10th August, in the first game played, Belize Bank Bulldogs defeated Grace Kings by the score of 74-46. The top scorers for Belize Bank Bulldogs were Roscoe Rhys with 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal; Dominique Guzman with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals and Akeem Richardson with 10 points, 6 rebounds and a steal. Meanwhile, the top scorers for Grace Kings were Alex Gordon with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals and Wayne Garbutt with 8 points, 8 rebounds and a steal.

Words of Life with Pastor Barry Fraser
Our topic this week is “Be Positive Minded.” In the Old Testament book of the prophet Jeremiah, chapter 15, verse 16, we read: “As your words came to me I drank them in, and because I belong to you.” Television Preacher and author Joyce Meyer said, “Thinking positive in a negative situation is the best thing you can do for yourself.” This is because no matter what we do we can never eliminate all the problems in our life. As long as we are on earth we will never have the perfection we desire. If we fail to think positively, we will end up always trying to look for something in which to drown our sorrows. This is what is normally referred to as coping mechanisms.

Feeding Program to be boosted by thrift shop in San Ignacio
A cozy thrift corner was opened on the Bullet Tree Road on Saturday by the Non Profit Cornerstone Foundation to boost its feeding program for the new school year- come September 2017. The thrift shop sells an assortment of shoes, clothing, jewelry and books with the profits going towards Cornerstone’s main foundation; to feed 80 kids from the San Ignacio and Santa Elena Areas. Cornerstone Feeding Program caters to the needs of children from the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic, Saint Andrews and the Nazarene Primary School in San Ignacio. During the course of a normal school year, children are also fed daily at the Santa Elena Roman Catholic Primary School.

“…THE ICJ WILL END UP BEING OUR BEST OPTION, OR OUR ONLY OPTION…”
I urge you to read for yourself the rational of publisher Evan X Hyde on page 13 of the Friday, August 11th, 2017 issue of AMANDALA. He made it abundantly clear that when “some of [his] activist friends immediately went public with a complete denunciation of the ICJ proposition he, “did not do what they did.” He did not say if he had discussed the matter with them. Did he ask them to explain their reasons? Human beings are born with free will and it may very well be that he respectfully made a mental note of their position. Stubbornness is a trait of some humans. Just this morning Keith was trying once again to teach me about ‘the subtleness of science and the exactness of art.’ Just as I was getting ready to take him seriously; he blurted out how very close he was to Ms. Nora. At that very second I was hearing her voice in my head – she never called his name to me but rather preferred the moniker “Old Liad.” Go figure…

Breaking Belize News

Former Harlem Globetrotter, Melvin Adams, in Belize for charity event
Former Harlem Globetrotter, Melvin Adams, has been spotted in Belize. He was seen at the National Fire Services Office in Belize City where he delivered an inspirational speech to the fire fighters. Information to BBN is that he will be in Belmopan tomorrow night for a charity event.

Tropical Storm Harvey forms in the Caribbean
This afternoon, the Hurricane Hunter found that the tropical disturbance in the Caribbean has formed into Tropical Storm Harvey. Harvey is the eight named tropical storm of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane season. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter Aircraft indicated that maximum sustained winds […]

Belmopan police and traffic officials meet to discuss traffic management
Today, members from the Road Safety Project Management Unit, Belmopan Police, the National Transport Department, and the Belmopan Municipal Traffic Department met to discuss traffic management on the George Price Highway and within Belmopan. Sr. Supt Howell Gillett said that based on statistics, serious […]

University of Belize holds matriculation ceremony
The new Academic Year 2017-2018 has begun for the University of Belize (UB). Faculty, staff and the leadership team formally welcomed students at the historic and first matriculation ceremony in Belmopan on August, 16th 2017. The packed ceremony took place from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 […]

Belize delegation departs Sunday for CODICADER Under 15 Games
The Belize Delegation of one hundred and ten (110) members is scheduled to leave the country on Sunday, August 20th, 2017 in route to Tegucigalpa, Honduras for the VI CODICADER Student Sports Games for 13 – 14-year-olds. The event will take place from August 20-26th ,2017. A press […]

Ministry of Labour, Local Government and Rural development relocating office
The Ministry of Labour, Local Government & Rural Development (Belmopan Office) informs the public that the Ministry will be relocating its office effective August 28th, 2017. The new office will be located on the Corner of 29 Raccoon Ave & 6129 Brown Street (Upstairs Daily Superstore, […]

Police detains ganja farmer in Cotton Tree
A farmer of Cotton Tree Village, Cayo District has been detained by police. According to reports, yesterday evening around 5, police visited a farm located about four miles west of Cotton Tree Village where they observed a palm hut. Police met Rosendo Cunil, 47, a Belizean […]

Foreign Ministerial Bull
By Lisa Shoman: Two years ago, I accompanied over a hundred Belizeans to the Sarstoon, one of the internationally recognized borders between Belize and Guatemala. Despite the fact that my own government disavowed my participation as a sitting Senator, to Guatemala in a diplomatic note, and […]

Belizean scientist authors groundbreaking new study on hair loss treatment
Aimee Flores, a Belizean student completing her Ph.D in Cellular and Molecular Biology at UCLA in Los Angeles, California was the lead researcher of a group from the university that discovered a new way to activate the stem cells in hair follicles to make […]

Tropical cyclone could become hurricane in east of the Caribbean
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami has begun issuing advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine. According to the NHC, the disturbance is centered as of 11 a.m. AST about 365 miles east of Barbados and is moving toward the west near 17 mph. The NHC says that this motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days.

Belize~ Decriminalization of Marijuana
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant intended for medical or recreational use. The main psychoactive part of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC); one of 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other […]

Belize City man busted with weed
Last night, police conducted a search with a warrant at the home of David Hauze on Aloe Vera Street, Belize City. Police found 4 black plastic bags containing cannabis which amounted to a total of 445 grams. Hauze was arrested and charged for possession […]

BTIA Cayo invites you to its Cocktail Party
The Belize Tourism Industry Association, Cayo Chapter is inviting all tourism stakeholders to its cocktail party to be held on Friday, August 18, 2017 at the Wine House in San Ignacio Town. The BTIA is inviting hoteliers, restaurateurs, tour operators, bar owners, gift shop […]

Blogs

The Amazing San Pedro Scavenger Hunt!
Always on the lookout for new, fun entertainment, the Truck Stop hosted their first ever scavenger hunt race. Based off the popular show The Amazing Race, The Amazing San Pedro Scavenger Hunt brought residents and visitors together for an afternoon of fun challenges and solving cryptic clues in what seemed to be a Mario Cart race come to life!

Introduction, Birding Spanish Creek Blog
My name is Francis Canto Jr, I'm a birder 23 years old from the small Central American country of Belize hence the name of the blog, 501 is the phone code of Belize. I started seriously birding in late 2015 after an Urban Birdwatch organized by the Belize Audubon Society. After that I fell in love with birding and even more with photographing birds, since then I've birded in all of the districts in Belize, seen 415 species and photographed 325 of those species. I decided to start this blog to share my various birding adventures with other while showing them the importance of protecting the vulnerable environment we currently live in.

We get to use the pool too?
A lunch invitation took my friend Aimee and I 3.5 miles north of San Pedro town to O Restaurant at Las Terrazas resort. While there we got to talking with the new general manager Julian. When he mentioned wanting to include the local crowd more in regards to the restaurant versus just the tourists the first thing out of my mouth was “pool option”? This has been an ongoing occasional thing on the Belize forum (general link) as many people want to know which resorts allow you to use their pool. He gave us the official word that both locals and tourists are allowed to use the pool at Las Terrazas with food and or drink purchase. As you can see from the featured image above the it is worth a visit – more pics below.

Come visit Caye Caulker, Belize
Belize’s tranquil island getaway of Caye Caulker floats gracefully atop the glistening aqua and emerald waters of the Caribbean Sea. Surrounded by swaying palm trees and rustic boat docks, the shores of Caye Caulker lie just a few hundred meters inside the second largest barrier reef in the world. The reef’s coral formations shelter a clear, shallow canvas of water that takes on an ever-changing array of multicolored shapes and hues.If you can pull yourself away from the transfixing Caribbean waters, when you set foot on the shores of Caye Caulker, you’ll quickly get a sense that the island moves to its own beat, fitting its well-deserved billing as the tranquil, laid back member of Belize’s northern cayes. Caye Caulker might be described as lightly developed, with just enough business establishments and services to make for a comfortable vacation without jeopardizing the local culture and authentic tropical island atmosphere.

Mechanical rides are once again here in Corozal District Civic Center

GOVERNMENT TO ENSHRINE BAN ON OFFSHORE OIL EXPLORATION
Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow has written a letter to Vice President of Oceana Belize, Ms. Janelle Chanona, informing her that Cabinet has decided to move to enshrine into law their policy decision to abstain from offshore oil exploration in Belize’s territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone. According to the Prime Minister, the moratorium, which will be in effect indefinitely, will be presented to the House of Representatives in October of this year It is expected that the legislation will receive bipartisan support in the House, and be well received in the environmental community.

Wildtracks Update
We've been a little slow on updates recently, but for those manatee lovers out there, here are Mitch and Lucky - about to enter soft release in the lagoon, and Khaleesi and Twiggy - already in the soft release phase... And, of course, Hope! All five are doing very well!

Two 15 minute power interruptions 7:00am to 7:15am & 4:45pm to 5:00pm, Friday, August 18: entire Orange Walk & Corozal Districts
BEL to replace transmission poles in the area.

Belize Educational Service Group Ceremony
The Belize Educational Service Group had their handing over ceremony this week. They donated computes to many of the local primary schools. The NTHU student group recently finished their community service project in Cristo Rey, and are heading south to do another one. Thanks, NTHU! "Today I was part of the Handing over ceremonies of Desktops and Laptops to schools from the Belize Educational Service Group from Taiwan. I want to commend them for the great job they have been doing in schools and in Belizeans lives. It is not easy to do community service and fly to another country to carry out your project. Every year they are helping schools in rural areas with computers, with class room equipment and other stuff to make school environment student friendly. This year computer award recipient were the following schools: Buena Vista Government School Cristo Rey R.C School Hidden Paradise Government School La Gracia Government School New Life Government School St. Joseph R.C School St. Martin De Porres RC. School St. Matthews Government School St. Vicent Pallottie RC. School Department of Youth Services Benque"

International Sources

Protocol to the special agreement between Guatemala and Belize
In the Official Gazette of August 9, 2017, the Government of the Republic of Guatemala, published the Protocol of the Special Agreement between Guatemala and Belize were both ratified to submit the Territorial, Insular and Maritime Claim of Guatemala to the International Court of Justice, May 25, 2015. The text of the Protocol signed by Guatemala and Belize was published along with the preceding ratification and the concluded agreements are as follows:

Mayans accurately predicted solar eclipses hundreds of years in the future
People today aren’t the only ones who are fascinated by darkness descending in the middle of the day. Ancient civilizations tracked solar eclipses, too — although their calculations were done without the benefit of today’s scientific equipment. The Mayans were extremely literate, University of Colorado anthropology professor Payson Sheets said. Not just literate, but the most literate of any new world civilization “by a long shot.” The ancient civilization would diligently record its history, including when kings and queens were crowned, equinoxes and solstices, and solar and lunar eclipses. “Every century of recording, they would get more accurate,” Sheets said. “The prediction would be more precise.”

9 Caribbean Countries That Have Seen A Drop Off Of Foreign Investments
At least five Caribbean countries recorded a net positive increase in foreign direct investments last year but nine saw a definite drop off. News Americas Now analysis show they are: The Central American CARICOM nation of Belize took the fourth spot on the declining foreign direct investments rank. Belize saw a 32 percent drop-off last year – down to just USD 33 million compared to USD 65 million in 2015. With this second consecutive year of decline FDI reached levels similar to those of the 2000s. Capital inflows were the largest FDI component, accounting for 58 percent, and their contraction could not be offset by the increase in reinvested earnings.

Videos

August 17, 2017

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, and other specials

The San Pedro Sun

Another shootingin San Pedro
San Pedro Police are investigating the latest shooting on the island which left one person injured. Witnesses state that more than 12 gunshots where heard in the Bayside area adjacent to the San Pedrito Subdivision . The victim has been airlifted to Belize City for further medical treatment. Police continue investigating.

Boat with tourists capsizes near Caye Caulker
A 23-foot boat with nine passengers and two crew members reportedly capsized in the northern coast of Caye Caulker Village on Tuesday, August, 15th. A search and rescue team was immediately dispatched from E-Z Boy Tours after they received a distress call about the incident. Near 6PM, the occupants of the vessel were found drifting away on the waters of the Caribbean Sea. Everyone was brought to safety and no injuries were reported.

Introducing DigiNet – BTL hosts corporate mixer to discuss fastest internet for Belize
On Friday, August 11th, Belize Telemedia Limited hosted a DigiNet Corporate Mixer at the stunning Rain Restaurant & Rooftop Terrace located at Grand Caribe. The event served as an opportunity to learn about the new fiber-based broadband high-speed internet service being made available on Ambergris Caye, as well as to socialize with members of BTL staff, Huawei representatives and other businesspeople. While guests mingled, several fun raffles were held, with fabulous prizes, including phones and electronics giveaways. CEO of BTL, Rochus Schreiber, spoke of the exciting new service currently being installed on Ambergris Caye. He encouraged BTL internet subscribers to check with their local BTL offices about the new upgrades and to sign up for service.

Community can help bring justice for Faye Lin Cannon
Faye Lin Cannon was only 13 years old when she was found dead in her bedroom at a condominium complex apartment in northern Ambergris Caye on July 3rd. Initial investigation revealed that she had been murdered, and her adoptive mother Anke Doehm and step-father David Doehm were arrested as prime suspects. The Doehms were later charged with ‘Cruelty to a Child,’ and were remanded to the Belize Central Prison until a bail hearing in Belize City on July 21st. They were both granted bail for $10,000 and have since been out of prison and residing in Belize City. As their next court date approaches on August 24th, prosecutors are gathering evidence to lay further charges on the couple. Thus, the public is being asked to assist by making sworn statements that may possibly bring justice to Faye and her remaining siblings.

Ambergris Today

South Ambergris Caye development razes vegetation to the ground
Large amounts of vegetation have been razed in southern Ambergris Caye as developers level their properties with no regard to the impact it is having on the environment. Neighbours are outraged at the sight of destruction, as many mature trees and natural habitat have been bulldozed. According to residents in the area, native wildlife has been displaced, and the site resembles that of ‘a warzone.’ Residents fear that the continued cutting down of trees will lead to erosion and even potential flooding from the lagoon side. They are urging the respective authorities to step in and put a stop to this horrendous destruction. The local and environmental authorities have yet to weigh in on this issue.

Misc Belizean Sources

JOB VACANCY NOTICE - IICA Delegation in Belize

Here's a great opportunity to learn about National Hero Philip Goldson, his life, and contributions to Belize
Hi Everyone! The Goldson House with the collaboration of Belize Council for the Visually Impaired will be having it's first summer camp starting tomorrow. The 3 day Summer Camp (Aug 16th, 17th & 18th) Will have interactive activities for the children. A BCVI rehab officer who works with blind children will be doing a presentation on BCVI, her role as a rehab officer, displaying her equipment used in teaching blind persons and the importance of inclusion of blind persons in main stream society. Also a blind employee at BCVI, will do the same and make a presentation on his experiences as a visually impaired individual. The summer camp is free of cost and will be from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on all 3 days. For Ages - 6- 15 We would be happy to have your children attend our first ever summer camp! Address: #82 Orange Street, Belmopan

Two 15 minute power interruptions 7:15 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. & 5:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, August 17: Entire Orange Walk & Corozal Districts
BEL to replace transmission poles carrying high voltage power lines in the area.

The Women's Forum at The Corozal House of Culture
Always fiercely in Action. Toone Masehualoon will be this month's key note speakers at this months meeting of The Women's Forum at The Corozal House of Culture this Thursday August 17th 2017 at 10:00 a.m. Come join us and learn about this very active, vibrant group with a huge goal for the future in Belize.

