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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials


The San Pedro Sun

Woodrow West and Ian Gaynair receive Gilmore Henkson Fair Play Trophy
It has been announced by Mr. Charles Bartley Hyde, President of the Belize Olympic Committee's Fair Play Commission, and other members; Mr. Raymond Lashley, Ms. Hadie Gomez, Mrs. Yolanda Fonseca and Mr. Edward Pitts, and with the consent of Mr. Hilly Martinez, President of the Belize Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association, in concurrence with His Excellency, Sir Colville Young, Patron of the Belize Olympic Committee that the Gilmore Henkson Fair Play Trophy has been awarded to Mr. Woodrow West and Mr. Ian Gaynair for their outstanding honesty & patriotism during their participation in the Gold Cup Tournament in the U.S.A. Their character exemplifies the aims and objectives of the International Olympic Committee. The Gilmore Henkson Trophy was established some years ago by the Belize Olympic Committee in memory of Mr. Gilmore Henkson who was a diligent and excellent secretary of the Belize Olympic Committee for many years. He was an outstanding Football, Softball & Cricket player.

Mexico's Foreign Minister makes a short visit to Belize and speaks about "a new way forward"
On Sunday August 25th the Government of Belize received a visit from Mexico's Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade Kuribena. His visit was short as it only lasted a few hours and it included a flight via Mexican state helicopter down the Rio Hondo for a visit to the border marker at Aguas Turbias, the intersection of Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. Kuribena then visited the new Santa Elena border crossing after which the Minister flew to Belize City. While in the country, the Mexican diplomat met his Belizean counterpart, Wilfred Elrington, at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel where they had a lunch meeting. Because of the trade relationship between Belize and Mexico, as well as the 142-mile borderline between the two countries, the meeting is considered important. Following the meeting, the two Foreign Ministers spoke to the Belizean and international press. According to Minister Elrington, they are looking at improving trade ties with the northern neighbor. "We discussed ways so that we could put together a kind of agenda for a way forward. We want to come up with an agenda of matters of importance to us. Things that we will have to be doing are such as entering into legal arrangements, legal framework, to allow us to do trade with each other. To protect that trade we have to have a special agreement protecting the investment of our investors. Double taxation treaties will have to enter into mutual legal assistance treaties, extradition treaties - we want to develop more cooperation in terms of education, in terms of security and in terms of health."

Ambergris Today

Island Academy Students Show Goodwill Act Towards Ramon's Village
The spirit of togetherness and helping one another in times of need is one special innate characteristic that residents of Ambergris Caye have. When our neighbor is in need of assistance, we are all ready to dig deep and do as much as we can to help out. The very next morning after the devastating fire that destroyed most of Ramon's Village our hearts moved and our cameras blinked with joy as we captured these amazing young school children cleaning the beach at Ramon's Village. Island Academy's Teacher Susan and her Standard 3 students were with rakes and trash bags in hand assisting the staff in cleaning the beach. WOW! What a great show of kindness! "Ramon's Village Resort is always so kind to my students and Island Academy," commented Teacher Susan to Ambergris Today. "They welcome the students when we conduct small events and help us out every year for our Halloween projects. We just did not know what else we could do for them after this horrible fire, but we had to do something to show our love back to them."

New Miss Belize Representative for Miss United Continent Pageant
Miss Belize and recently crowned Miss Costa Maya 2013 - Destinee Arnold has withdrawn from representing Belize in the upcoming Miss United Continent Pageant scheduled for September 14th in Guayaquil, Ecuador. When interviewed the 20 year old beauty ambassador, model , and sociology major stated that not only is she exhausted but if she is absent from school for the required two weeks of competition, she will not be able to meet her projected academic timeline. "Our organization fully respects and supports Destinee's decision," stated pageant director, Opal Enriquez. "Though there is nationwide disappointment as we were hoping our champion would bring home another crown, as advocates for education we believe that Belize is fortunate to have a representative who has her priorities in order. I couldn't be more proud of her."

Belize Completes Training in Conducting Queen Conch Surveys
A group of 13 resource managers and fishers met in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to engage in a Training of Trainers workshop, focused on underwater visual census techniques for the queen conch or lambi (Strombus gigas). The queen conch is an iconic part of Caribbean culture as well as a valuable fisheries resource; yet, many countries do not have the knowledge to conduct surveys to ensure the sustainability of their populations. This is especially true in those countries where the fishery is still small-scale, with the possible exceptions of Jamaica, Belize and to certain extent The Bahamas and Dominican Republic, where the conch fishery is a well established commercial business. Accordingly, many fishery managers in the CARIFORUM region are forced to make management decisions based on minimal amounts of information.

Misc Belizean Sources

Destinee Arnold has withdrawn from representing Belize
Miss Belize and recently crowned Miss Costa Maya 2013 - Destinee Arnold has withdrawn from representing Belize in the upcoming Miss United Continent Pageant scheduled for September 14th in Guayaquil, Ecuador. When interviewed the 20 year old beauty ambassador, model, and sociology major stated that not only is she exhausted but if she is absent from school for the required two weeks of competition, she will not be able to meet her projected academic timeline. Destinee has released the following statement: After much thought and careful consideration, I hereby announce that I will not be able to represent Belize in the upcoming Miss United Continent Pageant in Guayaquil, Ecuador on September 14th. Within the past year I have received the honor of being crowned Miss Belize, Miss Ethnic World and Miss Costa Maya. Such prestigious accomplishments are more than any girl can dream of, and I am now looking forward to some much need rest and reflection. I feel it is the optimum time for me to take an exit from the pageant industry and focus on the pursuit of my academic dreams. By putting my education first, I am arming myself with what is essential in becoming a better representative for Belize, and me in the future. I take my job as a role model very seriously, I want to ensure that the young women of our country can always look up to their Miss Belize and know that we represent beauty of the mind, heart, spirit, in addition to physical attributes. My academic achievements along with the scholarship I received from Miss Belize and the Ministry of Education, have afforded me the opportunity to study abroad in the upcoming year and I fully intend to take advantage of that. In doing all of this, there will be no limit to what I can bring back to my beloved country.

Open Mic Night at Soul Project
Open Mic night at the Soul Project is really becoming popular. Last week, D Russell Photography was there to capture the scene.

Arroz Con Pollo
Arroz con Pollo is basically chicken with rice. All types of vegetables can be added to this dish, but I kept it simple by only including peas and carrots. Because the chicken is picked from the bone after it's seasoned and boiled, it is juicy and flavorful and you'll get a piece of chicken in every bite.

Channel 7

2 Children Saved From Burning Apartment Room
The word "hero" is much over-used in the media - but today, one Belize City man who saved two children from a burning apartment, more than qualifies for the title; he's a hero with a capital "H"! Kenrick Middleton is his name and this morning at around 11:00 he sprang into action when a building was burning in the Lake Independence area and two toddlers were locked inside. Daniel Ortiz has the story of the fire and his heroic actions: Daniel Ortiz reporting Room # 7 of the Apartment Complex on Canondale Drive was completely destroyed by fire this morning. The wall scorching and the few unburnt personal belongings tells of flames which spread rapidly consuming almost everything inside the room. Benisford Matura - Operation Officer, National Fire Service "Upon arrival we found out that it was an apartment complex on Canondale Street, the apartment complex had approximately 12 separate rooms. We got into operation and started extinguishing the fire upon completion of this extinguishing we got to know that the fire started in apartment number 7 where the main fire was burning and it spread over to apartment 6 and 8 which was next to it."

Bertie Chimilio Caught Up With Income Tax
In March of last year, 10 Days after the President of the Football Federation of Belize, Ruperto Vicente took over the office from past president, Bertie Chimilio, he announced to the nation that the richest sports federation in the land was broke. He also announced that his administration had no intentions of investigating Chimilio. But tonight the news is, that while they won't, the Income Tax Department will. The 55 year-old veterinarian, Chimilio, is now a private citizen but according to the Income Tax Department, he owes them $33,255 in arrears which he didn't pay when he was the president of the FFB. He answered to a summons today before Magistrate Leslie Hamilton for supposed unpaid taxes dating back to 2010 -2011. He was given an opportunity to present his version of events after Magistrate Hamilton informed him of his options in relation to the arrears.

Foreign Minister: No Preferential Treatment For Guats Breaking Laws
In the past three weeks, we've reported on two cases of Guatemalans making brazen encroachments in Belizean territory. The first was a 20 acre milpa, one kilometer within Belize in the Caracol Archeological Park. The second was 50 gold panners, who fired at Belizean law enforcement, and ran off - only six of them were caught along with two firearms. Both cases left us scratching our head because the law that applies to Belizeans apparently doesn't apply to Guatemalan encroachers. First, there's been no charge for milpa farming in an archeological park - those Guatemalans were only charged for immigration offences. The forestry department and Institute of Archaeology couldn't come up with charges to lay for farming in an archaeological protected area. But if a Belizean were to set up a farm at, say�.Altun Ha - we're sure they'd find something to charge them with, right quick! In the second case, the Guatemalan gold panners weren't charged for firearm possession because the guns weren't found on them. Now, we all know that in Belize City, if you are even on the same property of an unlicensed firearm - everyone in the area will be charged, and remanded.

Energy Ministry Says SATIIM Is Mistaken
For the past 10 days, tension has been building between SATIIM and US Capital Energy: SATIIM says US Capital is digging oil wells without permission on its traditional lands; US Capital says it has all government approvals and SATIIM is trespassing. Well, the Ministry of Energy says SATIIM is wrong because in its recent ruling, the Court of Appeal refused to uphold the order issued by the former Chief Justice Conteh requiring that Government "abstain from issuing any concessions for resource exploitation." They adds that the court agreed with Government that Conteh erred in law by, quote, "failing to take�notice of the Petroleum Act which vests property in petroleum in the State and of the Sixth Amendment Act which, for avoidance of any doubt, exclusively vests the ownership of petroleum and other minerals in the Government of Belize." SATIIM executive director Greg Choc could not be reached to comment on this today. He's still not taking our calls after we asked him yesterday if it is true that he is resigning and going away to study law. Tomorrow SATIIM is taking the entire media on a Toledo tour and we hope to speak to him then.

OCEANA Still Looking For A Local VP
Audrey Matura Shepherd has left OCEANA and now the international organization has to find a new local boss. They've gotten a number of impressive applications, and the man assigned to lead the search is Alex Munoz, Vice President for OCEANA for the Andean region and Caribbean. He had a press conference at the Radisson in Belize City today today and explained that they are looking for a qualified leader who is totally committed to protecting the oceans:� Alex Munoz - Vice President, OCEANA South America & Caribbean "OCEANA is totally committed in staying in Belize and starting a new phase that will bring us new victories for the oceans. We always very closely with local communities, local people living in each one of the countries that we are in. We always look for national people that integrate our offices, especially the leader and this was not an exception in Belize - we're looking for a Belizean citizen to lead our office. We've received a number of very interesting applications, I would say over 30 really interesting applications - it's a very competitive process. We want to make a decision as soon as possible but it will be a difficult choice because we're very impressed with the quality of the candidates. What's important is that it's somebody that has a story here, that knows the people, that is accepted by the people and that is not considered a foreign. Audrey has her own style and we are grateful for the things that she did and the new leader will have a chance to prove that he or she can do it in the same way or in another way. Of course people are only a part in the history of any organization and when those people leave, we need to find new people that can keep doing the job - that's totally normal. Although we are looking for a strong leader - that leader needs to reflect that we are a big organization and that there's a talented group of people helping to make these results happen."

Ramon's Village Resort's Road To Recovery
Last night, 7News told you about the major fire which did extensive damages to the popular San Pedro resort, Ramon's Village. 29 of its 71 cabanas completely burn down, causing the business to shut down, and forcing the 25 guests who were staying at the resort to be relocated. Well today, the owner of the Resort, Richard Hendrick, flew in to San Pedro today where he met with the day to day managers to assess how best to deal with immediate repairs. The staff was also busy today removing the debris left behind from the fire. It is estimated that the undamaged parts of the resort will resume operation this weekend, when the staff hope to take in guests whom they can house. As the manager, Einer Gomez, told the media, the Dive Shop was operational yesterday, and it continued unaffected in the same fashion today.

UB Initiates Institutional Curriculum Review
The University of Belize is in the midst of an Institutional Curriculum Review. Now that may sound like just more bureaucratese for an institution that has been cultured into that. But, apparently, not so this time. The University bosses say they want to shake things up in a meaningful way - because Belize's Development depends on it. Today the University President and Assistant Provost held a press conference in Belize City to outline the plan. The event was slightly weird for a few reasons. First, because in two years in Belize, President Cary Fraser has never held a press conference. Secondly, because UB does everything in Belmopan, the seat of its flagship campus; And third because the University Chairman wasn't there and neither was the provost. In fact, very few faculty or staff were there. But 7news did attend the unusual event, and found out about a sober, progressive and thorough review of the state of affairs at the national university:.. Dr.Cynthia Thompson - Assistant Provost "We want to embark on a system where through the entire process, we are leading toward accreditation. At this moment the University is not accredited to any formal body and we want to build and lead the University towards that process so that in the long run we will be able to come out with an institution where its programs will be recognized and accredited - not only regionally but internationally."

Alleged Rapist Remanded
40 year-old Felicito Sho is spending his first night in prison after he was taken to court for allegedly raping a 16 year-old girl. According to police, the minor and her grandmother reported on Monday that since she was 11 years-old, Sho has been fondling her, which she didn't report because Sho once threatened to kill her and her family. She added that in May of this year, she was awoken in her bed with Sho who had sex with her against her will. As a result, police arrested and charged Sho with rape, and today he was arraigned before Magistrate Leslie Hamilton, who remanded him to prison based on the strength of the objections from the prosecutor.

New Drums For Mahogany St. Police Cadets
LAST week, we showed you the Mahogany Street Sub-Precinct Police Cadets who made the news for helping out an elderly resident. Well today, we went back to meet with the cadets who were receiving a donation of music equipment from Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington, who is also a donor to the Samuel Haynes Music Center on Mahogany Street. Elrington told us today that he believes music can also be used as a mode of outreach: Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Minister of Foreign Affairs "I was approached a month by the Sargeant in charge and he asked me if I would be prepared to donate the instruments to them and I told them that I would have been very happy to do that. As you know we have the Samyel Haynes Junior band and we believe very strongly in music and what comes from it but also the potential that it has for people to earn their living."

BTB's 2nd Craft Expo
On Saturday, The Belize Tourism Board is hosting their second Annual Village Arts & Craft Expo. It's important for 2 reasons, the first being that the venue, the newly renovated Memorial Park, will be officially inaugurated. Today, the representative from BTB explained the second - and more important reason, being that they want to highlight Belize's handicraft artisans to the hoteliers and gift shop owners: Clive Myers - Representative, BTB "Saturday the 31st, at 9:00am the Belize Tourism Board will be having its second annual Village Arts and Craft expo. It will be taking place at the newly renovated Memorial Park which I must say also that on Saturday we'll be having the official inauguration of the park itself. The objective of the Village Arts and Craft Expo is to set a platform for local artisans to get an opportunity to showcase their handicraft products to our local Belizeans and also inviting hoteliers and gift shop owners to see the wide array of craft that they can find in our country and to give these people a business opportunity.

Channel 5

Tensions between SATIIM and U.S. Capital reach boiling point
Last Friday there was a standoff between Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management, Maya Leaders and the Police when the group attempted to leave Punta Gorda by boat to visit [...]

Two children are saved from a burning apartment
Two toddlers were pulled out of a house engulfed in a blazing fire this morning in the Lake Independence area. The two children, one four and the other three years [...]

Owner of Ramon's Village Resort comes to Belize to discuss way forward
It has been two days since a major fire destroyed Ramon's Village Resort in San Pedro Town�and the hotel's management is wasting no time in picking up the pieces.� Hotelier, [...]