Artists in the Park
Artists in the Park is happening Saturday at the Cayo Welcome Center. There'll be many kinds of arts from many different artisans, and Ascenthium will be playing. It's a free event. See you there. "Catch us this Saturday at The Welcome center in San Ignacio! Alongside Stig Da Artist and Casanova. Come show your support for Artists in the Park!"

Angel Coral Street closed to vehicle traffic Thursday
The Traffic Dept advises the public that Thursday the 17th August, Angel Coral Street will be closed to vehicle traffic. This is to allow for WASA to carryout some work. Access to Super Buy will be allowed from Caribena St but no vehicles will be able to travel south past Super Buy. Please use alternate routes and allow extra time for your journey. We would also inform you that BTL workers are busy installing the new Fiber Optic cable at numerous locations, Please slow down and take extra care where they are working. Thank for your continued co-operation. Drive Safely

NEMO Flood Mitigation – Jacintoville – Toledo
Flood Mitigation works in the Toledo District are ongoing as equipment from the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) is being used to excavate, and clear drains and culverts in Jacintoville. This area was affected by severe flooding just over a month ago when a portion of the highway was submerged by water for a few hours and was temporarily closed to vehicular traffic. NEMO Toledo District Coordinator Kenton Parham says the works taking place should greatly improve the situation in the area, allowing water to flow off quickly in the event of excessive rainfall. Similar works will be carried out, starting later this week, in the village of Red Bank and other flood-prone communities in the Stann Creek District as NEMO continues its countrywide Flood Mitigation Program.

Goldson House Summer Camp
This morning our team visited The Goldson House for Democracy and Patriotism-NICH, on the first day of its summer camp, to see what the children were up to. Thanks to Coordinator Ms. Kendra Griffith for inviting us to be a part of a fun and educational morning. Here are a few photos from our visit!

Belize Represented at Human Trafficking Seminar in Washington D.C.
Today, August 16, 2017, the Minister of Human Development, Social Transformation and Poverty Alleviation Hon. Anthony Martinez, accompanied by the Attorney General Hon. Michael Peyrefitte, met with Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice. Hon. Martinez and Hon. Peyrefitte are in Washington D.C. attending a Roundtable of Human Trafficking Seminar. During the meeting, Attorney General Rosenstein conveyed the United States’ commitment to strengthen ties with Belize to further address human trafficking, while Hon. Peyrefitte reported on the measures Belize has implemented to thwart human trafficking and prosecute offenders.

It's with great pleasure that we introduce to the public Eastern Police Division Rural; Strike Team and Traffic Branch
These officers are making your community a safer place for all.

2nd Annual MISS CARNIVAL QUEEN PAGEANT - senior and junior Queens Competition. COROZAL TOWN
Saturday, September 2nd. Corozal Civic Center.

Corozal Heritage Plaza Public Consultation
Residents and stakeholders shared ideas, concerns and interests on the project. Developing Corozal as a tourism destination!

Now Recruiting - Bowen & Bowen Ltd
Vacancy for Presalesman in Corozal. Email resume at [email protected]

What Can You Do to Use Less Plastic?
By 2050, our oceans will have more plastic in them than fish. UN Environment has ideas how YOU can take action to Save Our Ocean.

Channel 7

Man Shot Four Times By BDF/Customs Team in Contraband Hotspot Area
Last night, we told you about the confrontation between BDF and Customs officers and the passengers of an Orange Walk bus that ended in the Dwayne Almendarez getting shot. According to reports, Customs and the BDF jointly stopped a bus on the Santa Cruz Road and began searching for uncustomed goods. Santa Cruz is the village right across the border from Botes, Mexico which is a contraband hotspot. Sometime after getting unto the bus, some passengers on the bus began to attack the officers, who responded by firing several shots. Four of those shots hit Almendarez, and he was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery and is listed in critical but stable condition. Today we spoke to his sister about the incident...

Benny's Towhead Driver Dies From Blowout on 18-Wheeler
There was a terrible accident this morning at 6:00 on the Hummingbird Highway. An 18 wheeler loaded with construction supplies for Benny's Hardware had a front end blowout and overturned at mile 38, which is not far from Armenia village. Police say the driver Winston Dawson from Belama Phase 3 veered to the right when the wheel blew out, and overturned on the shoulder. Dawson was crushed and died on impact. His three sidemen, 21 year old Albert Che of Lord's Bank, 21 year old Dorian Buckley of Hattieville and 29 year old Keaton Pollard of a Belize City address are all employees of Benny's and they suffered various injuries. They were rushed to the western regional Hospital in Belmopan for treatment.

Finally, Arraignment Of The Kevin Brown Beatdown Three
Last night, we told you how 21 year-old Jafari Castro, and 18 year-old Gilbert Franklin Jr. were in police custody. Today they were joined by 21 year old James Young Jr who turned himself in this morning. On Monday, police named them as the main suspects in the beatdown of Kevin Brown. Well today, 10 days after Brown's savage beating on San Pedro, Police escorted all 3 alleged perpetrators to the Magistrate's Court for their arraignment. They were taken before Acting Chief Magistrate Sharon Frazer, who read them a single charge of harm. Police had said that they intended to charged Gilbert Franklin with the additional offense of aggravated assault, but that didn't happen before their arraignment today.

Caribbean Tyres Employee Charged For Safe-breaking
Caribbean Tyres employee, 22 year old Omar Gomez has been charged for breaking open his company's safe at their Spanish Lookout store. The resident of Billy White village was formally arrested and charged with Burglary, Handling Stolen Goods and Damage to Property today. He was arraigned this evening at the San Ignacio Magistrate court and was granted bail of $20,000 with an adjournment date set for 17th November 2017.

Depenalization Legislation Going To House
As we told you last night, the government is tabling an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act at Friday's House meeting. This has to do with the decriminalization of small amounts of weed – and depending on the outcome of Friday's meeting it can mean that those who are caught with a joint won't have to worry about any criminal charges. Today Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington put it into perspective. Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Foreign Minister: "My own understanding of it that what they are seeking to do really is to enable people who smoke small quantity of marijuana to be able to do so without running the risk of going to prison."

PM Writes OCEANA, Commits To Offshore Moratorium Long-Term
And while the legislation to decriminalize small quantities of marijuana will be tabled in the House this Friday, we have received reports that another highly contested policy will be heading the there in a few months. According to our sources, Cabinet has decided to send legislation that would uphold the moratorium on offshore oil exploration in Belize's territorial waters for an indefinite duration. A letter form the Prime Minister to the Vice President of OCEANA says government plans to take it to Parliament in October.

Willoughby Says Mayor Has It Wrong
Last night, Mayor Darrell Bradley made it clear that contrary to what councillor Phillip Willoughby told us last week - the Council has no property tax forgiveness program in place for the indigent. This is after the council members - who are all supporting Dion Leslie for Mayor - felt that Willoughby had made a unilateral declaration that wasn't backed up by any council resolution. So they mayor said in no uncertain terms that there is no policy of property tax forgiveness - but today Willoughby asked for an opportunity to respond. He said it's not a matter of policy; it's the law. Here's how he put it:

Dion Leslie Goes The Diplomatic Route
Councillor Phillip Willoughby isn't wrong in saying that property tax forgiveness for the poor is in the law but he should have taken it to the council first before making a public statement on it – that's his opponent Councillor Dion Leslie's position on that matter. In yesterday's interview with Mayor Bradley, Bradley out rightly rejected any policy for tax write off's and went on to call it "irresponsible". Well today, Councillor Leslie took a more diplomatic approach by saying that the council will have to thoroughly consider all factors, especially financial, before any tax exemptions can made.

Foreign Minister Speaks On Guat-Taiwan Relations
For the past week, we've been reporting on the $650 million US dollar aid package that Taiwan has supposedly given to Guatemala. According to Guatemalan media reports, the money is to build the Jacobo Arbenz 4-lane freeway to Puerto Barrios. It's that road that the British were supposed to construct out of the 1859 treaty. They never did so and now, President Jimmy Morales says, the Taiwanese are chipping in. But according to Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington, the Guatemalans shouldn't get too happy because they are the ones who asked Taiwan for the assistance and it is not clear if the Taiwanese will actually grant them aid. Now, one major concern has been if this road will have any impact on Belize. Elrington told us today that it will but certainly not as it relates to the broader Belize- Guatemala dispue.

Education Minister Not Happy With Audit
On Friday at the House of Representative, a new report from he Auditor General will be tabled. It deals with irregularities found at the Ministry of Works from 2012 to 2013, and other ministries including the Ministry of Education. And the Minister of Education says he isn't happy with what he saw in there: Hon. Patrick Faber - Minister of Education: "Just preliminarily I know that their might be other questions down the road but just preliminarily I am disappointed in the fact that the Auditor General and her team who ever the team was went into the ministry to do an audit on the tertiary unit of the ministry that deals with the scholarships and when they found certain things they said Mr. CEO could you answer to these things."

Hon. Faber Supports Gwen Liz Chairman Against Principal
We also asked Minister Faber about the situation at Gwen Liz High School. That's the only high school in his Collet constituency and it's been going through upheaval recently. The Principal Dr. Lorna McKay was placed on suspension earlier this month - and she did not leave quietly. Instead she said that Chairman, Roosevelt Blades - who is Faber's political officer in Collett - has been bullying and intimidating her for years. Today, Faber said that the Ministry had to go in to do an investigation based on complaints: Hon. Patrick Faber - Minister of Education: "We have longed heard complaints about the management of Gwen Liz high school and so what we did as the ministry we sent in an investigation team, that team was made up of very veteran secondary educators and they went in and they wrote a report giving their findings, they interviewed all who was concerned, parents, the teachers, the administration..."

Marion Jones Indoor Facility Delayed
Faber also told us about the latest plans for the indoor facility at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex. Last night, the Mexicans flipped the switch on a new lighting grid for the football field. But that's only a few hundred thousand dollars spent out of 5 million US which the Mexicans donated for an indoor sports facility. It's a multipurpose volleyball and basketball facility being administered by UNOPS - which means no local deal cutting and kickbacks with favored contractors. But, still, something has gone awry because the UNOPS consultant last told us that the complex would be ready in February 2018, but construction hasn't even started yet! The Minister of Sports today told us that the date of completion has been pushed back:

Juan Sis Allegedly Beat Up a Cop
Today 20-year-old Juan Sis appeared in the Magistrate's Court today after being accused of beating a police officer. According to reports, on Sunday PC Sacario Cuz, who is on interdiction, was operating a taxi on Central American Boulevard when he and Sis got into an argument. Things escalated and Sis allegedly beat Cuz, severly injuring him and sending him to the hospital.

Chan Chen Compressed Ganja
Chan Chen is is the northernmost village in Belize - and with increasing volumes of marijuana coming in through the north - it's not unexpected to find whole sale quantities of weed passing through. Today in Chan Chen police conducted a joint operation that turned up 19.5 pounds of cannabis in an open lot. No one was around, so it was labelled as found property.

Shyne Versus Heather Cunningham, The Miniseries
Last night, we gave you both sides of the very public departure of Shyne Barrow out of the Belize Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (BSCAP). The former CEO says that he cannot continue to support management of BSCAP because their spending practices have saddled the organization with hundreds of thousands of dollars in unsustainable debt, much to the detriment of the struggling artists who need every penny they could get in the fight to get the country copyright compliant. Barrow is accusing the Board, and specifically, former CEO Heather Cunningham of financial mismanagement. A leaked internal Financial report say that over the course of her 4-year tenure, BSCAP spent just over $389,000. That same report says that Cunningham is claiming $260,000 in salaries as compensation for her years of service.

AG and Human Dev. Minister In DC To Improve Belize's Human Trafficking Rating
In the US State Department's Trafficking Persons Report, Belize was classified as a tier 3 country, one of the two worst trafficking offenders in the entire western Hemisphere - according to the USA. So, it's making news tonight that representatives of the Belize Government are in Washington DC for the US State Department's Roundtable of Human Trafficking Seminar. Human Development Minister Anthony "Boots" Martinez" and Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte met with Rod Rosenstein, the Deputy US Attorney General from the Department of Justice. A press release from the Government of Belize says that Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein, quote, "conveyed the United States' commitment to strengthen ties with Belize to further address human trafficking," end quote, while Hon. Peyrefitte reported on the measures Belize has implemented to thwart human trafficking and prosecute offenders.

Ana Banner, The Price of Loyalty?
UDP Belmopan City Councillor Ana Banner Guy tried valiantly to fight the UDP establishment when she ran her candidacy outside the chosen slate - but she came 200 votes short in the convention. So, her candidacy - while valiant - was ultimately failed - and observers say she ended up on the outside because she supported Patrick Faber when he and John Saldivar went head to head for the UDP's Deputy Leadership. Saldivar has rejected that narrative, but Faber still has Banner - Guy's back. He told us he hope she will see this as a learning experience:

Faber Says COLA Mercenary
Faber also spoke on COLA's recent protest against the American Global University School of Medicine, or as it is now called the Columbus Central University School of Medicine. Daniel Ortiz has that story. COLA President Geovannie Brackett called out Faber saying his Ministry of Education was not doing the required oversight. Faber said that it was a mercenary move by COLA: Hon. Patrick Faber - Minister of Education: "Clearly this is a kind of mercenary venture on the part of COLA and PPOHRS. I believe if I'm to be kind that COLA has a bit more credibility but PPOHRS man. The school that is in question had a name change because of difficulty, they asked us to keep the charter because of course their needed to amend the continuity when they are marketing they need to be able to say we have been operating for all of these years before..."

No final Plan Yet For Carnival
Faber also donned his hat as Minister of Culture and spoke about the Carnival route. He is chair of the September Celebration Committee, and we asked him about the proposed change of route for Carnival 2017. As we've reported, authorities want to change the route because it blocks access to both major highways and to the KHMH, which is the national referral hospital. Faber says he sees the logic of that argument, but he would not support taking the Carnival from the Southside - mainly his Collet division: Hon. Patrick Faber - Deputy Prime Minister: "The problem is that the suggestions that came up boxes out the Southside, most of the suggestion and I will tell you while I've not heard a final recommendation coming if it is that I have the final say, my position is the Southside must be included in the carnival and so while I'm not absolutely sure it is my decision only to make and it will be my final decision."

Wilfred Not Worried About CCJ
And finally tonight, we have a comment from Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington on the Progresso Heights case where he was being sued by his former business partners in a real estate development - a case that went all the way to the CCJ. It's a private transaction but he's a public figure and on July 21st. the CCJ ordered that Elrington and his law firm, Pitts & Elrington, return all the conveyancing documents Progresso Heights Ltd sent from Florida to the law firm between September 2009 and June 2010, together with title certificates that had been issued in respect of eight of those documents. The Court gave Elrington and his firm 30 days from the date of the July 21st. hearing to deliver to Progresso the relevant documents. Today, Elrington said he didn't want to discuss the case as a private matter, but seemed in no hurry to produce any land documents:

Props For Plumbers
Two weeks ago we aired a segment about a workshop for Belize's plumbing lecturers held by the Public Utilities Commission along with the Ministry of Education and ITVET. Today 16 participants graduated from the course. Each received a certificate and a vast amount of new knowledge to help master their craft. The Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission John Avery spoke about the future of plumbing:

Taiwan Helps Albert
It is about that time of year when the sweet days of summer vacation say goodbye and the glorious days of the school year say hello to young students. But there's not much about this time that's sweet or glorious for area representatives who are under pressure to help provide important school necessities like books and supplies. Today the area representative for the Albert division Tracy Taeger Panton got a boost to do just that. She worked with the Taiwanese Embassy and received a donation of $3,000 US dollars for school necessities in the Albert division. the Ambassador told us why his office helped:

Dion Doing It For Wilfred
The landscaping and beautification program at the Samuel Haynes Institute of Excellence can now be expanded after Councillor Dion Leslie and his team donated over $1000 dollars in tools. Today at a short handing over ceremony, Institute Director Barbara Elrington gave us more details on the program. Councillor Leslie discussed his plans for expansion. The program has been on-going for 3 to 4 years now. 55 persons have been trained since then. 15 are currently enrolled.