OCEANA VP comes clean on the LGBT factor
OCEANA's Vice President of Southern and Central America, Alex Mu�oz, is in Belize. He's here to deal with the transition from former VP Audrey Matura-Shepherd to a new, as yet [...]

Is there institutional negligence with illegal encroachers on Belizean Territory?
On August eighth, the Friends for Conservation and Development detained two Guatemalans who were farming on our side of the border. That's not exactly a rare event, but in this [...]

Illegal gold panning continues in Chiquibul
And there was another incident on August twenty-first in the area of Ceibo Chico. This time FCD rangers, Police and B.D.F. personnel came under fire as they approached about fifty [...]

Tax Department takes Bertie Chimilio to court
The former president of the Football Federation of Belize, Bertie Chimilio, was summoned to court this morning. The Income Tax Department is attempting to collect over thirty thousand dollars which [...]

Mango Creek resident is accused of sexually abusing a child since the age of eleven
Also in court today, was forty year old Felicito Sho of Mango Creek, who is accused of raping a sixteen year old Belize City girl. Sho was arraigned before Magistrate [...]

Who is to replace Audrey Matura-Shepherd to become OCEANA's Country Director?
Earlier in the newscast, we told you about OCEANA's stance on the LGBT issue. But OCEANA's Vice-President of South and Central America Alex Mu�oz is in Belize. Mu�oz says that [...]

But media rep beats down on OCEANA VP for South and Central America
That was the more or less civil portion of the press conference called by OCEANA's regional VP. The agenda of the briefing was generally a meet and greet, but the [...]

National university launches institutional curriculum review
The University of Belize today launched an institutional curriculum review, a process identified by President Cary Fraser as designed to establish a continuous program of academic reviews that will assist [...]

Belize delegation returns from CARIFESTA
Since it was first held in 1972, CARIFESTA has been promoting Caribbean artists and writers. The festival has been fading but this year, it revved into full gear in Suriname. [...]

Shannelly Sutherland, Winner of Be the Next Superstar, returns from Suriname
On Tuesday night, the Grand Finale of the hottest local entertainment show in the country was held at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts. And taking the grand cash [...]

Mahogany Police cadets get a donation of musical equipment�
The Mahogany Cadets received a set of drums this morning thanks to the efforts of musician and Minister Wilfred 'Sedi' Elrington. These cadets operate out of the Mahogany Police Sub-Precinct [...]

�While the Coalition and COLA hand out school supplies
While the Mahogany Police Cadets got some musical equipment, the Coalition to Save our Natural Heritage and COLA handed over school supplies to needy students just in time for the [...]

Healthy Living teams up with NCFC to discuss parenting
In tonight's segment of healthy living, we continue to build on our collaboration with the National Committee for Families and Children and the Office of the Special Envoy for Women [...]

LOVE FM

Oceana Representative Is In Belize Seeking New Country Director for Belize
It has been one week since OCEANA's Vice President in Belize, Audrey Matura Shepherd moved away from OCEANA to take up legal practice. Matura-Shepherd had resigned two months ago and today, one of OCEANA's leaders held a press conference to discuss how far they have reached with finding a replacement. Alex Munoz, OCEANA's Vice President for South America, said at a press conference today that he is here to search for Matura-Shepherd's replacement and that the title of the post is no longer Vice President in Belize but Country Director. ALEX MUNOZ "WE are very impressed by the quality of the applicants and we are very optimistic of the new office in Belize. We are looking for a Belizean citizen, who has either been born here in Belize or has spent her life here so everybody knows it would be a local; we are not going to bring somebody from outside to lead the Oceana office in Belize. We are looking for a strong leader, someone who is passionate about the oceans, that is knowledgeable about the many threats that are affecting the oceans like oil drilling and over fishing. My role is just to supervise; I will not be the country leader and the new leader will have full authority to define those priorities which we expect to continue; we have a good set of campaigns and we don't expect much change except maybe to expand our operations here."

Education Ministry Approves Amalgamation of Primary Schools in Southern Belize
Residents of Riversdale in the Stann Creek District have voiced to Love News, that they are not too happy with the closing down of Nuestra Se�ora de Guadalupe RC School in that area. However according to the Ministry of Education, the school is actually just being amalgamated with St. Jude RC school at the Maya Center where more space is available, through a request from the Catholic Management to which the school was entrusted to since its inception in 1987. Today Love News spoke with a concerned parent and president of the Parent-Teacher Association of Nuestra Se�ora de Guadalupe RC, Elsworth Linarez who told us of the main concerns. ELSWORTH LINAREZ "The main concern is that nobody from the Ministry of Education has ever consulted with the parents.

Man Sneaks in Home and Sexually Assaults Woman
a woman from the St. Martin's Area of Belize City reported to police that she was sexually assaulted in her house yesterday. According to the woman a domestic who resides on Holy Emmanuel Street, sometime after 2:00 yesterday afternoon she was sleeping in her house, when she was awakened by a man who was at the time on top of her and was sexually assaulting her. She said she was frightened and pushed him off and he walked out of the house. Police are now seeking the man who has been described as a person of brown complexion, about five feet seven inches in height and is medium build. The woman has reportedly known the man "by face only" for the past six years.

Toddlers Escape Inferno At Home
Two children are fortunate to be alive tonight after they were rescued from a fire at about eleven o'clock today. The incident occurred in a apartment complex locate on Cannondale Street. Love News was on the scene and Reporter Hipolito Novelo has the details. HIPOLITO NOVELO REPORTING "The fire occurred in room number seven in a twelve room apartment complex situated on Cannondale Street in the Saint Martin De Porres area. It was about eleven o'clock that residents of the other apartments noticed that a thick cloud of smoke was penetrating out of the windows. Inside the room were two children; four year old Shevaun Reneau and his younger sister, three year old Shanika Reneau. Evidentially both children were left alone by their mother. The doors were locked and the children were trapped. One of the other tenants, Keisha Petillo, heard the desperate screams of the children an acted upon impulse." KEISHA PETILLO "I heard the screaming louder and my niece told me that Ms. Shawna window is on fire and when I ran out the two children were at the window fighting to come out but the window had blinds and so they couldn't come out. I didn't know what to do and so I yelled for help and I screamed for Kenrick to come help me and so my brother-in-law jumped up and he looked at me and said that the children were on fire and so, he stamped open the door and grabbed them out of the room."

Head of Foreign Affairs in Belize Says Human Resource Is Lacking
Earlier today we met up with Minister Wilfred Elrington and took that opportunity to ask him about a recent incursion in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve when Guatemalan xateros were apprehended conducting milpa farming on Belizean territory. The men were detained but were never arrested and charged, mostly because Belize's law enforcement authorities, namely, the Forest Department and the Department of Agriculture were not keen on whose jurisdiction that offense fell under. But while that may have been the case, the fundamental problem according to Minister Elrington is a lack of human resources. WILFRED ELRINGTON, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS "If you look at Belize, we are a very small society, three hundred and odd people, most of who are young people and then you have a fairly large section of who are older people and so the Government's resources are stretched very thinly; we have had bitter complaints of people dealing with the rosewood, we have had bitter complaints of people fishing in the seas, for example and we have had bitter complaints of crime in Belize City; it is not that the country has the resources it needs to be able to deal with all of these things in the way it would want to deal with them. We have a serious constraint in terms of human resource apart from the finances; we are a small country relatively poor so to speak and so we can't do all the things in the way we would want to do them, that is what we are aspiring to but bigger countries than us are finding it very difficult. People at the Forest Department are very limited; they have problems dealing with the rosewood much less dealing with the incursions.

Minor Says She Woke Up When She Was Being Raped
Felicito Sho, a laborer of Jane Usher Boulevard, was charged with rape when he appeared today in the court of Magistrate Leslie Hamilton. Magistrate Hamilton explained to him that he will not take a plea because the offence is indictable. The prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds that the offence is of a serious nature, that the complainant is a minor, that the complainant and the defendant both live in the same yard and there is a strong possibility that the defendant will interfere with the complainant. Magistrate Hamilton upheld the objection on the ground that the complainant and the defendant live in the same yard. He remanded Sho into custody until September 17. The incident occurred around 3 a.m. on May 1. The complainant, a 16 year old girl, reported to the police that she was asleep and she was awakened when she felt someone on top of her. She said the person, whom she recognized as Sho, proceeded to have sex with her against her will. Sho denied committing the offence.

Woman Charged After Making Up A Report of Being Attacked
On Monday police reported that a Belize City woman struggled with a man who had intended to shoot her. She had reported that she managed to take away the firearm from him and throw it in a drain. However as it turns out, the woman seems to just be a good storyteller since police investigations have proved the story to be false. As a result yesterday police arrested and charged twenty nine year old Jacqueline Bermudez, a resident of Benbow Street, with the crime of wounding and for the offence of Mischievous Act.

Gang Suppression Unit Makes Drug Bust in Southside Belize City
A drug bust was made by the Gang Suppression Unit on Monday afternoon. The unit visited the residence of Karim Bood on Antelope Street Extension in Belize City, and conducted a search for illegal firearm and drugs. When they arrived at the premises, the door was pushed open and a dark skinned man with plaited hair was reportedly seen forcing a transparent plastic bag through the bathroom window. The man was later identified as Karim Bood. Bood was taken to the back of the fenced yard and police found the transparent plastic bag and discovered that it contained fourteen other black plastic bags which in turn contained suspected cannabis. The drug was weighed and it amounted to one point six kilograms. The GSU proceeded to inform Bood of the offence committed and placed him under arrest.

Bucket Brigade Formed As Ramon's Village Goes Up In Flames
It was established decades ago and after becoming of one the most popular get away spots on San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Ramon's Village Resort caught on fire last night at about eight o'clock. The spark that ignited into a massive uncontrollable blaze reportedly began in palapa 15 situated near the southside of the compound. The fire grew larger by the second spreading by airborne embers to the other surrounding palapas. A total of twenty nine rooms out of seventy nine were turned to rubble and ash. Einer Gomez is the Manager of the resort. EINER GOMEZ "I was at the end of the dock walking towards the property when I saw what looked like smoke and sparks and I hurried to the area; while heading there, at first I thought it was across the street but I called the front desk and asked them to have the security go to that area. We got there together and there was flame coming out of one of roof of one of the huts when we got there. Twenty nine rooms, mainly on the southside of the property were completely destroyed by the fire and our main area which houses the gift shop, the restaurant, the bar and the front desk/lobby."

CTV3

Traditional Queen Of The Bay Pageant To Take Place In Corozal
The first Queen of the Bay Pageant was held in Belize in 1946. In those days participants were expected to adhere to strict criteria's laid out by a pageant committee. Prerequisites for competing are still enforced today but that does not deter young females from entering into the competition. With over 67 years of being carried out, the Queen of the Bay Pageant now forms part of Belize's long list of traditions. In the District of Corozal the Queen of the Bay Pageant will be held on Saturday August 31st, at the San Andres Civic Center where 5 young and dynamic participants. To find out more about the event we spoke to Oscar Garcia, Secretary for the Corozal September Celebrations Committee.

September To Remember In Corozal
Across the country of Belize, including the District of Corozal patriotic songs and soca music can be heard announcing the celebration of Belize's 32nd birthday. With this year's theme, "Belize in you, Belize in me, Land of the Free", at the forefront, workers of the Corozal Town Council are busy beautifying the Central Park and the down town area in preparation for the official launching of the September Celebrations. This year, the Corozal Town Council has approximately 18 activities lined up leading to the 21st of September. The first event is scheduled for this coming Sunday. Oscar Garcia- Secretary, for the September Celebration Committee "This coming Sunday is the official launching of the September Celebrations to open the entire month of celebrations, the program will be starting at 6:00pm we will have the normal protocols; national anthem, prayer and the launching done by the Mayor Hilberto Campos, who he is the chairman of the September Celebrations committee followed by some fireworks and followed by a DJ face off competition and it is being organized by a sub-committee under the September Celebrations Committee by Mr. Victor Recinos, he is the organizer and he is organizing this event and last year it came out pretty well and we know that this year will be better."

OWTC To Bestow Awards To Exemplary Orange Walkenos
The countdown for the September celebrations has begun and by now, many patriotic Belizeans are already displaying their love and honor for our country. The good news is that their patriotism will not go un-noticed as the Orange Walk Town Council has organized an award for ten outstanding Orange Walkenos who are vivid examples of true patriots. A plaque will be awarded to these individuals who have given of their time and efforts to assist others and those who have held the Belizean banner with pride. Kevin Bernard, Mayor, OWTC "Individuals that they believe have serviced the community and serviced this country well for whatever amount of years they have been here whether it is a teacher, it is a policeman, whether it is a fireman, public servant or it is an educator for whatever capacity they believe that person have given up to themselves to the community being patriotic to this country and for being Belizeans we want to encourage them to send in those names, want to honor ten of these people on the 20th night celebrations and we don't want it come from a decision come from us we want to pool at the names that would come up and then we do the best ten then the committee would then select the best ten that they feel really deserves that recognition this time around."

O/W Town Council Workers Learn More About Social Security
Approximately forty employees of the Orange Walk Town council, who are charged with a wide array of responsibilities such as beatification of the town, cleaning, and picking up of garbage, attended a very important workshop today. The initiative was hosted by the Orange Walk Town Council in efforts of closing the gap between the council, its employees, and the Social Security Board. Officials from the S. S. B were invited to give workers a firsthand look into what are their benefits and how to go about filing proper claims. The presentation started from the basics and as Social Security Inspector Erston Hyde worked his way up, he targeted some of the key areas of concerns for employees.

NTUCB Strikes Back At GOB
Tonight it seems that the issue of the restructuring of the Public's Account Committee won't go away until the Prime Minister of Belize receives the idea with open arms and actually looks into the improvement of the committee. Knowing the P.M though, that's easier said than done. A few days ago the Office of the Prime Minister issued a release taking a no stance on the issue. The release clearly stated that the proposed restructuring of the committee would be too expensive, since the costs to hold committee meetings would increase. The statement went on to say that the Government side of the Committee will insist that the Chairman calls an urgent meeting of the PAC to agree to a schedule for consideration of all the outstanding Auditor General reports. The schedule would be divided into two: examination of pre-2008 reports; and examination of post-2008 reports.

Man Charged For Rape In Belize City
Tonight there is a disturbing case of rape coming out from the old capital involving a minor and a 40 year old man. On Monday, the 16 year old girl, accompanied by her grandmother, visited the Racoon Police Station and reported to authorities that Felicito Sho has been sexually abusing her since she was 11 years old. The girl stated to police that at the age of 11 Sho began fondling her. As if that was not enough, the 16 year old girl stated to police that Sho threatened to kill her and her family if she told anyone about the abuse. Fearing for her life the minor decide to keep quite.

Cause Of Fire At Ramon's Village Still Undetermined
The cause of the fire at Ramon's Village on Wednesday night is still unknown at this time and so far the management of the resort has been unable to estimate the total loss since the investigation is yet in its early stage. Ramon's Village Resort is one of the oldest resorts on the island of San Pedro and has been in operation since 1982 with more than 72 employees. As previously mentioned 31 one of the resort's cabanas were completely destroyed by flames on Wednesday night at around 8:00 when a fire started at the roof top of unit 15 which was occupied by two guests and flames rapidly spread to the other units. The resort is valued at eight million U. S dollars. But what we must clarify is that it is not insured with RF&G Insurance Company Limited as was reported last night by all media houses. The information was released by police but early this morning RF&G clarified that the while the insurance company does insure the vessels for Ramon's Village Resort, it does not have any current insurance arrangements in place for their property.


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PlusTV

Iconic Tourism Establishment burns in San Pedro
Wednesday night, residents of San Pedro were still grappling with surreal devastation after the island's iconic tourism establishment was partially destroyed by fire. Tuesday night, the San Pedro Fire Department made an enormous effort to contain an inferno that raved through the Ramon's Village...

Government House awards football players
Over a month ago, Belizean football stars, Woodrow West and Ian Gaynair, revealed to the media that they had been approached by match fixers with a big bribe to throw down the match against the mighty U.S.A. However, both men turned down the offer. They...