Channel 5

3 Arraigned for Beating of Kevin Brown; Court Simmers with Tension
There was high drama in the Magistrate Court today when twenty-one-year-old Jafari Castro of Maskall , the son of Minister Edmond “Clear the Land” Castro, eighteen-year-old construction worker Gilbert Franklin [...]

Experienced Trucker Loses Life in Mishap on Hummingbird Highway
There was loss of life on the Hummingbird Highway this morning. Around six a.m., a terrible accident left one person dead and three others injured. Winston Dawson along with his [...]

Police Say Shot O.W. Man Challenged Customs Officers at Yo Creek
Thirty-year-old Dwayne Almendarez, an Orange Walk resident of the Union Town area tonight remains in a critical but stable condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after he was shot [...]

More on the Special G.O.B. Relationship with ‘Special Effects’
An audit conducted for the period 2012-2013 by the Auditor General is exposing blatant disregard for the appropriation law and other government regulations. On Tuesday night, we reported on sweetheart [...]

Education Ministry Spent Thousands on Tertiary Assistance; Minister Says He Can Explain
From Works to Education…The Ministry of Education also came under significant scrutiny for its handling of tertiary financial assistance grants during the period April 2004 to March 2012.  Examining various [...]

Minister Elrington Says Decriminalization of Marijuana No Big Deal
An amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act is to be tabled this Friday at a special meeting of the House of Representatives in Belmopan.  For years, a committee headed [...]

Can New Guatemala Road Help Belize? Foreign Minister Looks at the Bright Side
The Guatemalan press reported that Taiwan is to grant that country six hundred fifty million U.S. dollars in assistance to construct the CA-Nine Highway to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. But the [...]

Sedi Deals with Progresso Heights Case Privately
Minister Elrington was also asked about an embarrassing case that has gone as far as the Caribbean Court of Justice, brought against him by Progresso Heights Limited.  The court had [...]

Education Minister Stands by Gwen Liz Investigation
Doctor Lorna McKay, principal of Gwen Lizarraga High School, was sent on administrative leave on August seventh during the Tropical Storm Franklin scare, when she was visited with a letter [...]

Charge for Employee Accused of Robbing Caribbean Tire
In an update to a burglary at Caribbean Tires in Spanish Lookout, Cayo, over the weekend, police have arrested a company employee. He is twenty-two-year-old Omar Gomez, a truck driver [...]

Weed Recovered in Chan Chen
Corozal police made a significant bust in a joint operation in the village of Chan Chen earlier today. In an open lot, they found nineteen point five pounds of compress [...]

The Lights are On at Marion Jones; Athletes Will Make it their Home
Wednesday night saw the launch of lighting fixtures for what is expected to be the crown jewel of Belize’s sporting facilities, the Marion Jones Sporting Complex. The Mexican Agency for [...]

Faber Says ‘Chin Up’ to Anna Banner-Guy
Incumbent Belmopan area representative John Saldivar’s slate came in together in the August thirteenth U.D.P. convention for the City Council, freezing out Anna Banner-Guy, who is left to serve out [...]

No General Elections till 2020
With municipal elections coming up in March 2018, the speculation has been that the U.D.P. will be pulling a fast one and calling general elections at the same time so [...]

Belize Rural Kids Get School Bags for New Year
The new school year starts in a couple of weeks for primary school children across the country. Today, the Rural Eastern Division of the Police Department had a back to [...]

Taiwan Helps Out with Back to School for Albert Division
Today, we also found politicians tying down loose ends in assisting residents with expenses for the new school year.  This morning, Albert Area Representative Tracy Panton received a donation from [...]

CitCo Donates for Samuel Haynes Institute’s Beautification Program
For the past three to four years, the Samuel Haynes Institute of Excellence has been facilitating a landscaping and beautification program for single mothers and youths from the Pickstock constituency. [...]

CTV3

Minister Faber Expresses Disappointment In Auditor General's Report
Today Hon Patrick Faber also spoke on the Auditor General’s findings in particular those that dealt with the Ministry of Education. The Minister also expressed disappointment, but on the content which the Auditor General reports. Honourable Patrick Faber - Minister of Education, Youth and Sports: “I am disappointed in the fact that the Auditor General and her team or whoever the team was, went in to the ministry to do an audit I think it is the tertiary unit of the ministry that deals with the scholarships and when they found certain things they said well, Mr. CEO could you answer to these things, now the way I understand it but I may be completely wrong but I don’t think so that once you get in there and you are doing an audit and you find certain things you give the entity an opportunity to respond”

John Briceno Speaks On Auditor General's Report Of Government Expenditures
On the agenda also for Friday’s House Sitting, will be the presentation of the 2012-2013 Auditor General’s report of Government expenditures. If you’re wondering why the 2012-2013 report is just being published, it is because the audit process is very tedious and painstaking. For the auditor general’s office, the work is even made more difficult because of insufficient human resource and support provided by the Ministry of Finance. In her reports, the Auditor General Dorothy Bradley makes continuous mention of the need for more resources for her Department to be able to carry out its work timely. Looking closer at the contents of the report, there are serious questions raised about financial decisions taken by Government Ministries. On such is the Ministry of Works and its relationship with a vehicle parts business known in Belmopan as “Special Effects”.

Will The Opposition Support Decriminalization Of Marijuana?
On Friday, the House of Representatives will meet to consider a number of bills, one reportedly being a proposed legislation to decriminalise the use of Marijuana in Belize. In 2012, a Committee known as the Decriminalization of Marijuana Committee (DOMC) was established to carry out extensive research on the issue and provide recommendations. One of those recommendations is for the de-penalization of marijuana possession for quantities of 10 grams and less. For several years, the recommendation has remained on paper but it appears the Government is now prepared to propose the necessary legislation required for changes to the law to take effect.

Briceno Warns Taiwan About Dollar Diplomacy
Opposition Leader Hon. John Briceno also discussed the heavy dollar diplomacy being played by the Taiwan Government with the Barrow Administration. As we had reported last week, Taiwan’s Ambassador to Belize H.E. Charles Liu handed over financial support of $60m to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, part of which will go towards budget support. The concern is that Taiwan is helping to prop a Government that has failed economically and financially, and has provided an easy way of keeping the Government’s pocket full which the country remains broke. Briceno had stern words for this kind of dollar diplomacy, warning the Taiwan Ambassador that he cannot trust the Barrow Administration.

Belize Participates In Human Trafficking Workshop
Back in the month of June, the US State Department issued its 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report which demonstrated that Belize remains as a tier 3 country and is classified as the worst trafficking offender in the Central American region. The report indicated that Belize does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and that the Government is not making significant efforts to do so. The US State Department also claimed that there is an alleged high level of trafficking-related complicity by government officials.

LOVE FM

Bill to decriminalized small portion of marijuana to go to the House on Friday
Love News has confirmed with Solicitor General Nigel Hawke that a bill to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act will be tabled on Friday during a special sitting of the House of Representatives. The piece of legislation seeks to decriminalize up to ten grams of marijuana. The Decriminalization of Marijuana Committee chaired by Douglas Singh […]

Former CEO questions BSCAP’s figures
Last Thursday Love News obtained a letter in which Shyne Barrow resigned as CEO of the Belizean Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (BSCAP). His resignation followed internal financial conflict within the organization. According to Barrow, former CEO Heather Cunningham, and current Chair of the BSCAP board is claiming six hundred thousand dollars in expenses […]

Belizean musicians throw support behind former BSCAP CEO
Tanya Carter, one of Belize’s top artists is currently a member of BSCAP but today she told the press that she will remove herself from the organization after what has come to light. Tanya Carter – Musician: “To be honest with you about maybe five or six years ago we received a cheque for $20 […]

BSCAP’s Chair responds to allegations
Last Friday the BSCAP Board sent a release in response to Barrow’s allegations. In it, BSCAP accepted Barrow’s resignation from the post of CEO. The board also expressed regret on how Barrow had chosen to address the situation saying it was best to deal with it outside the media. It also stated that the allegations […]

Belize Network of NGOs decries postponement of re-registration exercise
The voices that object to the postponement of the re-registration continue to be heard. Yesterday the Belize Network of NGOs registered its discontent that the exercise has been put off another year. In its release the BNN says given that the last re-registration exercise was conducted two decades ago, the electors list is very likely […]

Taiwan makes donation for the fight against chronic renal failure
Yesterday the Republic of China, Taiwan, officially handed over more than two hundred and twenty thousand US dollars to the Ministry of Health for its Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Renal Failure in Belize. The handing over was held in Corozal Community Hospital where the Minister of Health, Pablo Marin […]

Dialysis patients must pay for treatment according to Minister of Health
The Minister of Health also spoke about dialysis offered to patients. A patient would need dialysis when they develop end stage kidney failure –usually by that time they have lost about 85 to 90 percent of their kidney functions. The purpose of dialysis is to balance the body by removing waste, salt and extra water […]

Minister of Health calls for ban of soft drinks in schools
Last month the Ministry of Health released statistics which named cardiovascular diseases as the number one cause of death in Belize so far for this year. Cardiovascular diseases have also placed in the top non communicable diseases list along with hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and chronic renal disease. Minister of Health, Pablo Marin says that it […]

Belize backs Taiwan for observer status at World Health Assembly
Belize and the Republic of China, Taiwan, have been close allies for decades. So it was no surprise that Cabinet Minister in charge of Health, Pablo Marin had been lobbying members of the World Health Organization to allow Taiwan to be an observer at the World Health Assembly. The World Health Assembly was held back […]

Minor missing from Burrell Boom Village
12-year-old Catherine Esmeralda Claros of Burrell Boom Village was reported missing by her mother, Silvia Janeth Simon, a Honduran national. Simon told police that she last saw her daughter at approximately 6:30 a.m., on Saturday, August 12, when she left home. Claros is five feet three inches, of brown complexion, has shoulder length curly hair […]

Teenager charged with rape
Nineteen year old Andy Pop has been charged with rape and is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow in Punta Gorda. Pop was shot on the leg when he attempted to escape on a motorcycle after allegedly raping a nineteen year old female. The girl had accepted a ride with Pop who took her to […]

ACP Chester Williams says all reports of Police corruption will be investigated
It has been less than a stellar month for the Belize Police Department. As of late, at least five police officers including a superintendent have been accused of illegal activities. While some have been criminally others are being investigated by the Professional Standards Branch headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams. Williams says that […]

Woman deported from Belize makes Court appearance in Canada
Last week we told you about the deportation of thirty three year old Canadian National Robin Leanne (Greenway) Trockstad. She was arrested by Belizean authorities after a warrant for her arrest was issued in Canada. She is accused of abducting her four year old son TreysonTrockstad-Greenway. Reports from Canada are that Trockstad appeared today in […]

Breaking Belize News

GOB to decriminalize marijuana?
Belizeans at home and abroad are eagerly awaiting Friday’s upcoming Special Sitting of the House of Representatives following several media reports that the Government of Belize will decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. Several local media houses have reportedly confirmed that Government will pass a Bill, which follows the recommendations given by the Decriminalization of Marijuana Committee, commissioned by Prime Minister Dean Barrow in 2012. Several church related groups have already begun to voice their discontent with the decision over social media, pointing out that the decriminalization may actually make marijuana more accessible to Belizean youths.

City Hall not backing Willoughby’s promises
Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley has debunked claims made by Mayoral candidate Phillip Willoughby that the council will be writing off property taxes for needy Belizeans. In an interview with Channel 7, Bradley explained that he did not know Willoughby made any such promise but clarified that the council has no such policy in place.

Body found in Belmopan
According to reports, the lifeless body of a man was found behind his house this evening in Salvapan, Belmopan.

Six Corozal students get scholarships
Six students from the Corozal District have received scholarships courtesy five-time Mr. Belize, Rigo Vellos and his gym, Spartan Fitness, located in Corozal town. Yesterday morning Vellos presented the official letters to two primary school and four high school students, which commits to covering their cost of tuition once they keep their grades up and provide community service hours monthly.

Jafari Castro arraigned in Belize City
Today, 21-year-old Jafari Castro, son of Transport Minister Edmond Castro, was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on a single count of harm, with respect to the August 6th assault of Kevin Brown. Castro was jointly charged with James Young and Gilbert Franklin. They all pleaded not guilty, and Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraizer granted them bail in the sum of $1,500 plus one surety, on the condition that they surrender all travel documents and refrain from having any contact with Brown or his family.

Retired NBA Star is in Belize
Retired American basketball player, Charles Smith, is in Belize City for the next four days. He was spotted at the Philip Goldson International Airport sometime this morning. According to reports, Smith is in Belize to collaborate with the Sport Council.

Caribbean Association of Pharmacists holds AGM in Belize
The Pharmacists Association of Belize (PAB) hosted the 37th Annual Convention and Annual General Meeting of Caribbean Association of Pharmacists in Belize last week. The AGM was hosted under the theme “Caribbean Pharmacists Contributing to Improved Health and Wellness of our Communities”.

Man charged for robbery at Caribbean Tire
Today in San Ignacio town, Oscar Gomez,22, a truck driver of Billy White Village, Cayo District was formally arrested and charged with burglary, handling stolen goods and damage to property.

NEMO excavating and clearing drains in Jacintoville
Flood mitigation works in the Toledo district are ongoing as the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) is currently excavating and clearing drains and culverts in Jacintoville. This area was affected by severe flooding just over a month ago when a portion of the highway was submerged by water for a few hours and had to be temporarily closed to vehicular traffic.

Garifuna groups express outrage over Eldred Neal reinstatement
Three Garifuna groups within the diaspora have issued a joint statement condemning Eldred Neal’s reinstatement as President of the Public Service Union (PSU). The United Garifuna Association, Garivision and All Peoples Foundation, issued the statement this morning, contending that Neal’s reinstatement sends the wrong message to the PSU’s Garifuna members, as well as the membership on a whole.

Custom officer guns down alleged contrabandista
A contrabandista refusing to peacefully surrender his goods to Custom officials was gunned down yesterday. According to police reports, shortly after 5 p.m. cops visited Yo Creek Village in Orange Walk District where they saw Orange Walk resident, Dwayne Almendarez, 30,suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Police investigation revealed that Custom officers and BDF soldiers conducted a search on a passenger bus near La Union.

Motorcycle thieves in Belize City continue string of theft
Motorcycle thieves in Belize City continue to steal around the clock. Police have issued a report on the two latest victims of motorcycle theft. Dwayne Reneau, 31, told police that between Monday night and early morning morning his red Meilun brand cycle with license plate number BZ M- 085 valued at $2,187.00 was stolen.

Fatal traffic accident on the Hummingbird Highway leaves one dead, several injured
According to reports, early this morning a Benny’s towhead delivery truck heading to PG overturned on the Hummingbird Highway. Confirmed reports are that the driver Winston Dawson, 45, passed away. Three other persons were also severely injured in the traffic accident -Dorian Buckley 21, Albert […]

Three men detained for Caribbean Tires robbery
Caribbean Tires in Spanish Lookout was robbed of US $20,000 and BZ $5,000 sometime between 6:15 Friday night and Saturday morning. The thieves broke down the door of the iron safe and stole the money. According to reports, the main suspect is an employee […]

Man reportedly shot by Customs officials in Orange Walk
According to a report from 7News, a man was shot by customs officials in the Santa Cruz area of Orange Walk last night. This area is known as a hot spot for illegal border crossings over to Botes, Mexico. The man was reportedly shot […]

Castro and Franklin Jr. to be charged for Kevin Brown assault
Yesterday, police informed the media that cops had detained Jafari Castro and Gilbert Franklin Jr. for the assault of Kevin Brown in San Pedro last week. Brown was badly beaten, air lifted from San Pedro and taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where […]

Blogs

Pirate’s Pizza – Where a Slice is always Nice!
On September 1, 2016, Serge Lalonde and Susan Young of Montreal Canada made the big leap and became business owners on Ambergris Caye. Now owners of Pirate’s Pizza, Serge and Susan take pride in selling delicious pizzas to the local community and visitors who stop by as well. “We have been very busy since we started…we have repeat customers and even know their order before they ask!” they said. They have a fabulous local staff, and thus refer to their pizza as Belize-style. “It’s made here in Belize, by Belizeans, containing the freshest ingredients. Of course it’s as Belizean as it can get!” The pizza looks a little bit different, as hot, melty, bubbly cheese is on top, and those delicious ingredients like sausage, pepperoni, veggies, are under that layer of gooey cheese!