Plus News tours Harvest Caye
Government of Belize signed a memorandum of Understanding with Belize Island Holdings BIH- LTD on the 31 July 2013 for the development of harvest cay in the Stann Creek District to be used for a cruise ship terminal and destination for Norwegian...

CitCo to resolve taxi situation on Albert Street
Last week we brought you the story of the taxi operators at Albert Street in front of the Battlefield Park where their allotted spaces have been redistributed. Spaces have been given on Orange and Church Street but the total amount of spaces on Albert Street has been cut in...

Member of the Belize National Football Team gets land in Lake Independence through Area Rep
Member of the Belize National Football Team Ian Gaynair was honored twice over on Wednesday, in separate events. The first was an award from the Governor General at the Olympic Fun Run in Belmopan but the second is a little more personal. On Wednesday, the defense man received property...

Belize City Council refurbishes Laboratories at Saint Catherine's Academy
St. Catherine's Academy is the latest Belize City school to benefit from a relationship with the Belize City Council. On Wednesday the school unveiled its newly refurbished science lab, the first renovations done anywhere on the newest building on campus - which happens to be 50 years old. But...

Police receive Mobile Command Center from Taiwan Government
On Wednesday the Police Department received a mobile command center called a "Peace Caravan" and related radio communication equipment from the local Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Ambassador David Wu explains the purpose of the equipment. H.E. David Wu - Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize: Indeed, crime is...

NTUCB restate position on restructuring of the PAC
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize, the NTUCB have come out to restate their position on the restructuring of the PAC. On Wednesday, the committee wrote "There are several issues of significant concern to the NTUCB as related to the matter of the Public Accounts Committee. Firstly, in...

Guatemalan found fishing in Blue Hole Natural Monument
A Guatemalan Fisherman pleaded guilty to illegal fishing in the Blue Hole Natural Monument when he appeared before the Belize City Magistrate's Court. He is 46-year-old Elias Chavez. Chavez pleaded guilty to one count of illegal fishing. Allegations are that on January 13, 2013Chavez was found fishing inside...

Belize City woman faces drug trafficking charges
A Belize City woman is facing drug trafficking charges after they were allegedly busted with a large amount of weed. Therese Elijio who also goes by Tanisha Young, was detained following a search by GSU at Therese Elijio's apartment, that led to discovery of 75 pounds of marijuana. She...

Okeke bust will be used in Battlefield Park
You heard Steven Okeke rant and rail against the Belize City Council for their apparent inaction over an agreement to purchase his completed bust of Antonio Soberanis, the labor leader who made Battlefield Park his stomping ground in the 1930′s. A bust of Soberanis currently sits at the park...

Mental Health Resource Center holds Open Day
The Belize City Resource Center caters to the homeless and mentally ill in our society. Today they hosted an open house at their offices at corner Vernon and Tibruce Streets in Belize City. We learn more from administrator Joyce Ellis. Joyce Ellis - Belize City Resource Center Administrator:...

NICH celebrates ten years
The National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) was established in 2003 from a unification of the former Belize Arts Council and Department of Archaeology, now respectively the Institute of Creative Arts and Institute of Archaeology. It has added departments for the Museum of Belize/House of Culture and Institute...

The Guardian

More than 30 Cabanas at Ramon's Resort Destroyed by Fire
More than thirty cabanas at one of San Pedro's oldest and most successful resorts were destroyed by fire on Tuesday night, August 27th. According to police report, a fire started on the roof top in unit 15 of Ramon's Village Resort sometime around 8 p.m. and quickly spread to other units. Despite the heroic efforts of the San Pedro Fire Service and a bucket brigade manned by tourists and residents of the area, more than thirty cabanas; including, the restaurant, laundry room, gift shop, bar and office were destroyed in the fire. Fortunately, there were no casualties or injuries from the incident. The resort was accommodating 25 guests at the time of the fire. According to the Belize Tourism Board, "all twenty-five guests staying at the resort at the time of the fire have been accounted for and relocated to nearby hotels." A release by BTB goes on to say that all cost incurred as a result of the guests' displacement will be covered and they have each received "care packages".

PUP Promises and Mike Espat's Fuel Racket
The PUP bunch was at it again this week when they made their way to Belmopan to make a presentation to the Clerk of the National Assembly of some kind of declaration. PUP leader, Francis Fonseca, made the declaration and it basically stated that they stood in support of Julius Espat's laziness at not wanting to do the work as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. It then ended saying that they would change the PAC within the first 100 days if they are ever elected to office. And that was a promise. Well experience will tell anyone that when the People's United Party makes any kind of promise it would stand a better chance for it to be accomplished if it was written on a block of ice and put outside on an Easter Weekend. They are not known to fulfill their promises. Many will recall the Southside Promise that they made in 1998 before getting elected to office. All 10 Belize City PUP standard bearers signed it at the time and not a single one of them delivered on the promises. So that is that as it relates to PUP promises. But more than just a promise, we are certain that the so-called declaration which the PUP took to Belmopan on Tuesday, August 27th, was just a diversionary stunt to distract Belizeans from the fact that Julius Espat as the Chairman of the PAC does not want that body to meet. And the explanation is simple.

Hon. Mark King awards National Team player Ian Gaynair with Land
On Wednesday, August 28th, Hon. Mark King awarded National Team Player, Ian Gaynair, with a parcel of land in the Lake Independence area. Hon. King says that he was disheartened to know that Mr. Gaynair had lost his land during the time when Cordel Hyde was the elected PUP representative in the division. He said that it was very low of Kremandala to use our national player as a political foot ball to gain momentum into bringing back Hyde on the political scene. King states that this comes at a time when he has created a very successful land program called the lake I Land Amnesty Program 2013. Hon. King recently gave out over a hundred land titles, in the lake I area and has over a thousand more to give out in this coming year. The program seeks to assist and empower residents of lake I with a piece of land, and in the case of Gaynair he was immediately assisted through the program. Gaynair was handed a lease and in the coming weeks his purchase price will be secured. Because of his excellent representation of Belize internationally Hon. King will be covering the purchase price for the land thereby securing title to Gaynair.

Let's Pretend
As an individual you have very limited options when it comes to expressing your opinions on the hot issues of the day. You can write letters to the local newspapers, knowing that few people read newspapers and even fewer read the letters that are published. You can also call the various morning talk shows but since there is no point in calling a host that agrees with you and those that disagree will either cut you off or overpower your 30 second input with ten minutes of rebuttal this is unlikely to have the required effect. If you insist on expressing yourself to friends, family and co-workers they will tune you out and agree behind your back that you are becoming obsessive. Talking to strangers is unwise unless you are a taxi-driver or barber. A better alternative might be to write a regular column for a newspaper or even better own one or become a talk show host and/or own a radio or TV station. Easy to say but rather difficult in practice! However, there is a cheaper and easier way. Organisations have far greater opportunities to get their messages across than individuals because they purport to represent large numbers of members. Newspapers run banner headlines and two page articles when an organisation makes a statement on an issue; radio news spots feature the statement for days and talk show hosts use it as a springboard for their own opinions. The real bonus comes from getting TV coverage - up to half an hour on a slow news day and with serious crime going down there are a lot of slow news days. The coverage can be expanded by press conferences, press releases, prompt statements refuting any counter arguments, and even marches and demonstrations.

Chetumal and Belize City strengthen ties
On Monday, August 26th, the Belize City Council and Mayor Darrell Bradley hosted a delegation of 39 persons from the municipality of Oton P. Blanco, Quintana Roo including the newly elected mayor, Lic. Eduardo Espinosa Abuxapqui and councilors of that Mexican municipality. The delegation was in the city as part of a courtesy call in which Mayor of San Pedro, Daniel Guerrero was also present.

14 More Students Receive BTL Scholarships
Minister of Education, Hon. Patrick Faber, scholarship recipients, Chairman and other members of BTL's Board Fourteen distinguished young people joined the Belize Telemedia Limited family on Thursday, August 22nd, as they each received what is considered to be the best scholarship in the country. The Belize Telemedia Limited has been providing opportunities for young Belizeans to further their education since its scholarship program started in 1991. Since then, almost 600 students have received scholarships and over $1 million has been spent on the educational expenses of promising Belizean youths.