The Eclipse in Belize & Approaching Weather Potential
First – a look at the weather map. It’s mid-August and the time when weather disturbances tend to spin off the west coast of Africa. Picking up steam over the WARM Atlantic and threaten our coast lines. Right now, things are getting heated. They are still quite a ways off. But the one closest to us is forecasted to reach our general area early next week. These are only forecasts! But DO keep an eye on them. The main celestial event next week, especially in the United States, is the total solar eclipse. The moon will be passing over the sun, mid-day, and in the path of totality – will completely block it out.

ak's Single-Origin Brownie Flights Will Make You a Better Chocolate Eater
I approached the flight like I would a wine tasting (minus the swirl and spit), smelling them, inspecting the texture, and then taking a bite. (I wish Zak's would throw in some raw coco beans, too, for a visual examination of the differences that begin at harvest.) The brownies were arranged from Belizean to Madagascar to Guatemalan, and I assumed this was an intentional order based on intensity. I was right. The brownie made with beans from Belize smelled like a typical chocolate brownie, the comforting, homey smell unadulterated with any other aromatic notes beyond the coco and sugar. The cake-like interior crumb was sweet and mellow. It was an easy to eat and easy to love rendition of the childhood classic.

Without a Scholarship I wouldn’t be here today. Support UB Endowment Fund
“Like other recipients of the UB athletic scholarship, it came at a time of heavy financial constraints for my family. I was good in shotput and the discus, so a track and field scholarship combined with God's grace, paved a path. It was of great relief to my parents. We were struggling to pay for my education up to that point. This scholarship gave me and many others an opportunity that is awarded to very few people. That opportunity was to be able to finish our degree programs. The responsibility was great but the reward was even greater. Had I not receive this scholarship, life could have been very different and I may not be where I am today.

Good Cops donate to kids in the Community
The Police Department's Rural Eastern Division embarked on its Back to School Drive. 195 bags with school supplies (exercise books, erasers, folders, crayons, pens, pencils, sharpeners, rulers and glue) were distributed to students of the entire region. Its a community effort during which members of society donated cash and supplies.

International Sources

Triple tropical threat looms in the Atlantic, Caribbean
Two of three budding tropical systems in the Atlantic will approach the Caribbean, Central America and the United States in the coming days. Three batches of thunderstorms are moving westward across the tropical Atlantic within a swath of moisture at midweek. From west to east, the systems have been dubbed 91L and 92L. The third system is likely to be 93L. "Nintey-one L may become a tropical depression or storm as it moves through the Lesser Antilles on Friday and the Caribbean Sea on Saturday," according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski. This feature is likely to bring an uptick in showers and thunderstorms in the Windward and southern Leeward Islands from Thursday night to Friday.

Modern genetic sequencing tools give clearer picture of how corals are related
The documentary “Chasing Coral,” released on Netflix in July, is a cinematic warning about how the bleaching of coral reefs may foreshadow how these marine animals will respond to climate change. Corals are key to ocean health because they support the densest, most diverse ecosystems — harboring species from turtles to algae to reef fish. University of Washington scientists are looking at the burgeoning field of coral genetics to better predict, and maybe even prepare for, coral’s future threats. Their new study uses modern genetic-sequencing tools to reveal the relatedness of three similar-looking corals. “This coral appears to be three different species, but it’s been debated whether it’s really three separate species or whether it’s one that’s really variable in its appearance,” said first author James Dimond, a UW doctoral student in aquatic and fishery sciences.

Fly Fishing for Permit: Stalking tailers in Belize’s Permit Alley
Saltwater Sportsman Magazine on chasing for Permits in Belize! An ever increasing angler's choice in Belize. Of note is that the permit is a catch and release fish in Belize. Great article.
Overcast skies and gusting winds over 20 miles an hour are hardly ideal for finding permit, but with legendary Belizean guide Lincoln Westby poling the boat, I still liked our chances. Not 25 yards down the slim coral shoal we were tracing, two shadows moved in from the adjacent depths and crossed our path. They were a pair of 20-pounders, and Westby turned the boat, affording me a better casting angle. I sent a permit crab fly sailing toward the fish, but before it touched down, the permit exploded and dropped back off the edge. Shaking our heads in disbelief, we resumed our search. After 44 years of guiding, Westby returns to the sites of some 2,000 permit hookups, aided only by memory and a compass atop his panga's -console, to offer anyone willing to risk sanity and self esteem plenty of shots at fish regularly surpassing 20 pounds, within earshot of waves breaking against the barrier reef.

Videos

August 16, 2017

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, and other specials

The San Pedro Sun

Jafari Castro and Gilbert Franklin arrested for August 6th Aggravate Assault incident
Police have officially released an arrest warrant for the alleged culprits involved in an incident that left 21-year-old Kevin Brown unconscious. Initial reports indicated that the incident was cause by Wasani and Jafari Castro, sons of Minister Edmond Castro. However, the Belize Police Department Press Office immediately dispelled the allegations as just rumors, citing that “no report has been made”. It was not until a week later, on Saturday, August 12th, that warrants for the arrest of Jafari Castro, Gilbert Franklin Junior and James Young Junior were issued. Brown, who was attacked during a dispute over a piece of jewelry on Sunday, August 6th at a resort south of San Pedro Town, was hit in the head with fire extinguisher. He was taken to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II at around 9:05PM in an unconscious state. Brown was later transported to the Karl Huesnuer Memorial Hospital in Belize City, where he regained consciousness and his now recovering at home in Camalote Village.

Ambergris Today

Slaying Lionfish In Belize
They are an invasive species in the region, wreaking damage on the marine life of Belize. Lionfish are actually a threat to the livelyhood of the Belize Barrier Reef, so it is encouraged to kill as many of them as possible. The good part is that they are delicous (taste like grouper)! Ben Popik shares with us his great pic of Douglas McLain, the "Lionfish Legend", of SeaStar Belize with a spear-full of Lionfish. "How does he do that?"

Belize Network Of NGOs Call For Re-Registration Before Municipal Elections
The Belize Network of NGOs (BNN) has issued a press release expressing its grave disappointment that the national re-registration exercise that was to have been initiated in July 2017 has been postponed to next year. The BNN stated that voting systems are an integral component in the equation of our political democracy. The right to vote (including who can vote) and a fair and free election process are fundamental rights guaranteed by the Belize Constitution. The Press Release goes on to say that; “Given that the last re-registration exercise was conducted two decades ago, the electors list is very likely compromised which means that the very integrity of our political democracy is severely undermined.

Misc Belizean Sources

Splashers
Come paint with us tomorrow at Crazy Canucks Beach Bar. We will be painting "Home Sweet Home" inspired by local artist Marcus Larious.

CHEVENING IN BELIZE! Deadline is approaching. Apply now!
Applications for 2018/2019 Chevening Scholarships are open between 12:00 BST on 7 August 2017 and 12:00 GMT on 7 November 2017 (both midday UK time). Chevening is the UK government's global scholarship programme that offers future leaders the unique opportunity to study in the UK. These scholarships are awarded to outstanding professionals from your country and beyond to pursue a one-year master’s degree in any subject at any UK university.

Two 10 minute power interruptions 7:15 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. & 5:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, August 17
Entire Orange Walk & Corozal Districts. BEL to replace transmission poles carrying high voltage power lines in the area.

Belize City House of Culture and Downtown Rejuvenation Project
A part of the Hard Components of the Belize City House of Culture and Downtown Rejuvenation Project is to restore three Heritage Buildings in the downtown area. These buildings are in addition to the Government House Property buildings which will commence renovations in September or October. The uploaded picture shows the location where the vacated Women's Department building located on Albert Street. A new building will be built in this location utilizing the Colonial Style architecture of downtown. The completed building will be incorporated to the Eco-Museum concept to be developed in downtown.

Seedlings are available for sale at the Ya'axché Conservation Trust nursery
Through August, fruit and timber seedlings are going for BZ$2.00 per plant.

BHA launches a New Marketing Video initiative for its Members!
The Belize Hotel Association, in conjunction with the Belize Tourism Board and our new BHA member Love Television, has embarked on a new and exciting marketing initiative for our membership. We are planning to produce several Destination videos highlighting each of our members in each area. Each destination video will be two minutes long, more or less, and each member hotel will receive approximately fifteen seconds of airtime during the video, highlighting their rooms and amenities. These videos will be aired daily on Love FM channels each month, starting immediately, for the entire membership year, giving added exposure to our members locally. They will also form an integral part of our marketing presentations at all the international Tradeshows we attend. BHA Members who wish to produce a longer segment for their own marketing efforts, can discuss this with Love TV studios separately. These destination videos will be used for BHA marketing purposes only, so there will be no cost to our membership for filming, production or airtime. BHA Marketing Director, Tessie Tonaco will be contacting all our member properties in the upcoming weeks to schedule the date and time for each property shoot and also to request assistance from our membership to provide accommodations in each area for the Love Television crew.

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships
Research Fellowship, Academic year: 2018-2019, Country: Belize

Why you should support the UB 1st President's All-Inclusive Endowment Fete
Support the UB Endowment Fete on September 17th, 2017. The Soca event is a fundraiser that will offer scholarships to well deserving Belizeans. It is sponsored by Best Western Biltmore, Scotia Bank, UB, Travellers, BTB, LoveFM and The Guardian.

Creating A Safe Space Agenda!
The U.S. Embassy in Belize is proud to support the Young Women Christian Association in its effort to increase and maintain the productivity of girls and youth through personal action and capacity building. At two separate ceremonies in Belmopan and Belize City, over 200 students graduated from the various programs carried out between 2016-2017 focused on providing alternative educational opportunities for youth, remedial programs and building capacity for future employability and entrepreneurship.

Channel 7

Kevin Brown Suspects In Custody
They were wanted for beating down Kevin Brown and tonight Jafari Castro and Gilbert Franklin Jr are in police custody pending charges. Reports say they were caught today in the Conch Shell Bay area and taken to the Queen Street police station. Police have confirmed that they are being held pending charges. Now, only James Young Jr remains at large. All three young men have well known fathers.

Fuel Prices Goes Up At Midnight
If your vehicle uses regular fuel or diesel, you'd be well advised to put in gas tonight. That's because prices are going up sharply at midnight. Regular gas is going up 51 cents per gallon, while diesel is going up fourteen cents per gallon. The increase on regular fuel amounts to a 5.5% hike, while the increase on diesel amounts to 1.75%.

Mayor Says He Doesn't Know What Willoughby Talking About
Last week Wednesday, UDP Belize City Mayoral hopeful Phillip Willoughby lit up the evening news when he staged a media event to say that the council would be forgiving property taxes for those who have demonstrable need. Here's how he put it:.. Phillip Willoughby - City Councillor: "We do the due diligence and then we proceed to write off the tax and give those persons who fall within the law that ease that they need." Willoughby also read the relevant law from the Towns and Property Act. But since last week we've been hearing heavy rumblings from inside the council saying that he made this declaration unilaterally and without any basis since the council took no such resolution. This week it's been causing all kinds of chaos for his rivals on the campaign trail where - in poor areas - voters are clamoring for a write off. So today, the mayor - who endorses Willoughby's opponent Dion Leslie came forward to say he doesn't know what Willoughby is talking about because that is not the policy of the city council:

Family Says GSU Pepper Sprayed 2 Year Old
After what they say has been about a week and a half of harassment from the GSU, the Gonguez family is speaking out. According to the family, the GSU started making regular, hostile visits to their home on Curl Thompson Street around the beginning of the month, when they were hosting a birthday party for one of the toddlers. The Gonguez's say that the GSU told them that they were looking for guns and ammunition and broke up to party to conduct a search. Since then, the GSU have allegedly been stopping by the family's home, and harassing them on a regular basis for no reason. The altercations between the GSU and the family came to a climax yesterday, after the GSU chased a neighbor into their yard, assaulted multiple people, fired shots and pepper sprayed a 2 year old girl. We visited the Gonguez family today and spoke to them about the traumatic confrontation...

Customs Law Enforcement Team Shot Orange Walk Man
Tonight 7News has received multiple credible reports which say that a Customs Law enforcement team shot a man in the area of Santa Cruz Orange Walk this evening. The circumstances are not known - but we do know that this is one of the most commonly used illegal border crossings - which goes over to Botes, Mexico. Persons on the bus in the area when the shooting happened and his sister in law claim that Dwayne Almendarez was shot in the back. He survived and was rushed to the Northern Regional Hospital - where reports say he is still alive.

Decriminalization For Small Quantities of Marijuana Coming
The fight to de-penalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana that sees so many persons hauled to court every week, could be gaining major ground on Friday. Legislation for the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana will be tabled at Friday's House of Representative's meeting. Former police minister Douglas Singh and a committee of other stakeholders recommended that the government make an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act that would see the decriminalization of possession of up to 10 grams of weed - that's about three to four joints.

Shyne And Artists Speak Up Against BSCAP
Last week we told you how Belize's Music Ambassador, Shyne Barrow, resigned rather suddenly from his post as CEO of BSCAP, the Belizean Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. This is the organization set up over 10 years ago to fight on behalf of Belizean artists so that whenever you hear their music on the radio, on TV, or being used by any company, that these artists are being paid for their creation. But, Barrow resigned last week accusing the the Board of financial mismanagement, which he says is severely hurting the pockets of those artists who are trying to make a career off their craft.

BSCAP's Side Of the Story
So, as you've seen, BSCAP's is going through a public relations nightmare, with the board being accused of taking advantage of the very same artist community that they are supposed to be serving. We made contact with several of the board members, and this evening, they organized a press briefing via Skype with Heather Cunningham, who is in the US. It happened about 1 hour or so before the start of news, and it ran for over 25 minutes. We start first with the board's response to Barrow's accusation, with a portion of Cunningham's prepared statement. Here's what she had to say just before news time:

Alleged San Pedro Shooter Arraigned
Alleged San Pedro shooter, 21 year old Christian Espat was arraigned and remanded to prison yesterday in Belize City Magistrate's Court. Espat appeared before Magistrate, Carlon Mendoza at around 4:15 p.m., and was read seven criminal offenses. He was charged with two counts of attempted murder, three counts of use of deadly means of harm with a dangerous weapon, and two counts of dangerous harm upon primary school students, aged 12 and 9, along with 27 year old Lloyd Tyndall.

No Charges Yet In Caribbean Tyres Heist
No one has yet been charged for the safe breaking robbery at Caribbean Tyres. Three men are detained after San Ignacio police were able to recover close to 50 thousand dollars from an area in Billy White Village. That's also here they arrested the main suspect. Now police have detained two os his suspected accomplices, and today investigators were out in the field gathering further evidence to see if they can also lay charges against two other suspect.

Latest Info on Customs/BDF Shooting
And to update a story we had at the top of the last segment, a customs joint law enforcement team shot a man in the area of Santa Cruz Village near Botes, Mexico this evening. New information says that police cannot confirm at this time whether it was a BDF soldier or a customs officer who shot Orange Walk resident Dwayne Almendarez. According to latest information from CTV-3, there was a confrontation between Orange Walk residents and lawmen from the BDF and Customs department somewhere along the road from Santa Cruz Village to Orange Walk town. CTV-3 reports that that Customs and BDF officials were searching a bus traveling towards Orange Walk Town for uncustomed goods, the situation then allegedly took a turn for the worst as passengers of the bus reportedly attempted to attack officers, who then allegedly discharged several shots.