Football and Volleyball Games to start in Cayo
A first of its kind Five-a-side football marathon is being planned to start at 10:00a.m. on September 1, in Santa Elena Town. So far fourteen teams are preparing to compete for the Cayo Central Five-a-side tournament. The launch to a series of games was to have been made this past Sunday, but due to the rains it had to be postponed. Nevertheless, a large crowd gathered this past Sunday to enjoy a few matches on the much improved grounds by the Santa Elena Public Library; just on the outside of the Santa Elena Basketball Court. Newly installed poles have been placed on the football field and holes on the grounds have been refilled to avoid injury to the players. The marathon is being sponsored by the Hon. Rene Montero and will last to November of this year.

Mural almost completed in Cayo
The Mural in San Ignacio Town is almost complete A mural depicting the typical life and environs of the Cayo District is receiving its finishing brush strokes this week by well known artist, Pedro Arnoldo Cruz. The painting has been commissioned by the San Ignacio Town Board and was started about two weeks ago.

City Council Refurbishes S.C.A. Science Lab
Science students at Saint Catherine's Academy are enjoying a much more learning friendly environment in the school's laboratories thanks to the Belize City Council's school outreach program. The Belize City Council invested $13,000 in the renovation of the school's two science labs. The floors were tiled; walls and ceilings painted; desk resurfaced and benches varnished. New windows were installed as well as ceiling lights and fans.

Dan Silva returns to the PUP grime
Having realized that the Cock-Mack-A-Dandy is a complete waste of time in Cayo Central, every old politician is dusting off their cobwebs to run for the PUP there. Earlier on Luke Espat decided he would run in that division for the People's United Party. We will not rehash the history of this fellow but we can say that he has a less than stellar record, especially in the field of engineering and business. His projects of failure can be seen on the Phillip Goldson highway near mile 4 where there are at least a dozen homes that are leaning. His legacy is at the bottom of the Iguana Creek as a slab of concrete which he called a bridge serves only the fish in that river. And then we can go on to list his failed businesses of Crockland, the Port of Belize Limited, Renaissance, Indeco and the list goes on and on. Espat's entry is old news, now the old politico of Cayo, Dan Silva has somehow been inspired to run.

Belize to Do More for People with Disabilities
Belize has signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which provides Belize with a framework that will help to guide policy decisions on behalf of persons with disabilities. In order to move forward with an effective agenda it is important to get a better understanding of the current situation. With that in mind, UNICEF Belize and partners launched the Situational Analysis of Children with Disabilities and the Situational Analysis of Blind and Visually Impaired Children on Thursday, August 22nd.

Espejo Keeping Fort George's YOUNG AT HEART
With so many families barley able to put together uniforms for the upcoming school year, the pressure is on parents to make do with the little resources they can muster. The Fort George area which has multiple pockets of poverty is no stranger to this struggle. In fact, most people wouldn't believe that the area held by former PUP Prime Minister Said Musa is as challenged as any other, but the truth is that 'Fort George' doesn't bear the symptoms, socially speaking, of an area represented by a former 2-time, well-financed, Prime Minister. In fact, physically speaking, the 12 city streets recently upgraded in the constituency have come as a result of the Belize City Council where Councillor & Fort George Caretaker Roger Espejo ensures that the area receives its fair share of the municipal works.

Mayor Darrell Bradley on the Right Track
The Mayor of Belize City, Darrell Bradley, has come under fire for implementing a policy of not renewing driver's license for those persons who are delinquent in their payment of property taxes. The policy requires persons who owe back taxes to enter into a written agreement with the council committing to pay off those taxes within a reasonable period of time and taxpayers have to make a payment of at least one-third of what is owed before their license is released.

Second term of progress
The United Democratic Party has always prided itself in being an honest government which, whenever elected, serves the people to offer true development to Belize. When the UDP was elected into office it painstakingly took time to fix the problems which were created by the PUP. But historically, Belizeans have not voted for consecutive governments, until 2003 that is, when the PUP won an overwhelming victory; giving them the opportunity to be the first government to hold office for two successive terms. Because of what followed thereafter, some would believe that it may have been a good thing amidst so much bad, that Belizeans got to truly experience and understand what the PUP really represents and what they are capable of. It was an eye opener for Belizeans to see how corrupt this lot can really be.

Taiwan donates Communication Equipment to Police
The government of Taiwan through the embassy in Belize handed over a mobile police station dubbed the Police Peace Caravan along with Radio Communication Equipment and Repeaters to the Police department. Receiving the donation on Wednesday, August 28th was Hon. John Saldivar. He expressed gratitude to the Taiwanese government for the donation and explained that the communication equipment will go a long way in improving the system in Belize City. He noted that the equipment is part of a larger U.S. $120,000 dollar donation by the Taiwanese government which will be used to procure various other equipment and materials needed by the police. Also to be procured with the funding is a new police station in Belmopan at a cost of $120,000. Hon. Saldivar said that he was appreciative of the contribution by Taiwan and also by other partner countries like the U.S., India and Canada who have greatly assisted the police department. "We will continue to organize, reorganize; strategize and re-strategize to improve policing and make Belize safer," stated Hon. Saldivar. Along with the Taiwan donation, the Minister noted that the government has also recently contributed 5 vehicles to the Police Department through the Customs Department.

Toledo District's New DAVCO
On Friday, August 23rd, the newly elected village councils of the Toledo District met in Eldridgeville Village for their annual general meeting to elect their district board.

Belize Welcome Back Young Jaguars from Cayman
The under 15 Jaguars performed excellently in Cayman as they became the first national football team of Belize to win three games in an international tournament. In the CONCACAF U-15 Championships, the young Jaguars defeated St. Lucia 1-0, Jamaica 3-1 and Grenada 6-1. Their only defeat came against Guatemala in which the final score was 1-0. The three and one record was not good enough for the team to advance to the next round of competition.

Whilie confirmed as Compol
Acting commissioner of police Allen Whylie was officially confirmed to the position as commissioner. Minister of National Security, Hon. John Saldivar, made the announcement on Wednesday, August 28th. The Guardian spoke to Whylie who explained that it was a good feeling to know that he is the new commissioner. He stated that he had no doubt that he was competent and capable of doing the job of compol and was pleased that the government gave him the opportunity to do so.

Prison Officer Busted with Weed inside Prison
Ajany Smith, 28, has been a prison officer for just about six months and on Saturday, August 24th; he was busted with a stash of marijuana. According to reports, Smith complained of pain in his right foot while on duty at the Belize Central Prison and went to seek assistance at the medical center. While on his way there he was stopped at the search area as is the normal routine. During the search, another prison officer found two black plastic bags in Smith's right pocket. The bags were opened in his presence and it contained marijuana. Police were called to the facility at about 11:20 p.m. Smith was escorted to the police station where the substance was weighed and amounted to 54.6 grams. Smith was escorted to the Belize City Magistrate's Court on Monday, August 26th. He appeared before Magistrate Dale Cayetano where he pleaded not guilty to the charge of drug trafficking. There was no objection to bail and Smith was offered bail in the sum of $3,000 plus one surety of the same amount.

Three charged for Jane Usher Burglary
Wilhem Ramos, 24, 19-year-old Yasmin Dominguez and a 17-year-old appeared in the Belize City Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, August 28th, to face charges related to a burglary that took place on Saturday, August 24th. According to police report, the trio broke into the home of Charles Domingo on Jane Usher Boulevard and stole an X-Box game console valued at $725, five X-Box game discs valued at $150, a beach cruiser bicycle valued at $290 and a weed cutter valued at $275. Police investigation led to the arrest and charge of Ramos, Dominguez and the minor. The trio appeared in court before Magistrate Clive Lino on Wednesday. Dominguez and the minor were charged with one count of burglary and one count of theft. Ramos was charged with one count of abetment to burglary. They all pleaded not guilty to the offenses and bail was offered in the sum of $6,000 plus one surety of the same amount for each. They are due back in court on September 27th.

Guatemalan Fisherman caught fishing in Blue Hole Natural Monument!
Shortly after 10 a.m. on January 13th of this year, Clifford Cadle, Director of the Blue Hole Natural Monument, was on routine patrol when he spotted a vessel in the area. He approached the vessel and met 46-year-old Elias Chavez, a Guatemalan Fisherman. Cadle identified himself as a forestry officer and searched Chavez's vessel. Cadle found 44 conch and a lobster tails. He then informed Chavez that he will be charged with illegal fishing. Chavez appeared in the Belize City Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, August 28th, and pleaded guilty to one count of illegal fishing. Magistrate Leslie Hamilton imposed a non-custodial sentence since it was Chavez's first conviction. He was fined $200 which he must pay by September 28th or spend two months in jail.

Remanded for attempted murder
On Monday, August 26th, 19-year-old Demoris Pook appeared in Magistrate's court to answer to charges of attempted murder. He was arraigned before Maigistrate Clive Lino where he was read one count of attempted murder, one court of dangerous harm and one count of use of deadly means of harm upon Anthony Mejia. No plea was taken since the charge of attempted murder is an indictable offense. Pook who was unrepresented was informed that due to the nature of the charges, no bail can be offered at the lower court until 90 days time. He was informed of his rights to apply for bail immediately through the Supreme Court with the assistance of an attorney of his choice. He was then remanded to the Belize Central Prison until October 17, 2013. In a report to police, Anthony Mejia, told police that he ran into a young man with whom he had an old argument with. He said he was walking through an area in Hattieville, when he met up with the young man and they got into an altercation. During the altercation, the young man pulled out a knife and stabbed him once to the left upper chest area.

Wayne Welch Charged for Threatening Woman with Machete
Wayne Welch, 45-year-old taxi driver of #13 Rivero Street, is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after he was charged with aggravated assault with a machete. Tanya Matura reported to police that she returned home at #13 Rivero Street at about 12:45 p.m. on Monday, August 12th, and her common-law-husband approached her with a machete in his hand. He verbally abused her telling her to get out of his house while hurling many insults at her. As she left the house he followed Matura and threatened to chop up her and her mother. He called her a thief and threw a pint bottle at her. Matura went to report the matter to police and Welch was arrested and charged with aggravated assault.

Woodrow West and Ian Gaynair recipients of Gilmore Hinkson Fair Play Trophy
Belize House, Belmopan, Cayo District, August 28, 2013 The Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association this morning honoured two Belizean football players, Woodrow West and Ian Gaynair, with the first ever Gilmore Hinkson Fair Ply Trophy at a short but impressive ceremony at Belize House in Belmopan. The Awards Ceremony had the participation of the Hon. Herman Longsworth the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports with direct responsibilities for Youth and Sports, Mr. Hilly Martinez, President of the Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association, who gave a short back to Gilmore Hinkson and his involvement in sports in Belize, Ms. Josephine Flowers and Sonny Meighan of the Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association, Mr. Edward "Ned" Pitts, President Emeritus of the Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association, Mr. Michael Blease, General Secretary of the Football Federation of Belize, players and coaching staff members of the National Football Team of Belize, as well as well wishers and family members and fans of both Woodrow West and Ian Gaynair.

Athletics Association Elections on hold
The President of the Interim Committee of the Belize Athletics Association on advised from Consul informs the members of the Belize Athletics Association that the General Assembly Meeting that was scheduled for Saturday, August 31, 2013, at the University of the West Indies Open Campus on Princess Margaret Drive has been postponed until further notice.

Dion Leslie elected president of the Belize Cycling Association
The Election Commission of the Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association on Saturday, August 24, 2013, conducted the first ever national elections for the Belize Cycling Association. The General Assembly of the Belize Cycling Association was called to order at 2:20 p.m. by Mr. Hilly Martinez, chair of the Interim Cycling Committee. A total of 13 from the 15 delegates that were able to attend the congress did show up to participate in the General Congress. The elections for the post of president was then carried out by the Election Commission in which Dion Leslie of the Central Region received 9 out of the 13 votes casts, while Cordell Gordon of the Southern Region received 4 of the 13 votes casts. The elections for the post of 3 vice presidents were then held in which Orson Butler of the Central Region received 13 votes, Cordell Gordon of the Southern Region received 12 votes and Daniel Cano of the Western Region received 9 votes. The Committee members that were elected are Sheena Castillo of the Central Region with 13 votes, Fitzgerald Joseph of the Central Region with 12 votes, and Gilroy Spence of the Western Region with 9 votes.

Firms Basketball competition continues this weekend
The Belize District Basketball Association Firms Competition will continue this coming weekend out at the Bird's Isle with a number of games on the schedule. On Friday August 30, there are three games on the schedule with the first game commencing at 7:00 pm. In game one, it will be PUC/CBA/ Fisheries Dept against Atlantic Bank. The second game will feature Heritage Bank Ltd against the Belize Bank and this will be followed by BTL against the Belize City Council. The competition will then continue on Saturday, August 31 with three more games. In game one at 7:00 pm will see courts going up against Central Health Region, this will be followed by Bowen & Bowen will see action against BTL and in the night cap it will be Customs & Excise Dept. will do battle with Port of Belize.

Baden pink balls for the XXIII National Women's Softball Championship
The Belize Softball Federation will play host to the XXIII Edition of the National Women's Softball Championship which is scheduled for Friday, August 30 - September 1, 2013, at Rogers Stadium the home of softball in Belize. As the premier female sports in the country, the Belize Softball Federation has dedicated this year's National Women's Softball Championship to the survivors of cancer especially breast cancer. The Baden's balls that will be used in the championship are pink in colour and carry the logo of the Cancer Awareness Foundation. The ceremonial first pitch will be a dual pitch, the first time that this will be done in the country and this honours will be given to Mrs. Philippa Griffith-Bailey, ISF Hall of Fame Member, immediate past Treasurer of the Belize Softball Federation, the only Women in Sports Commissioner in the country and she will be joined by a representative of the Cancer Society.

Body of Mexican Veterinarian taken out from 'Rio On Pools' in Cayo
On August 22, 2013 Dr. Marcelino Sosa 28 years was taking pictures from a cliff about 20 feet high in the 'Rio On Pool', in the Mountain Pine Ridge Area, in the Cayo District, when he accidentally fell into the stream at the bottom of the cliff and disappeared under the water. Dr. Sosa at the time was along with a group of Mexican Veterinarians and worked for the National Cattle Sweep Project testing cattle for Brucellosis. Efforts were made on August 22nd by a group, including Belize Defense Force personnel, to find Dr. Sosa, but due to darkness the search was suspended. On the following day, a search team comprising of the Belize Defense Force, Police and Forest Rangers-also drawing from people posted at Tapir Camp-- again made another attempt to find Dr. Sosa. With the help of co-workers Sosa's body was eventually discovered at the bottom of the pool and taken to the morgue at the San Ignacio Community Hospital. The body was transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital KHMH on Monday of this week. A post mortem has since been done by Dr. Mario Estradabran at the KHMH on the body which concluded that the cause of death was due to Asphyxiation by drowning due to mild head trauma due to an Incidental Consequence. At the K.H.M.H both Marcelino Miranda from the Mexican Consulate and Leonardo Palacio Lopez, brother-in-law of the deceased assisted Dr. Mario Estradabran in confirming the body to be that of Dr. Marcelino Sosa.

Youth Talks - Carnival � is all about the meat...
Carnival, as the event is remembered it brings excitement into the minds of our Belizeans. It is a word that like a whistle beginning a race begins celebrations. As September nears, one of the most exciting and expected events is carnival. But what does the term mean? What is its purpose? Is it fully a recreational activity intended for people to become free and walk around half naked on the streets under the excuse that this is what carnival is all about, or has it evolved leaving behind its real meaning? It seems now that carnival, like technology and fashion has been updating itself but still not changing its ancient purpose. It is still what it was intended to be from its beginning. Can we understand it? As a child in primary school I was taught that carnival originated from the slaves that were brought from Africa. According to my teachers, the slaves tried to mimic the appearance of their masters during the time of celebration. This may be true for other cultural displays in Belize but according to the facts carnival originated from the old world, Europe. According to Lynne Guitar, Ph.D. history/anthropology the celebration all started in Ancient Greece and Italy, long before the emergence of Christianity. The pagans had wild celebrations centered on the winter, spring and fall festival which was celebrated by even those who had become Christians. This being the reason then, that the Catholic Church adopted many of the celebrations, in turn giving them Christian meanings.