Castro and Franklin Arrest Happened on Northside
As we told you earlier in the news - police have arrested two of the three men accused of being involved in the Kevin Brown beatdown which happened on San Pedro 9 days ago. The suspects in custody are Jafari Castro and Gilbert Franklin Jr. Initial reports told us that they had been found in the conch shell bay area, but subsequent reports say that the Northside strike team detained them at Gilbert Franklin's home on Dunn Street, Kings Park area. They are expected to be charged for harm tomorrow. James Young Jr is still at large.

Caught With Cycle, Man Says He Was Taking It To Police
He was caught pushing a stolen motorbike, but Lerone Williams says he was taking it to the police station, not stealing it. The 31 year old said he found the motorcycle with some minors who were swimming in the sea near BTL Park on Regent Street and he was taking it to Raccoon Street Police Station when the police came and took him into custody. Williams was offered a bail of $1,500 and his case was adjourned until October 20. The LIFAN motorcycle, valued at $1,800, was stolen from the compound of the Ministry of Education.

Police Looking Into Beating
In yesterday's newscast, we gave you extensive coverage of the press conference with Assistant Police Commissioner Chester Williams to discuss the high profile allegations of lawless police behavior before the Professional Standards Branch. As you saw, the Department is under pressure from the recent spike in the reporting of those cases, but one more which we didn't include last night was a report of police brutality out of San Ignacio. The Commander gave us the details:

All Of The Lights At Marion Jones
In October of 2016, the Ministry of Sports signed a half a million dollar contract to put what are called "Class Two Lights" on the on the football field at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex. It is a project funded by the Mexican government, part of a 5 million US dollar plan to build an indoor sporting facility not he Marion Jones compound. Today Ambassador to Belize, the Executive Director of the Mexican Agency for the International Cooperation for Development came to turn the switch:

Channel 5

Five years later, Audit finds that G.O.B. had favorable relations with ‘Special Effects’
Late this evening, News Five has been able to get a sneak peek at the 2012-2013 Auditor General’s Report which is expected to be tabled this Friday in the House.  [...]

Artists rally as Shyne renews challenge to BSCAP
There are more details available tonight on the state of finances of the Belizean Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Last week, Shyne Barrow resigned abruptly when it became known [...]

BSCAP Chairperson Heather Cunningham hits back
Late this evening, BSCAP’s chairwoman, attorney Heather Cunningham, responded to claims being made by Shyne during a press conference earlier today.  Those statements cast a negative light on Cunningham, as [...]

Defending against ‘slander,’ Cunningham says artists got their funds
Cunningham has taken umbrage to the allegations made by Shyne because she says they are slanderous.  According to the chairwoman, the twenty-five hundred dollars that has been earmarked for distribution [...]

Castro and Franklin in custody; police say Insp. Yearwood info was not official
At news time this evening, police confirmed that Jafari Castro and Gilbert Franklin are in police custody pending charges. The duo was detained earlier today in the south side of [...]

Christian Espat arraigned for weekend shooting
As police were announcing the arrest of twenty-one-year-old Christian Espat on Monday evening for charges of attempted murder, deadly means of harm and dangerous harm for a shooting incident on [...]

Fuel prices for regular and diesel going up again
It’s been a month since the last increase at the pumps, but get ready for another crunching increase in fuel prices.  At midnight tonight, regular gasoline rises by a whopping [...]

Cop facing charges for gun bust
One week ago, Police Constable Franklin Ramirez was busted by fellow officers in the Mobile Interdiction Team along with three civilians. He was driving a vehicle carrying a gun hidden [...]

Two more suspects in Caribbean Tire robbery
San Ignacio police continue to investigate the burglary of the Caribbean Tires depot in Spanish Lookout, Cayo District, which is believed to be an inside job. On Saturday some twenty [...]

Immigration, Mines to charge Chiquibul gold panners
Over the weekend San Ignacio police received six Guatemalan nationals – thirty-eight years old Agusto Perez Gonzalez of Dolores, Petén; twenty-six years old Wilfredo Antoniel Chavez of Barrio Nuevo; eighteen [...]

Lerone Williams charged for handling stolen motorcycle
A motorcycle stolen from the Ministry of Education has been recovered by police from the possession of a fisherman.   Today in court, Lerone Williams, a resident of Faber’s Road [...]

N.C.I.B. to process Chunox file to D.P.P.
The Professional Standards Branch of the Belize Police Department is inundated with cases of alleged police misconduct and there were several updates coming out of Monday’s press conference with its [...]

Professional Standards Branch confirms charged for P.G. cops accused of extortion
In Punta Gorda, two cops have been accused of shaking down a school principal for money to hush up an alleged violation of insurance expiration. They agreed to accept money [...]

Customs shot a man in Santa Cruz, Orange Walk
Though not confirmed, there are reports of an altercation between Customs and a group of Belizeans in the Santa Cruz area of Orange Walk. This village is particularly known for [...]

Fires on Guatemalan side of Sarstoon River
Our newsroom has also received photographs of a fire in the Sarstoon. The reports state that several structures on the Guatemalan side of the river went up in flames earlier [...]

Francine Pitts dies; survived loss of daughter Eyannie Nunez and City house
Belize City resident Francine Pitts gained public attention when her young daughter, Eyannie, was shot and killed as she slept at home. Pitts would go on to experience a long [...]

Who can build the ultimate Maya Spa Experience?
BELTRAIDE and the Belize Spa and Wellness Association are organizing the first ever “Maya Spa Experience Brand Competition.”  The overall objective of the competition is to have certified massage therapists [...]

KTV the Remix is back for semi-finals
After a brief hiatus, KTV, the Remix is back tonight live at the Bliss and the show promises to be as entertaining and ram packed with great performances.  The remaining [...]

CTV3

Orange Walk Resident Shot During Altercation With Custom And BDF Officers
Unconfirmed reports to CTV3 news is that a confrontation between Orange Walk residents and officials from the BDF and Customs department shortly before news time tonight lead to one man being shot as many as four times. While full details surrounding the incident are still sketchy, CTV3 news understands that the incident transpired somewhere along the road from Santa Cruz Village to Orange Walk Town while authorities were conducting daily patrols. Reports are that Customs and BDF officials were conducting search on a bus traveling towards Orange Walk Town for unaccustomed goods, the situation then allegedly took a turn for the worst as passengers of the bus reportedly attempted to attack the officers, who then allegedly discharged several shots in self-defense.

Regular and Diesel Prices Increase
If your gas tank is running close to empty, our advice to you would be to full up before midnight because at one minute past 12:00, prices for regular gasoline and diesel will see a major increase across the country of Belize. Here in Orange Walk Diesel will see an increase of fourteen cents, sending the price from eight dollars and seventy five cents to eight dollars and eighty nine cents. Regular Gasoline is increasing by a whopping fifty one cents and instead of nine dollars and seventy seven cents, Orange Walkenos will now pay ten dollars and twenty eight cents per gallon.

Minister of Health Says Corozal Town Council Has Served The People
Yesterday you heard UDP Corozal Bay area representative Pablo Marin openly throw the entire weight of his support on Richard Quan over Town Councillor Rafael Castillo ahead of Sunday’s convention in Corozal Town. That has turned out to be a major endorsement for the current Traffic Manager over the seasoned politician and former Deputy Mayor. With municipal elections on the distant horizon, we also asked Marin whether he felt that the Town Council has delivered the goods and services to the town residents of Corozal. As expected, he was highly optimistic.

Will Mayor Campos Move Out Of Town Hall and Into The CCFZ
We also asked Marin to comment on strong but unconfirmed reports that the Corozal Town Mayor was being considered to take up the post of Chief Executive Officer at the Commercial Free Zone at the Santa Elena Border. While Marin did not confirm or deny, he couldn’t help but indicate his support for the idea. Hon. Pablo Marin - Corozal Bay Area Representative: “If the Mayor do receive that post at the Free Zone he has served Corozal town for a good while and think that is more than enough to say that he is good for that post and I will always be supportive for someone that have shown for the people of Corozal the amount of work that he has put.”

Jafari Castro And Gilbert Franklin Now In Police Custody
After almost a week of being sought by police in connection with a case of aggravated assault, Jafari Castro and Gilbert Franklin were detained today and are tonight in police custody pending charges. If you have been in tuned to the news lately, you may be aware that Castro and Franklin along with James Young were wanted by police for ‘harm’ after they allegedly assaulted twenty one year old University student and San Ignacio Basketball athlete, Kevin Brown on Sunday August 5th, 2017 in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye.

Mr. Belize Awards Scholarships To Six Lucky Recipients
This morning six students from the Corozal District received tuition scholarships from Mr Belize, Rigo Vellos, through his gym, Spartan Fitness. The gym offered five scholarships back in July, four for primary and one for high school but due to the needs at the high school, there was a high volume of applications which saw Vellos distribute two primary school and four high school tuition scholarships this morning. We were there as the students received their official letters and pledged to commit to similar values which have kept Vellos on top of his game.

LOVE FM

Police “officially” issue warrant for three men including Jafari Castro in brutal beatdown of Kevin Brown
San Pedro police have issued arrest warrants for Gilbert Franklin, James Young and Jafari Castro, son of Government Minister, Edmund Castro. They are wanted by police for the brutal beating of 21 year old basketball player, Kevin Brown. The trio is wanted for the crime of harm. Franklin is also wanted for the crime of […]

ACP Edward Broaster speaks on former press officer’s transfer
Over the past week, there have been some inconsistencies and confusion over Kevin Brown’s brutal beating on San Pedro Town last week Sunday. The Castro brothers had been unofficially named as being part of the group who attacked Brown and on Wednesday morning police press officer Inspector Fitzroy Yearwood told the media that the Castro […]

Corozal Police Officer charged for perverting the course of justice
The Belize Police Department is investigating one of its own. Police Constable Ismael Monima has been charged with Perverting the Course of Justice. He is accused of tampering with evidence. On Thursday August 10 a Corozal man was detained and charged for traffic offences. A urine sample was collected and it was placed inside the […]

Senior Officer caught with contraband pharmaceuticals being investigated
The Professional Standards Branch is also investigating a senior cop of the police department. On August 4, Superintendent of Police Dinsdale Thompson was caught transporting contraband pharmaceuticals. He was intercepted by Customs Officers who found him in possession of a batch of medicines including antibiotics and vitamin supplements. But unlike PC Ismael Momina, the case […]

ACP Chester Williams updates on police officers charged for extortion
Last week, Police Constable Arden Jones and Woman Police Constable Jenny Tanner were charged for extorting a principal. The principal reported to Punta Gorda police that Tanner and Jones stopped her at a check point in Punta Gorda and told her that she was being detained for driving with expired insurance. According to the Principal, […]

Cayo Police Officer accused of pulling his firearm on a young boy
The Professional Standards Branch is also investigating the conduct of a police officer attached to the San Ignacio Police Station. That officer is accused of punching a man and pulling his gun at a thirteen year old boy. ACP Chester Williams shared more. ACP Chester Williams – Head, Professional Standards Branch “Yes there is also […]

Eldred Neal reinstated as PSU President
The Public Service Union Belmopan Branch called a Special Meeting at the Belmopan headquarters to resolve the matter of the suspension of the President, Eldred Neal. Neal was suspended after a recording was leaked in which he made disparaging remarks about the Garinagu. The recording was deemed offensive and racist and Neal was suspended on […]

Major political parties hold conventions out west
Mayor Khalid Belisle will once again head the slate for the United Democratic Party into the next municipal elections. A convention was held yesterday to finalize the slate. There was some controversy as Councilor Anna Banner Guy was omitted from the official party slate. Banner Guy was not pleased as she felt she was shunned […]

Corporal Michael Atkinson represents Belize at international fundraising event in London
Paul Mahung reporting… “A member of Belize’s Jaguars Football team participated in an international fundraising event in London and continues to do well in Senior Level British Forces Football Competition in England. Mother of Corporal Michael Atkinson, IldaMuschamp Atkinson originally of Punta Gorda spoke to Love News.” Ilda Muschamp Atkinson “In July my son Michael […]

Fatal RTA reported on the outskirts of Belmopan
Fem Cruz reporting… “Based on information received on Saturday morning, Roaring Creek Police visited an area at the outskirts of Belmopan at mile 44 on the George Price Highway where they saw a Hispanic male person lying face up in the middle of the highway when travelling from an east to west direction with multiple […]

Amandala

WANTED!
On Saturday afternoon, police confirmed that warrants had been issued for the arrests of men believed to have been involved in the severe beating of Galen University student, Kevin Brown. The men — Jafari Castro, Gilbert Franklin, Jr., and James Young, Jr. — are all wanted for harm. Franklin is additionally wanted for aggravated assault. Jafari Castro is a son of Minister of NEMO and Transport, Hon. Edmond “Clear the Land” Castro, whose constituency is Belize Rural North. At press time tonight, however, police say that the men have not been found.

Francine Pitts, Belize City Council tax collector, dead at 46
Francine Pitts, who was employed as a tax collector for the Belize City Council, was pronounced dead on arrival on Saturday, August 12, at the Western Regional Hospital. The mother of 6 children, an asthmatic, Pitts was found unconscious on the floor of her mother’s house in Mahogany Heights. She was rushed to the Western Regional Hospital by her son, Eandre Nunez, 17, but was pronounced dead, one of her sons, De’ Zhaun Humes, 22, told Amandala tonight in a telephone interview. Although a post-mortem exam has not yet been performed on Pitts’ body to determine the cause of her death, her son, Humes, is of the view that their mother died from heart failure and an asthma attack.

Anna Banner-Guy loses bid to remain on Belmopan CitCo slate
The United Democratic Party (UDP) held an endorsement convention today for its mayoral candidate for the Belmopan City Council race that is scheduled to take place next year March. Khalid Belisle, the incumbent mayor, will head the UDP Belmopan City Council slate again. It wasn’t smooth sailing for the UDP to fill the six slots for their city council candidates. Infighting in the ruling party had led to one incumbent councilor, who has served two terms, to be left off the party’s main slate. And this councilor had decided not to go away quietly. So, notwithstanding the fact that the party had chosen a slate for Belmopan, the rejected two-term councilor, Anna Banner-Guy, put her name on the ballot for today’s voting, which took place at the Belmopan Civic Center from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Eldred Neal reinstated as PSU president
Eldred Neal, who was suspended after a May 19 meeting of the council of management of the Public Service Union (PSU) over a secretly recorded conversation he had with other union members in which derogatory remarks were made against the Garinagu, is being reinstated as the union’s president after a meeting was held this past weekend. Neal appeared at a Council of Management meeting held on Saturday, August 12, 2017, at the PSU headquarters, requisitioned by members of the Belmopan branch. Edmund Zuniga, Jr., who heads the Belize City branch of the PSU, told Amandala that at the meeting, Neal admitted to making the controversial statements and apologized to the Garifuna people of Belize and those present at the meeting. Although nothing was demanded in writing, Neal will apologize to the wider membership at the AGM, Zuniga indicated.

The Dangriga Sub-Treasury jacked
A bare-faced thief with a sawed-off shotgun robbed the Dangriga Sub-Treasury, which is located in a building complex on Main Street, today. Reports are that the thief entered the premises, pointed the gun at the clerk, and demanded money. She got scared and handed over $1,700 cash that was in a drawer. The man then escaped on his bicycle with the stolen cash.

PG cops charged with extortion of school principal
On Friday, two police officers were dragged into the Punta Gorda Magistrate’s court, where they were arraigned on charges of extortion. They both pleaded not guilty and were offered bail of $3,000 each, which they met. According to a complaint sheet, on Tuesday, a principal from the Toledo District was driving in the town when she came to a checkpoint being regulated by Woman Police Constable (WPC) Jenny Tanner and Police Constable (PC) Arden Jones. WPC Tanner informed the principal that the insurance on her vehicle had expired two days earlier, and indicated that she would be arrested and charged.

PLB 2017-2018 Opening Season kicks off with a bang!!
Despite the two-week delay in commencement and very little fanfare to mark the occasion, the Premier League of Belize (PLB) 2017-2018 Opening Season nevertheless kicked off with a real bang, with all 8 teams seeing action over the past weekend; and it promises to be a hotly contested season, judging from the scores in Week 1 of the tournament. (San Pedro Pirates FC has replaced FC Belize in this tournament.) Here at the MCC Grounds on Saturday, visiting Placencia Assassins had hosts BDF FC “on the ropes” after a corner from the left side resulted in a header from close quarters by Assassins defender Elroy Coe glancing off the torso of BDF defender Ricky Ricketts (45’ Own Goal) and rolling inside the left goal post for the 1-nil Placencia lead just before the intermission.

BDFA Interoffice Football Week 5 results
Week 5 games in the Belize District Football Association (BDFA) Interoffice Football Tournament 2017 were played last week Wednesday and Thursday, August 9 and 10, at the MCC Grounds. In the opener on Wednesday, Tourist Village Tennants dropped Latino FC, 3-0, with goals from Keeron Young (23’) and Carlos Guerra (4’ & 62’). And in the nightcap, Brodies shut out Customs, 2-0, with Travyon Martinez (30’ & 53’) netting both goals.

Pickstock Lake gets first win in Week 11 of National Over-40
–It’s been a long time coming, but Pickstock Lake-I finally gained their first victory in the FFB‘s National Over-40 Tournament 2017, and it came in at the expense of the BDF Veterans at the MCC Grounds on Saturday, August 12. BDF Veterans took a 1-nil lead on Saturday with an early goal from Steven Ortega (5’); but Pickstock Lake rebounded in second half with goals from Stanley Thomas (75’) and Jermaine “Bowfoot” Zunga (82’ & 87’) for the 3-1 win, their first of the season. Also on Saturday, San Pedro Veterans visited Independence and dropped home standing Mango Creek Veterans, 4-1, with 2 goals from Christopher Hendricks and 1 each from Orlando Pinelo and Alex Garcia; while Mango Creek’s lone goal was by Kirk Mayen.

Rural softball regular season ends; playoffs this Sunday in Lords Bank
The 2017 Belize Rural Female Softball Tournament wound up its regular season over the weekend with games at Bermudian Landing on Saturday, August 12, and at Flowers Bank on Sunday, August 13. In game 1 on Saturday in Bermudian Landing, Unity DHC won, 11-4, over Orchid Girls. Winning pitcher (WP) was Herlet Bull; and losing pitcher (LP) was Valorie Vernon. Game 2 saw Power Outage with the 13-1 victory over Lords Bank Sunrise. WP – Eyvette Flowers; LP – Karen Hilton.

Editorial: Corruption as PUDP culture
In this newspaper’s 48 years of existence, we have been privileged, at various points in time and for various periods, to work with all four Prime Ministers of Belize – Right Hon. George Price, Right Hon. Manuel Esquivel, Right Hon. Said Musa, and Right Hon. Dean Barrow. At various points in time and for various periods, we have also felt it incumbent upon us to criticize and challenge all four Maximum Leaders Belize has known. As we have written in these pages before, many Belizeans felt a great urgency to effect a change of government in 1984, because the People’s United Party (PUP) was the only native government we had ever known and there was a hope, now exposed as naïve, that the United Democratic Party (UDP) would be honest and pure in power. In 2017, we can now see from this newspaper’s perspective that there are certain patterns of behavior which are common to both the PUP and the UDP when they are in power.

RIGHT TO THE POINT: Matrimonial property … division upon divorce
Thus it stands to reason that the term “matrimonial property” seeks to address the properties that were obtained during the said marriage. If a person marries several times, in each marriage, only what is obtained during that marriage can be dealt with upon the divorce from that marriage. And the word “property” is not limited to land, as it may include shares, money, savings, bonds, vehicles, machinery, equipment, vehicles and any material item of some value. The principle upon which division of matrimonial property operates under, is to ensure that when the marriage ends, any of the property (using the term loosely) the married couple worked towards obtaining, is divided between them and only them as the entitled ones.

Eulogy for Stuart Simmons, Sr.
Written and delivered by Lexia Juria Simmons (Monday, August 7, 2917) Good morning, everyone, I’m standing here today to read to you my farewell letter to my grandfather. The last section I will attempt to read it in Spanish as a tribute to the fact my grandpa was bilingual. And I know, I’ll try to remember to roll my “rrs.” Hi Grandpa, as I stand here today I see you. I see you in the 4 sons, 10 grandkids and 4 great-­ grandkids, whom you’ve left behind, some of us who sit here today, all of us who will miss you forever. I know you feared death, grandpa, but I hope you find peace up there knowing you live on through us. And when you do get there, grandpa, please, please, try to be good. I know you didn’t belong to just us though. You impacted so many people in the 82 years you inhabited this earth. You were the definition of a pillar in the community. If I had a dollar for every time someone said, “Oh! You da Mr. Simmon grand-daughta,” I would have more than enough to send you on that Spain trip you dreamt of taking.

http://amandala.com.bz/news/guatemala-pacific-coast-country/
If you look at a map of Guatemala you will notice that their capital, Guatemala City, is around 300 miles from the Caribbean Sea (Atlantic side), but not much more than fifty miles away from the Pacific Ocean. Prior to Guatemala City becoming the capital of Guatemala, their capital was Antigua, which is even closer to the Pacific than Guatemala City. Antigua was devastated by an earthquake in 1773, hence the move of capital. Guatemala City, which is just a few miles from Antigua, became that country’s capital in 1776. Coffee was king in Guatemala and this is an area where they had their largest plantations. The story, History of Coffee in Guatemala, says that there were half a million coffee trees around Antigua in 1859. And by 1880, coffee accounted for 90% of that country’s exports. El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua are also Pacific coast countries. If you look at a map you will see that those countries’ capitals – Tegucigalpa, San Salvador, and Managua – are near to the Pacific. There’s a sound reason why these countries developed with a look toward the other ocean in our hemisphere. British buccaneers might have something to do with it. Then there was the trouble with hurricanes.

Marijuana decriminalization laws ready for Parliament
Belize moves for the first time to remove criminal sanctions for possession of up to 10 grams of marijuana. It is not the same as ‘legalization,’ as fines would be levied for offenders, as is the case with traffic offenders. Doug Singh, one of the leading members of the committee which had been tasked several years ago to come up with recommendations for the decriminalization of up to 10 grams of marijuana, told Amandala today that the enabling legislation—an amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Act—is due to be tabled in the House of Representatives when it meets in special session on Friday, August 18.

Marconi Matus wins PUP mayoral vote
On Sunday, members and supporters of the People’s United Party (PUP) converged at the Sacred Heart College in San Ignacio Town to elect a mayoral candidate for the 2018 municipal elections. A total of 863 persons voted in the polls, which opened at 9 a.m. and closed at 5 p.m. Three candidates vied to lead the PUP team in the battle for the twin towns next year. When the final ballot was counted, Marconi Matus, a career businessman, won the day with 345 votes. Community activist, Arthur Smith, was the second choice with 261 votes, and retired BDF Colonel, Javier Castellanos, was third choice with 240 votes. There were 17 spoiled ballots recorded.

Inside job – over $50,000 cash stolen from Caribbean Tires
In 2005, Caribbean Tires Limited in Spanish Lookout opened its offices for business for the first time. Since then, the company has not been subject to news coverage until over the weekend when burglars made off with over $50,000 in cash and checks from the company. According to police, David Reimer, 54, reported that between the hours of 6:15 p.m. on Friday and 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, someone broke into the establishment and gained access to a lower flat of the building where an iron safe was kept. The culprit or culprits then wrenched off the door of the safe and helped themselves to US$20,000, BZ$5,000, along with a string of checks valued at $13,000 and another undisclosed amount of cash.

6 Guatemalan men busted panning for Belize gold
Over the weekend, six Guatemalan men were busted inside the Chiquibul National Park panning for gold. According to a statement issued by the Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD), at around 3 o’ clock on Saturday afternoon, soldiers of the Belize Defence Force (BDF) and FCD park rangers were on patrol in the Chiquibul. The patrol unit reportedly heard voices coming from a camp located near the Ceibo Chico Creek, situated at the south end of the national park. When the patrol unit got closer to where the voices were coming from, they observed four men inside a pit digging, while two other men were carrying water in small containers.

The Dangriga Sub-Treasury jacked
A bare-faced thief with a sawed-off shotgun robbed the Dangriga Sub-Treasury, which is located in a building complex on Main Street, today. Reports are that the thief entered the premises, pointed the gun at the clerk, and demanded money. She got scared and handed over $1,700 cash that was in a drawer. The man then escaped on his bicycle with the stolen cash. The incident occurred at about 12:30 this afternoon. The clerk, who was the only public official at the Treasury at the time, told police that she was behind the counter, engaging in a business transaction with a woman, when a man walked into the office with a bag.

Breaking Belize News

Gas prices going up again
Today, the Belize Bureau of Standards announced that effective midnight tonight, Regular gas is going up by 51 cents. Regular gas, which was priced at $9.70 prior to he latest increase will now cost $ 10.21 per gallon.

Jafari Castro and Franklin detained by police
A short while ago, the Belize Police department informed the media that Jafari Castro and Gilbert Franklin have been detained by police. A warrant was issued earlier this week for Castro and Franklin’s arrest in connection with an attack of Kevin Brown,21, basketball player from Camalote Village.

Does the Audit Report on Ministry of Works reveal another hotbed of corruption???
BBN has obtained a copy of the Auditor General’s Report on the Ministry of Works for the period April 2012 to March 2013 and it is wrought with irregularities. The Report is still being perused by our reporters but, just like the recent Audit Reports on the Immigration and Nationality Department, the observations made by the Auditor General on the Ministry of Works are mindboggling.

“Numbers don’t lie,” says Shyne
Shyne Barrow, former Chief Executive Officer of the Belizean Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (BSCAP), held a press conference today, providing evidence to his claim that the former CEO had claimed over $600,000 in salaries. Barrow held the conference at the Belize City House of Culture this morning, providing a document that showed former CEO and current Chair of the Board, Heather Cunningham, had claimed over $600,000 in salaries and expenses for the period, 2010-2013.

San Ignacio police officer investigated for police brutality
A police officer attached to the San Ignacio police formation is being investigated for a report of police brutality and pulling out his firearm at a minor. PC Chris Usher is being investigated by the Belize Police Department’s Professional Standards Branch and the San Ignacio police formation. BBN reported of an incident that occurred last Thursday night in Santa Elena town, in which a 20-year-old driver, accompanied by his two brothers – one 18, the other 13, and some employees were returning from delivering items in San Ignacio town.

Northern customs bust 79 cases of contraband beers
According to a report from 7News yesterday, customs officials busted 79 cases of Corona and Superior beers on Saturday in San Victor village, Corozal.

Belmopan teen missing
The family of Hellen Ethelma Adolphus,15, is worried over her disappearance and is seeking the public’s assistance in locating her. According to her family, she was assigned a councilor and ran away from the Belmopan Government Plaza on Tuesday, August 8 around 4:00 p.m.

IDB blog makes recommendations on how Belize can improve juvenile justice
Sin Medios, a blog operated by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), has commended Belize’s approach to dealing with juvenile crime and made recommendations on how those efforts could be improved. Following the release of a GAP analysis published by the IDB on the “Community Action for Public Security (CAPS),” financed by the IDB, which measures desired outcomes against actual outcomes, the blog pointed out that Belize could benefit from law reforms, which would remove the ability for minors to be sentenced to life without parole. The blog pointed specifically to the charge of “uncontrollable behavior” which are offenses that do not involve criminal acts, noting that in 2015, 44 percent of minors in the system stood accused of such crimes.

Diasporan organization joins calls for voter re-registration
Belizeans United for Equal Rights at Home and the Diaspora (BUFERHD), is calling on Belizeans to reject that voter re-registration has been postponed until next year. The organization, in a statement released to day, said it joins all concerned parties taking issue with the fact that re-registration was deferred until after the municipal elections set for next March.

Burrel Boom teen reported missing
Yesterday around 9:05 a.m., Silvia Janeth Simon, a Honduran domestic from Burrell Boom village, Belize district reported that on Saturday, August 12, around 6:30 a.m., her 12-year-old daughter Catherine Esmeralda Claros left home and has not returned since. Claros is of brown complexion, slim […]

Western Dairies celebrates 50th Anniversary
Western Dairies (WD), the popular ice cream and dairy producing company in Spanish Lookout, celebrated its 50th anniversary last week. WD is the leading milk manufacturer in Belize and their well-recognized ice cream is largely considered the tastiest frozen treat made in the country. […]

Police recover money stolen from Caribbean Tires; employee detained
BBN reported on Sunday that Caribbean Tires in Spanish Lookout was robbed of over $50,000. David Remier, 54, reported that between the hours of 6:15 pm on Friday, August 11, 2017, and 7 am on August 12, 2017, someone broke into the business establishment and damaged an iron safe by […]

Belize Network of NGOs call for Re registration before Municipal elections
The Belize Network of NGOs (BNN) today issued a statement expressing its grave disappointment that the national re-registration exercise that was to have been initiated in July 2017 has been postponed to next year. According to the BNN, given the impending national referendum regarding […]

Belize financial regulator warns of bogus securities company
The International Financial Services Commission (IFSC), Belize’s financial regulator, has issued a warning regarding Trine Markets Group Ltd. According to the IFSC, it has noted that Trine, which operates under the trading name TRINEMARKETS, is falsely claiming to be ‘controlled’ by the IFSC. The […]

PUP introduces San Ignacio/Santa Elena Municipal Slate
The People’s United Party (PUP) held a convention on Sunday, August 13, 2017 in San Ignacio to elect its Mayoral Candidate that will represent the Party in the March 2018 Municipal Elections. According to the PUP, the venue for the convention was Sacred Heart […]

Belize to get big bucks from IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is set to provide close to US$800,000 in technical cooperation grants of US$400,000 each for Development and Integration Development for Mesoamerican Project member nations. Belize is a member nation which stands to benefit along with Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, […]

Vehicle claims life of man on bicycle
A fatal road traffic accident in the Cayo District has claimed the life of one man. According to police reports, just before 11 p.m. on Thursday night police visited mile 37 on the George Price Highway where they saw 57-year-old Juan Eulalio Chavin Vitzil […]

Blogs

The diversion factory called Truck Stop has come up with a corker
I imagine it started with the Sunday pig roast. Since roasting a pig is a slow and tedious process that the average person can watch for no more than 11 minutes tops, somebody came up with the idea of a cornhole tournament to fill time. Suddenly the tournament became a Big Deal, carrying loads of pressure and enthusiasm way beyond its fighting weight. It began drawing crowds. Drinking crowds. People actually PRACTICE to win the cornhole tournament. And some give SERIOUS THOUGHT to the names of their teams. For cornhole. That must have triggered something in the merry pranksters who created this shop — Ben and Joanna Popik and Adam and Jackie Feldman. (And working with them is their own Steve Bannon of Creative Diversions, a master of ceremonies in his own right, Joe Chung!) Next thing you know, there are interesting movies being screened right out on the lagoon under star-lit skies on Wednesday nights. And now there are family movies on Friday nights, too.

Belize after Dark
An “Accidental Tourist” tour of Island life after Sunset When many think of traveling the Caribbean, the first thought is of the amazing adventures you’ll experience on the water. Clearly, that’s a focus when you think of coastal Belize. From Southern Placencia to Northern Ambergris Caye, thousands of divers look forward to experiencing the Barrier Reef, Great Blue Hole, the Hol Chan Marine reserve, and countless other dive/snorkel destinations. But when the sun goes down, there’s more to do than eat a fantastic meal and call it a night. The Belizean coastline is dotted with hundreds of bars and nightclubs. Many, have a DJ or live music. Who doesn’t want to dance the night away with the Barrier Reef as your backdrop? Over 30 days (and nights) I listened to the music that entertain the life blood of this country. Each year, millions of tourists finance the economy of this tiny country with dollars, euros, pesos, yen and countless other forms of currency. While you may see day photos mixed in, many of these places thrive on nightlife.