Blogs

Well wishes to the Ramon's Village after the fire symptoms - Symptoms and treatment for smoke inhalation
It is not always easy to look at the bright side when such a big tragedy occurs like as the Ramon's Village fire, how ever there is a lot to be thankful for. The fire could have been so much worse and none of the guests or anyone who was helping put out the fire [that I know of] was hurt. All 25 guests staying in the cabanas were safe and thankfully very few suffered loss of luggage and travel documents. Those that did were being helped in regards to getting to the Embassy and getting everything sorted out. The guests were all given care packages and relocated to near by resorts. I heard they were sent to SunBreeze Hotel and Victoria house Resort but have yet to get confirmation on that. I have also heard I also have heard reports that Ramon's staff will be taken care of. Biiig shout out to all of them, they really did an outstanding job in working around the clock and through the fire.

Regulation Bowling in Belize? I Could Not Have Been More Surprised at Jaguar Lanes
A bowling alley here? This seems like a scoop. And A/C? What a treat! A double scoop. This is not someone's rec room�or some homemade set of bowling pins. This is REGULATION bowling! Four proper lanes! What the heck?!?! I was seriously shocked. For the whole evening I was shocked� Look�bowling leagues. In Belize!?!?! I have no idea what they numbers mean but this looks like the real deal!

My First Pictures of the Devastating Fire at Ramon's Village: Small Fires Still Burn
I walked to Ramon's at dawn�I will fill in the words as I go but here are all of the pictures. I would estimate that 50% of Ramon's has been levelled. The sea front buildings are smoke damaged but looking pretty good. AMAZING after the fire we saw last night and the propane tanks being opened and exploding. History of Ramon's that I snagged from Lan Sluder's post on Belizeforum.com: "The resort has quite a history. It opened in 1981 on the site of the island's first resort, Reef Colony. Reef Colony had been set to open in late 1961 but was destroyed by Hurricane Hattie on Halloween before it opened. The Holiday Hotel then opened in 1965 as the first real resort hotel on the island. Ramon's opened on land owned by local fishing guide Ramon Nu�ez, who became the original manager of the hotel and remained associated with the resort. It was originally called Ramon's Reef Resort. Later Ramon's was purchased by Richard Headrick, a businessman from Mississippi, who over the years greatly expanded the resort. It had been extensively renovated over the past several years."

Casual Luxury and Rustic-luxe are Today's New Travel Trends
An emerging travel trend is good news for both the eco-tourism industry and the environment, according to The Lodge at Chaa Creek, a Belizean eco-resort specialising in comfortable back to nature adventures. "You're hearing words like 'rustic-luxe' and 'glamping' now, along with descriptions such as casual luxury, which we coined as our tagline back in 1981 when we starting taking guests at Chaa Creek, and while that's obviously good news for those of us in the eco-tourism industry, it's also great for the environment," Lucy Fleming, Chaa Creek's co-owner and GM said today. Ms Fleming started The Lodge at Chaa Creek with her husband Mick after farming what was then a remote parcel of land on the Macal River in Western Belize prior to the country's independence from Great Britain in September, 1981. According to Ms Fleming, Belize's unique growth as an eco-tourism destination was an outgrowth of the vibrant new nation's approach to development and the fact that the pioneers of Belize's tourism industry were members of that youthful generation concerned about environmental and social issues.

On the Road: Belize
"After joining JG Black Book and learning that I'd get the opportunity to travel to Belize, a country I'd heard and read so much about, I couldn't contain my excitement. As I prepared for my trip, I couldn't stop thinking about all the fascinating places I'd get to visit that Belize is know for, like the Great Blue Hole, ancient Mayan temples, dense tropical rainforests, mountains, rivers, jaguars, and whale sharks. With so much diversity, what could I expect other than an extremely exotic and fulfilling experience? A direct flight from Atlanta dropped me right in the heart of a destination with seemingly endless possibilities. From canoeing in deep jungle rivers and close encounters with howler monkeys to incredible seafood and world-class diving, I could not have had a more unique and memorable experience. For the adventurous and culture craving travelers, I highly recommend a visit to this amazing destination."

Get Customers Hooked
Here are six tips for turning happy customers into an army of brand advocates: 1. Turn receipts into customer feedback questionnaires. Your in-store purchase receipts are a guaranteed point-of-contact with most satisfied customers. Think about it: they've liked your products enough to buy them. Businesses around the world are getting wise to the opportunity to ask for customer feedback by printing details of their online surveys at the bottom, along with information about prize-draw giveaways for entering. UK's upmarket supermarket Waitrose, chocolatier Hotel Chocolat, and kitchenware store, Lakeland all give you the opportunity to enter fantastic prize draws for submitting feedback.

"Do It Again" in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
I really wasn't at all surprised when I got up shortly after 05.00 hours yesterday and got out onto the veranda with my coffee that there was no Internet connection. I put the loss down to repercussive effects of the fire the previous evening at Ramon's Village Resort (a call later in the morning to the Internet provider confirmed my thoughts - cables had been damaged). I tried repeatedly ((making full use of my technical skills (sic)) to regain a connection but to no avail. Nothing for it. So I gave up trying to publish the latest edition and just go for breakfast. So I did. When I got back to the condo we are renting during our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize I found that we had visitors. Tony, who is the manager for the development we are renting in, and his son were replacing the defective water heater ((we have been showering in cold water (doesn't bother me but now for Rose �)for two days whilst awaiting the arrival of the heater from Belize City)). I really have no idea what was required but it took an absolute age (they took lunch in between starting and completion) and it wasn't until 14.30 hours that we the got the 'thumbs up' from Tony that it was in and working. I did have something to do for some of the waiting time though because the Internet connection was re-established around 13.00 hours.

August 18, 2013 - August 24, 2013 Fishing Report
It's summertime in the tropics! We had a mix-up of weather and fishing conditions this week. The "highs" and "lows" of fishing is really character building. Sometimes we can be tough on ourselves when we don't execute a "perfect" presentation and miss a fish. And sometimes it all comes together and it takes weeks for "that first permit on fly" smile to weaken. We welcome everyone as "extended family," here at El Pescador. As our brand is fishing - we watch as this "fishing" common denominator brings people of all personalities and ages together. I love listening to all the shared stories and congeniality fishing brings to peoples lives. All the fish are here, but it's the stories that will last forever.

International Sources

Talking personal security in Belize
What are the main security risks to visitors? Generally it is a safe place but there have been accidents while people are doing adventure sports including diving and snorkeling. There was also a case of someone drowning while cave tubing: they were caught in a whirlpool. Home invasions and also sexual assaults including rape are on the rise. There have been quite a number of rapes and muggings in San Pedro, a popular tourist hangout. Opportunistic attacks also happen. A German national doing an internship was held up at knife point at the Blue Hole National Park. And lost passports are a regular occurrence. What are the crime trends? The criminals are definitely getting more brazen and you can't be confident of being safe during daylight hours any more. The number of break-ins have increased for homes, business premises and vehicles. Reports are rising of vehicles being stolen to order and driven over the borders. There have even been break-ins at the diplomatic missions in central Belmopan including at the Venezuelan, Costa Rican and Salvadorian Embassies. The murder rate has been rising over the last few years, and the policing and justice systems are ill-equipped to deal with this. The international donor community is helping the authorities to increase capacity and reduce the levels of perceived corruption. Currently, there's only a 3% conviction rate in murder cases.

Top 5 Best Women Safety Smartphone Applications
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Lightroom is great software for organizing and editing photos. Here we tell you some great time-saving shortcuts that you don't want to miss out on.



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