Soaring over Ambergris Caye
Years ago while visiting, I met a couple of brothers who ran a diving business in San Pedro. Ecologic Divers is widely popular and respected here. Their services are superb and the staff is 100% customer & safety focused. Eric & Kendall Beymer operate the business. Despite my sometimes less than intelligent tourist questioning, they always gave friendly and accurate answers. Even during this trip, a friend wanted a last minute snorkeling adventure. Eric of course made a phone call and it was all set! When I visited last year, Kendall spoke of moving (expanding) part of the business to Roatan, Honduras. It’s another slice of paradise down the coast (way down the coast). That’s where Kendall was during this trip. Perhaps I’ll see him next time.

Videos

August 15, 2017

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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, and other specials

The San Pedro Sun

Christian Espat charged for August 12th San Pedrito shooting
Police have officially arrested and charged 21-year-old Christian Espat for the August 12th shooting incident in the San Pedrito Area. Espat, a fisherman of the same area, is being charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of dangerous harm, and three counts of use of deadly means of harm. Espat has been transported to Belize City, where he will be arraigned at the city’s Magistrate Court. Police had initially detained two persons in connection with the shooting incident. According to the official report, Police visited the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II, where they saw three male persons suffering from gunshot wounds. The persons were identified as one 9 year old student of San Pedrito area, who received a gunshot wound to his left wrist, one 12- year- old student who received a gunshot wound to his right buttock, and Lloyd Tyndall, 27 years old, a farmer of Dump area, Toledo, who received three gunshot wounds to the left side of his abdomen and three gunshot wounds to his left leg.

San Pedro Pirates make their debut in the Premier League of Belize
The newly formed San Pedro Pirates Football Club made its debut in the Premier League of Belize (PLB) on Saturday, August 12th, playing against current champions, the Belmopan Bandits. The game took place at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan City, and the island boys fell short to the home team in a tight 2-0 match. The game opened the new PLB season, which will see semi-professional football teams from across Belize competing for the 2017-2018 League title.

Shyne Barrow resigns from BSCAP; Business owners unhappy with proposed copyright music policy
Belize’s Music Ambassador, Jamal ‘Shyne’ Barrow has resigned as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Belize Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (BSCAP). The announcement was revealed through a leaked letter to the media on Thursday, August 10th, responding to former CEO, Heather Cunningham’s claims that the organization owes her over half a million dollars. The leaked letter says that [Barrow] cannot support an organization that will take away from the artists, particularly for administrative costs.

Ambergris Today

SPHS Class Of 1977 Reunion
WOW! Former Principal of San Pedro High School, Mr. Angel Nuñez, says he fondly remembers his early years at San Pedro High School like if it were yesterday. This weekend he joined part of the alumni of the second gradating class of SPHS. Celebrating 40 years as San Pedro High Graduates included Celi Jean, Ema Varela, Rosela Guerrero, Cris Nuñez, Gach Guerrero and Luis Nuñez. (Missing from the pic are - Andy, Bob, Gil, Lupe and Mario - Mario passed away on June 13, 2017.)

BTL DigiNet Corporate Mixer Held In San Pedro
Faster Internet is coming to Belize and San Pedro, Ambergris Caye will be the first to access it. Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) held a DigiNet Corporate Mixer this past weekend, Friday, August 11, 2017 at the Rain Rooftop Terrace. Special invitation was sent out to corporate businesses and key island personnel for the Telemedia company to discuss the fastest fiber based broadband service that will be available in the entire island of Ambergris Caye. The mixer was a great opportunity for invited guests to network and also win great prizes. Lucky guests went home with DigiCell items, gift bags and even 4GLTE phones. DigiNet is arriving soon to Ambergris Caye; visit the BTL Branch Office in San Pedro to sign up for faster internet at lower prices! It’s gonna be awesome!!!

La Isla Bonita Telenovela To Debut At Barbados Carifesta
Last week La Isla Bonita Telenovela of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, announced that its pilot episode has been selected to be part of the Carifesta, the annual Festival of Arts in Barbados. The cast and crew have expressed their delight to have such an opportunity to showcase the island talent at the festival. CARIFESTA is the Caribbean festival of arts held every two years by CARICOM AND CARIFORUM countries to celebrate the best in Caribbean culture through music, literary arts, visual arts, theatre, dance and film. It has been a while since Belize has made its presence through film, until now.

Misc Belizean Sources

Downtown Rejuvenation Project at BCCI Expo 2017
The Belize City House of Culture and Downtown Rejuvenation Project will be at the BCCI Expo 2017 on Sept. 16th and 17th at Booth #59. Come and learn more about the progress of the Downtown Rejuvenation Project. We will have games and prizes for our visitors. All Children under seven years old get a free helium balloon while stocks last. See you there!

Handing over the Ambergris Stadium to the people of San Pedro Town
On August 8, 2017, the Belize Infrastructure Limited (BIL) officially handed over the Ambergris Stadium to the people of San Pedro Town and Mayor Daniel Guerrero was present to accept the honor. Also present at the event was Councilor Hector Tito Alamilla Jr., Mr. Kevin Gonzalez and Mr. Billy Leslie whom attended the National Management Workshop, along with Mayor Guerrero, where they learnt the various guidelines on the proper management of the Ambergris Stadium, as they will serve as the management committee of the said stadium.

Corozal Heritage Plaza Public Consultation
If you consider yourself a proud Corozaleno, it's time you become involved in the planning of our town. Let's sit on the sidelines no more. Tag your Coro peeps and let your opinion count. Also share this invite with those that always complain how they are never informed about what's going on.

Belize Fishing Report, August 7th - August 13th 2017
Permit around in large numbers. Each of our permit anglers are getting multiple shots during the day and most have been successful landing the elusive permit. First time anglers are often the most successful. Funny how it works that way for the first time permit anglers!

Belize has been nominated for destination in the AFAR Travelers’ Choice Awards! Vote for us now at http://AFAR.com/TravelersChoiceAwards … #AFARtravelerschoice

The rich #mangrove forests along the Haulover Creek are simply amazing
Mangroves protect our coastlines from storms, prevent erosion and provide habitat to hundreds of species of marine and land animals. Why wouldn't we protect them?

Belizean Patriot: Elfreda Standord Trapp Reyes
Elfreda Reyes (1901-1992) was a labor organizer, suffragette, women's rights activist and political activist during the British Honduran struggle for independence from Great Britain. She helped found the Jobless Workers Union and pushed for labor reforms, including wage and hour laws, as well as the Women’s League, which fought for social, economic and political empowerment of women.

Benque Maya Site
On the outskirts of Benque Viejo Town is a small medium size Maya site that at one time served as the household of a rural elite family. Previous archaeological investigations of the settlement indicate that it was affiliated with the large ancient Maya city of Xunantunich.

Keep Cows And Save Jaguars
#KeepCowsAndSaveJaguars is the new campaign slogan for the human-jaguar conflict work here in southern Belize! At Ya’axché’s summer camp, 30 children of the Maya Golden Landscape learned about the elusive jaguar, its prey and how livestock farmers are becoming more in conflict with this apex predator. They also learned how to use a camera trap which Human Jaguar Conflict Officer Marchilio Ack uses around cattle ranches to get a better picture of the problem.

Channel 7

San Pedro Shooter Hurt Two Kids
Police have charged a 21 year-old San Pedro resident for a weekend shooting on the island which left an adult in critical condition at the hospital, and 2 minors injured. He's this man, 21 year-old Christian Espat, a resident of the San Pedrito area, and reports to 7News are that he has caught the attention of police before. It happened on Saturday night just after 9:00 in the San Pedrito area, which is also where the main suspect lives. 27 year-old Lloyd Tyndall, a resident of Toledo, was at the "Easy Does it A&A; Wood Work Shop." Also with him in the yard at that time was a 9 year old boy and a 12 year-old boy. And that's when 2 gunmen, who were wearing rags covering their nose a mouth, ran into the yard and opened fire.

Two Men Killed In Hit And Run's On Phillip Goldson Highway
On Friday night's news we told you about the road safety project on the Western highway which brought down the accident rate significantly since 2013. In fact, from January to July 2017, there had only been one fatality between Belize City and Belmopan. Well, tonight - just like that - the accident rate had trebled - and there are two more fatalities to report, right on the stretch of road between miles 38 and 44. The first happened on Saturday morning at 1:00 am. That's when Oscar Cermenio was killed in a hit and run within Cotton Tree Village at mile 44. We spoke to the first responder to the accident who saw him lying in the road.

Man Dies Three Days After Hit And Run
And there was another hit and run but this time in the neighboring village of St. Matthews - just 6 miles away. It happened on Thursday night. Father of 11, Juan Chavin was riding home after he had been hanging out friends. But he was knocked down between miles 37 and 38 on the Western Highway. His son rushed over after he got the call, only to see his 57 year old father splayed on the road - gasping for air. The 57 year old lived for three days, but cumber to his injuries yesterday. We spoke to his son about this tragedy today.

Cops Catch Caribbean Tyres Safe-Cracker
Police have moved quickly to crack the case of a big money burglary - after a thief cracked the safe at Caribbean Tires in Spanish Lookout. Sometime between 6:15 on Friday night and 7:15 on Saturday morning, a man wearing a cap pulled low over his face, wrenched off the door of the iron safe, and stole 20 thousand US dollars and five thousand Belize dollars. But, by this evening, San Ignacio police had arrested the culprit and recovered the money. The San Ignacio Officer commanding told us more via phone a short while ago:..

Police About Turn, Prepare Arrest Warrant For Castro
Last week, we were closely following the case of 21 year-old Kevin Brown, the basketballer from Camalote Village. You'll remember him as the island visitor who was mobbed and beaten by a group more than 10 men on Sunday August 6, during the Costa Maya weekend. In that fight, near the Banana Beach Resort, he suffered a massive blow to the head, and he's still recovering from that injury. Well, police say that he and other eyewitnesses have given statements naming his attackers, and it's a surprising turn of events.

ACP Pressed on Castro/Fitzroy Flip Flop
Assistant Commissioner Broaster also had to explain the police department's flip flopping on the status of Jafari Castro. He answered a few pointed questions from the press on the Police Press Office's denial, and their change of position. Here's the back and forth: Isani Cayetano - Ch 5 News: "Can you clarify for us what may have been a confusion in terms of, at least the Castro brother being named in the first instance, and then the police department having mentioned that this individual wasn't wanted for questioning at that time, or anything involving the incident. Now, you have since walked that back to issue a warrant for his arrest."

Police: PC Monima Tampered With Sample
And while that looks like a public fumble, the police also has few other embarrassments that they must manage. The latest happened in Corozal, where a police officer is being accused of tampering with evidence. A police corporal reported to his bosses that at around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, he placed a urine sample he collected from a defendant in a special refrigerator at the Corozal Police Station's traffic office. This urine sample was supposed to have been used in the prosecution of an alcohol related offence.

Supt. Dinsdale On Leave
And while we had an opportunity, we asked Assistant Police Commissioner Williams about other cases involving police officers charged for improper behavior. 10 Days ago we told you how Superintendent Dinsdale Thompson was caught by customs in Arenal with contraband pharmaceuticals. ACP Williams says that Thompson is on leave at this moment, and the Professional Standards Branch is attempting to compile a file which will be sent to the Security Services Commission. Here's what Assistant Commissioner Williams had to say about the procedure that will be followed for Thompson's case:

Delays In Chunox Excessive Force Investigation
So, while his office is directly in charge of the Dinsdale Thompson investigation, he told us today, that the head of the National Crimes investigation Branch is in charge of the inquiry into the shooting in Chunox. That's the one where Richard Allen Garcia, a resident of the village, was shot and killed by police in June. The officers have reported to their bosses that he approached them with a machete, which forced them to defend their lives by using deadly force. The villagers have rejected that completely, but the cops are still not finished with their investigation into that shooting.

Three Teenagers Survive Scary Accident
3 teenagers are at the KHMH tonight fighting to stay alive after they were involved in a serious accident yesterday morning in San Ignacio. It happened at around 10:30. Justin James was driving his Toyota truck heading towards the Loma Luz Boulevard when his brother in law, Azel August came up behind him in his SUV and bumped the Toyota's rear end. August was trying to avoid hitting an oncoming vehicle. Seeing the damage, it is something close to a miracle that everyone survived the impact. Courtney Weatherburne went to Cayo to find out more about this accident. Albert James Sr., Father: "I just hope and pray, hope, everybody hope and pray that he make it through." And that's hope for his 19 year old son Justin James. He was in an accident near the Rene Montero Bridge on Sunday morning.

Former Alleged Murderer, Kendale Green Back Before Court
Today 24-year-old Kendale Green appeared in the Magistrate's Court, where he was charged with deadly use of harm and wounding. According to reports, Green shot one Margaret Ramirez on Thursday and was subsequently caught by police and arrested. Green appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser who explained that she would take no plea because his offense is indictable. She was likewise unable to offer Green bail because the offenses were committed with a firearm. Green was remanded into custody until October.

The Grabbed Kayja's Phone
Two more men appeared in court for criminal charges today. Joshua Augustine and Antoine Rivero were both charged with robbery by Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser. According to police, on Friday, Kayja Arnold was standing near the Princess Hotel and Casino talking on her cellphone when someone suddenly grabbed her by the neck. Arnold says another person then made a stabbing motion towards her. Fearing for her life, Arnold handed the phone over, but managed to flag down a police mobile patrol and report the incident not long after. The cops then tracked down and apprehended Augustine and Rivero.

Cops Shoot Alleged Rapist As He Rides Off
On Saturday a 19-year-old woman reported to police that some time around 4:30 that day, she caught a ride with a stranger on a motorcycle, heading from Hopkins to the Southern Highway junction. But driver didn't stop at the junction; he continued past Maya Center Village and eventually turned down a feeder road between Miles 18 and 19. After they stopped, the man allegedly forced himself upon the woman and raped her. She was eventually able to escape and ran onto the highway where a passerby gave her a ride to the Santa Cruz Police Station. Police took the woman back to the scene where she was able to identify the alleged rapist by his tattoo. Police ordered the man to stop but he sped off, causing police to set chase. During the chase, the cops fired one shot hitting the motorcyclist on the left foot and disabling the motorcycle. The man was then taken back to the police station, where he was identified as 19-year-old Andy Pop and later transported to the Southern Regional Hospital.

PSU Pres Eldred Neal Re-Instated For a Week
He may only have a few more days left in the job - but Eldred Neal has been reinstated as president of the PSU. A release from the PSU says that at a Special Meeting on Saturday Neal apologized for, quote, "uttering those discriminatory words against the Garifuna people of this country and members of the council of management." So, with that, the council of management agreed to lift his suspension, but on the condition that he does not char the union's Annual General Meeting which will be held this Saturday. A new president will be elected at that meeting.

More Gold Panners Caught
A joint patrol team in the Chiquibul has caught 6 more Guatemalan goals panners. They caught them on Saturday the 12th in the area of Ceibo Chico which is five miles within Belize in the southern Chiquibul. The patrol team, comprising BDF and an FCD park ranger heard voices coming from a camp near the Ceibo Chico creek. They approached and saw four men digging inside a pit, while two others were carrying water in small containers. FCD says the water is used to sift out the earth coming out from the pit, as they separate the gold deposits. Two camps were equipped with clothes, food, machetes and a homemade shotgun.

Customs Caught Cervezas
And while those Guatemalans were looking for gold - in the north their gold is contraband. And in San Victor village on Saturday, Customs intercept 79 cases of it - in Corona And Superior Beers. This major contraband cargo was impounded at customs in Corozal.

Taiwan ambassador Rejects Jimmy Morales Boast About 650 Million USD Support Package
10 days ago, all the news was about the 650 million US dollar assistance program that Guatemala had gotten from Taiwan to build a road right up to the Atlantic coast. It was announced by president Jimmy Morales who was reported as saying, quote, "By the grace of God, in a few months, if God helps us, we will officially offer, no longer a highway to the Atlantic but a 4-lane freeway to Puerto Barrios, before 2020". Well, God may help, but the Taiwanese say they aren't - because the kind of assistance exceeds their foreign affairs budget. Here's how the Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize put it today:

Taiwan Helps Corozal Community
We caught the Ambassador at the Corozal Community Hospital where Taiwan, donated about $222,000 US to the Ministry of Health in Corozal. The donation will be used to provide funding to the Ministry's Renal Failure Prevention Project, which has so far trained 137 medical workers in dialysis treatment. This morning Minister of Health Pablo Marin and the Taiwanese Ambassador spoke on the importance of the project.. Some of the money will be used to facilitate a national survey to identify Belizeans at risk of chronic kidney disease.

PG Cops In Crosshairs
So, early in the news, we told you about a number of the recent cases that have landed on the desk of Assistant Police Commissioner Chester Williams. He's no longer in charge of the challenging Belize City Eastern Division South jurisdiction, but make no mistake, he has no shortage of work at this time. On Friday's newscast, we told you about the extortion case from PG where two officers were accused of shaking down a principal for $400. That happened on Tuesday, after they found that her vehicle's insurance expired. ACP Williams told us why they've acted swiftly to charge 2 of their own:

PC Franklin Ramirez Has Troubles Ahead
In our last story from today's press conference with the head of the Professional Standards Branch, he told us that Police Constable Franklin Ramirez will be facing disciplinary charges, as well as the firearms offenses he's now charged with. He's the officer who was busted by the Mobile Interdiction Team while he was driving a vehicle which was carrying a gun hidden in a secret compartment under the dashboard. It is believed that he and his 3 passengers were bringing the weapon from across the Guatemalan border. Assistant Police Commissioner Williams told us that he is overseeing the internal investigation being conducted by the MIT:

A Class For Massage
Today BELTRAIDE and the Belize Spa and Wellness Association launched it first ever "Maya Spa Experience Brand Competition". The event is designed to have a certified massage therapist along with three other collaborators, develop an authentic and easily identifiable Maya Spa experience. Twelve teams have signed up to be judged by a panel of experts in both the spa and beauty industry, as well as Maya culture. We spoke to the organizers and some of the judges about the competition so far... The overall goal of the competition is to develop a signature Belize massage.

Saldivar's Slate Prevails, Easily
And finally tonight we have the results of the UDP's municipal convention in Belmopan. The bottom line on this one is that the slate of 6 put together by area representative John Saldivar was elected - meaning that the only person left off the slate, Anna Banner Guy was the only one not elected. She got 512 votes, about two hundred too few to get elected. The UDP's returning Mayoral candidate says he's happy with the slate of three new comers and three of his current councillors: There was a total of of 1,067 votes cast. The PUP also had a municipal convention on Sunday - but theirs was in San Ignacio/Santa Elena. A total of 846 ballots were cast in a convention for a mayoral candidate. Former councillor Marconi Matus won with 345 votes.

Channel 5

Police “Officially” Confirm Suspects in Kevin Brown Beating, including Jafari Castro
After a week of much hesitancy and serious backpedaling, the Belize Police Department has finally confirmed the names of three men, including Jafari Castro, who are wanted for the vicious [...]

ACP Broaster Denies Any Political Interference in Case
So with all the confusion surrounding the whodunit mystery, is the department attempting to protect Jafari Castro and his alleged accomplices?  According to ACP Broaster, there hasn’t been any political [...]

Cop Charged for Unlawfully Removing Urine Sample
This morning, Police Constable Ismael Monima was taken before the Corozal Magistrate’s Court for tampering with evidence. The junior officer is being accused of perverting the course of justice after [...]

Chester Williams Says No Mercy for Cops Accused of Wrongdoing
On Friday, Monima was charged with Perverting the Course of Justice and was held in lockdown until today when he was arraigned. Assistant Commissioner of Police Chester Williams says that [...]

Superintendent Dinsdale Thompson to Face Security Services Commission over Drugs
Superintendent Dinsdale Thompson is on personal leave from his desk at the Queen Street Precinct, amid an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Professional Standards Branch.  A probe into the [...]

Police Nab Suspect, Cash in Caribbean Tire Robbery
Some twenty thousand U.S. dollars in cash, five thousand dollars in checks and an undisclosed amount of Belizean currency were stolen over the weekend from the Caribbean Tires office in [...]

2 Primary School Students and 1 Adult Injured in Shooting on Ambergris Caye
There’s more crime to report…a trio, including two minors, escaped grave injuries on Saturday night when a pair of gunmen opened fire on them at a woodwork shop in San [...]

Anna Banner Guy is Odd Woman Out in Belmopan
This weekend, there was political activity in two major western municipalities. The incumbent United Democratic Party sought to fill six councilor seats from seven participants in Belmopan, joining an incumbent [...]

P.U.P. Returns Marconi Matus in Twin Towns
In San Ignacio/Santa Elena, the People’s United Party gathered at Sacred Heart College.  Former mayor Marconi Matus defeated rivals Javier “Colonel” Castellanos and Arthur Smith to head up the team. [...]

Corozal’s Marin Backs Richard Quan to Replace Hilberto Campos
Last week we told you that Mayor Hilberto Campos of Corozal Town will not be seeking reelection in the upcoming Municipal Elections 2018 and already two U.D.P. hopefuls have put [...]

N.G.O.s Say No Excuses For Re-Registration
The Belize Network of Non-Governmental Organizations has joined the call for re-registration even though it has been put off to next year. In a press release, the organization says the [...]

P.S.U. Re-Instates Apologetic Eldred Neal
An official mediation between members of the Council of Management of the Public Service Union and its president, Eldred Neal, took place on Saturday in Belmopan. An official statement from [...]

Belmopan Mayor: We Didn’t Get Request to Save School Land
On Friday, we showed documents detailing the transfer of just over an acre of land in the Las Flores area to a resident by the Belmopan City Council. Amy Anabella [...]

Cop Catches Rapist in Maya Center
While the police department is reeling from a string of infractions conducted by its own, one officer is being commended tonight for apprehending an alleged rapist over the weekend.  The [...]

6 Guats Caught Going for Chiquibul Gold
Friends for Conservation and Development have reported the detention of six Guatemalan gold panners over the weekend in the area of the Ceibo Chico creek in the southern Chiquibul National [...]

Man Charged for Antelope Street Shooting
Twenty-four-year-old Kendall Green is back behind bars tonight following a shooting incident last week. This morning, Green who is no stranger to the police or to the court was arraigned [...]

2 Shooting Incidents in Jane Usher Area; 1 Injured
There were two separate shooting incidents in Belize City on Friday night. Teenager Alden Lara was on Levi Slusher Street in the Jane Usher Boulevard area when he was shot [...]

Have You Seen Missing Helen Adolphus?
A teenage girl from the west is missing and police and the family needs help in locating Helen Adolphus. The fifteen-year-old ran away last Tuesday from the area of the [...]

Taiwan Helps Health Ministry Tackle Kidney Disease
The government of Taiwan stepped up to the plate today with a generous donation of cash and equipment. This gift will be used to assist the Ministry of Health in [...]

The Highlights on Sports Monday
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   [Highlights of weekend sporting activities....]

CTV3

Taiwan Ambassador Sets The Record Straight On Funding For Guatemala
Last week Taiwan’s Ambassador to Belize H.E. Charles Liu addressed the controversy triggered by reports from the press in Guatemala that the Taiwan Government had offered their Government up to $680 million in support during a visit by Taiwan’s Foreign Minister David Lee. The controversy is that Lee had been in Belize just day’s prior and had presented a $60 million financial assistance package to Prime Minister Dean Barrow. Ambassador Liu told the media that the amount didn’t sound right and that he didn’t believe the reports, but would look into it. Today, Ambassador Liu was in Corozal handing over some much needed equipment to the Corozal Hospital which we will tell you about in a few. But first here is what he told us when we took the opportunity to ask him what’s up with the reported big love for Guatemala, and he confirmed what he already suspected.

PSU President Reinstated Under Conditions
On Saturday a special meeting was held at the Public Service Union headquarters in Belize City with the aim of seeking a resolution to the recent contentions within the union as it relates to the suspension of President of the PSU, Eldred Neal. As you may be well aware, Neal’s suspension came about as a result of derogatory remarks made by him against the Garinagu community during a private conversation among himself, President of the Belize Water Service Workers Union, Lorelei Westby and General Secretary of Belize Energy Workers Union, Marvin Mora which was recorded without Neal’s knowledge and later leaked to the media.

Sarteneja Resident Venture Into Food And Cosmetology Businesses
Back in January we had introduced the group of 30 men and women who were enrolled in a 6-month skills-based training course aimed at providing alternative opportunities to those in fishing communities in northern Belize that are most affected by climate change. The training was a project conducted by the Fisheries Department with support from the World Bank’s Adaptation Fund under a project known as Marine Conservation and Climate Adaption Project. Having completed the course, this past Saturday August 12th the first graduating cohort of 29 men and women joined their families in special ceremonies held at ITVET Corozal. Among the graduates, two students, Jose Alvarado and Deidy Munoz, both of Sarteneja Village, were recognised as the top achievers in the Food Preparation and Cosmetology courses. Following the ceremonies, we got feedback of the initiative from graduate Jose Alvarado.

Minister of Health Pick Sides In UDP Convention
As we have previously reported, the United Democratic Party will be holding a convention to choose a Mayoral and Councillor Candidates to contest the upcoming Municipal elections this weekend. The two individuals vying for the post are Richard Quan and Rafael Castillo. Quan is currently an employee managing the Traffic Department, and Castillo is a former Deputy Mayor and current Councillor under the Hilberto Campos-led Town Council. There have been rumours that Quan enjoys major support in the UDP, including the support of UDP Area Rep Pablo Marin. Well, today the Minister of Health wasn’t shy about confirming those reports and even explained why in Sunday’s race Quan will have his full support.

Guatemalans Detained For Panning For Gold In Belizean Territory
Over the weekend, a patrol unit consisting of BDF soldiers and an FCD Ranger managed to detain six Guatemalan nationals who were panning for gold in Belizean territory near Ceibo Chico, Southern Chiquibul. Official reports indicate that on Saturday sometime around 3:00 p.m., the patrol unit detected the sound of voices which came from a camp located near the Ceibo Chico Creek. Upon approaching the said area, authorities observed four male individuals excavating inside a pit while the other two men were carrying water in small containers which is used to sieve the soil coming out from the pit, separating it from the gold deposits. A total of two camps were located which contained clothing, food items, machetes as well as a homemade shotgun which was hidden under the clothes.

The Reporter

Accident leaves three injured
A traffic accident on Sunday morning has left three persons injured. The incident happened at around 10:30 when Azel August, 19, of Santa Elena town was driving a Pontiac SUV on the Loma Luz Boulevard in the direction from Hon Rene Montero Bridge towards the La Loma Luz round-about, when he collided into the rear end of a Toyota pickup travelling in the same direction. As a result, Justin James, 19, who was driving the pickup, as well as Thais Escober, 18, suffered severe head injuries and were taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.

Woman raped; suspect caught
A woman was reportedly raped on Saturday in the Stann Creek district. Maria Teul, 19, reported to police that sometime around 4:30 p.m., she got a ride on a motorcycle with a man she did not know. She said the lift was supposed to from Hopkins village to the junction of the Southern Highway, but when they reached the junction, the man did not stop, and proceeded past Maya Center village to a feeder road between miles 18 and 19 and raped her. She said that she saw a tattoo marked “Rosita” on the man before she managed to escape and run to the highway, where a passerby helped her to the Santa Cruz police station.

Shooting leaves three injured
Three persons are recovering from gunshot injuries they suffered in San Pedro on Saturday night. Police say that shortly after 9:00 p.m., they learned of a shooting and went to the San Pedro poly clinic where they saw Jaheem Martinez, 9, with a gunshot wound to his left wrist, Armando Bernardino Hernandez Jr., 12, with a bullet wound to the right side of his buttocks, and Lloyd Tyndall, 27, a farmer of Dump area, Toledo with gunshot wounds to the left side of his abdomen and left leg.

Breaking Belize News

Police recover money stolen from Caribbean Tires; employee detained
BBN reported on Sunday that Caribbean Tires in Spanish Lookout was robbed of over $50,000. David Remier, 54, reported that between the hours of 6:15 pm on Friday, August 11, 2017, and 7 am on August 12, 2017, someone broke into the business establishment and damaged an iron safe by wrenching off the iron safe door located in a room at the lower flat of the building.

Belize Network of NGOs call for Re registration before Municipal elections
The Belize Network of NGOs (BNN) today issued a statement expressing its grave disappointment that the national re-registration exercise that was to have been initiated in July 2017 has been postponed to next year. According to the BNN, given the impending national referendum regarding taking the Guatemalan claim to the International Court of Justice, the urgency of compiling a legitimate voters list is stronger than ever.

Belize financial regulator warns of bogus securities company
The International Financial Services Commission (IFSC), Belize’s financial regulator, has issued a warning regarding Trine Markets Group Ltd. According to the IFSC, it has noted that Trine, which operates under the trading name TRINEMARKETS, is falsely claiming to be ‘controlled’ by the IFSC.

PUP introduces San Ignacio/Santa Elena Municipal Slate
The People’s United Party (PUP) held a convention on Sunday, August 13, 2017 in San Ignacio to elect its Mayoral Candidate that will represent the Party in the March 2018 Municipal Elections. According to the PUP, the venue for the convention was Sacred Heart College and three Mayoral Candidates vying for the title were: Javier Castellanos, Marconi Matus and Arthur Smith.

Belize to get big bucks from IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is set to provide close to US$800,000 in technical cooperation grants of US$400,000 each for Development and Integration Development for Mesoamerican Project member nations. Belize is a member nation which stands to benefit along with Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic.

Vehicle claims life of man on bicycle
A fatal road traffic accident in the Cayo District has claimed the life of one man. According to police reports, just before 11 p.m. on Thursday night police visited mile 37 on the George Price Highway where they saw 57-year-old Juan Eulalio Chavin Vitzil of St. Matthew’s Village on the road side motionless. He was observed with injuries to the head and body.

Unitedville teen goes missing (again)
A minor from Unitedville in the Cayo District has gone missing without a trace since Saturday. However, it is not the first time she has done so. According to police reports, Radiance Gillett, 52, a missionary of Unitedville told police that , sometime between […]

Bull valued at close to $12,000 stolen from farm
A businessman of August Pine Ridge Village in Orange Walk District is in a state of distress after his American Brahma Bull valued at $11,700.00 was stolen from his farm situated one mile north of August Pine Ridge Village. According to police reports, Felipe […]

Corozal police find homemade gun
On Saturday night police in Corozal town took a homemade gun off the streets and out of the hands of criminal elements At around 10:30 p.m. Corozal police visited an empty overgrown lot on 2nd Street North, Corozal Town. A search of the lot led […]

Dangriga man busted with weed in Belize City
At around 4:30 pm yesterday, police were on patrol in the area of West Collet Canal in Belize City conducting stop and search operations. Police reportedly stopped and searched Carlos Roland Coronado, 28, who is from Dangriga town. The searched led to the discovery of […]

Moist conditions to continue
The 24-hour forecast is for moist and unstable conditions to continue with a few showers and some isolated thunderstorms. The wind will blow from the east to southeast at 10-20 knots. The sea state will be choppy to moderate. High temperatures are expected as […]

Blogs

The Phoenix Hotel is giving back to the community
"The resort has been awarded recognition for its continuous community efforts and fundraising for various causes such as Oceania and hosts popular weekly beach cleanups to help keep Belize beautiful." When history, modern sophistication, Caribbean beaches, and a free h