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Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials


The San Pedro Sun

FFB Stadium ready for CONCACAF Championship League
With the CONCACAF 2014/2015 Champions League scheduled to start Tuesday, August 5th, final construction work is being made at the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) Stadium to meet international standards. The Belmopan Bandits were drafted on Wednesday, May 28th to compete in the league, on the condition that FFB would renovate the only FIFA certified stadium in Belize to have all amenities that other international fields possess. The FFB Stadium received $1.8 million from FIFA for the upgrade. Those include proper lighting, seating for 5,000 people, separate shower stalls and locker rooms for participating teams and referees, and a football pitch landscaped with Bermuda grass (a special type of grass required by FIFA standards).CONCACAF officials inspected the stadium on Thursday, June 19th and Friday, June 20th. Even though the football pitch was not completed at the time, officials declared that the FFB Stadium met required standards, thus allowing the Belmopan Bandits to participate in the CONCACAF Champions League. The football pitch has recently been completedand the field is now fully prepared for the first match.

The Belize Cancer Society of California works in Belize
On Monday July 21st, Arlette Pilgrim president of the Belize Cancer Society of California, USA visited the island town of San Pedro to make a donation to The San Pedro Cancer Society. The Belize Cancer Society of California is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness, educating and raising funds to assist in cancer care throughout Belize. Pilgrim has been working with local cancer societies in Belize since 2012. While in the country on her most recent trip, Pilrgrim visited the island to hand over a donation to Miguel Perez, president of The San Pedro Cancer Society. The contribution consisted of three pairs of prosthetic breasts, a few nightgowns, and various teaching materials and equipment, including a breast exam teaching tool that will aid in the instruction of proper self examination. Other visits in the country included several areas in the Belize City District such as Albert Street, Pickstock, and Lake Independence where Pilgrim visited homes teaching women and men how to perform proper self examinations for breast cancer. Pilgrim also visited the Cancer Societies of both Belize City and Orange Walk where in addition to making contributions also provided the community with educational flyers and brochures that aid in fostering awareness.

Without a Master Plan, development in San Pedro Town continues to grow haphazardly
San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye is the fastest growing municipality in the entire country. With growth comes development, and for over 25 years, the island has been developing unchecked. That is because there is no master plan guiding development on Ambergris Caye, and there has never been one. That was confirmed by the Chairman of the Master Plan Committee for San Pedro Town, Fidel Ancona. Ancona told The San Pedro Sun that the first time there was a serious attempt to develop a master plan was 26 years ago. "There was already some sort of a master plan done by the Belize Water Services, since it was an Inter-American Development Bankloan requirement for the introduction of potable water to San Pedro. Under the Mayorship of Pedro Salazar, we worked around that plan, to establish a master plan and that has been a guide for development ever since," said Ancona. Former Mayor Salazar served as Mayor of San Pedro Town from 1988 to 1991, but after he left office, the master plan was never approved. Since then, development has taken a entirely different angle, with larger buildings being erected, often going unregulated.

Misc Belizean Sourcesmzz

Belize Zoo is Fully Accessible
The Belize Zoo has finished making all of the pathways accessible. It was a 2 year journey, and it's the only accessible nature destination in Belize. Congratulations! "After 2 long years of fundraising and awareness, The Belize Zoo is so very proud to let the world know it is now the first and only accessible nature destination in Belize! All the Zoo pathways have now been completed and are wheelchair, walker, stroller and even high heel friendly! We thank all our friends, partners, colleagues, and patrons that made this goal a beautiful rose coloured reality here at 'the best little zoo in the world!'"

CTGA Tourism Eco Camp Starts Tomorrow
The Cayo Tour Guide Association's Summer Tourism Eco Camp starts tomorrow. The kids are going to have an amazing time, especially with all the great places they'll be camping. "The Tourism Eco Camp was designed as a tour, which is why we decided very early into the planning that we would change the scenery every few days. So the campgrounds are at Black Rock Lodge, Nabitunich, Duploys Jungle Lodge and Crystal Paradise. Thank you very much to these resorts for helping us in various ways, from giving us food and activities to do around the resort, and above all, for hosting us at their beautiful location. "

Patriotic Video Competition
The Belize Celebration Committee is having this year's Patriotic Video Competition. Check out their page for more information.

High School Book Drive
Feelgood news of the day. Fuego and the Treatery have teamed up with the Winsom Foundation to raise funds to buy school books for local high school students. All you have to do is like the picture, and they'll donate $1 to the cause. Thanks! "FUEGO & THE TREATERY have joined forces with the WINSOM FOUNDATION to buy school books for underprivileged HIGH SCHOOL kids this fall.......for EVERY LIKE we will donate $1.00 to the FUND. HELP US TO RAISE MONEY for EDUCATION!!"

PlusTV

Teacher found dead in his Belize City home
Police are currently investigating what appears to be the murder of 28 year old Stephen John Michael, a teacher at 7th Day Adventist School. According to police reports, at around 7:12 am on July 25th, police visited #7685 corner of Jaguar and Tapir Streets in Belize City where they...

US Capital Prepares to Drill
  A convoy of eight large heavy duty trucks transporting oil rigs could be seen going in a southerly direction early this morning. The large trucks, which came from across the Mexican border, were headed enroute to the Temash 2 drill site near Sunday Wood Village in the Toledo...

BML to Release Workers due to CITCO’s Debt
About 50 individuals employed at the Belize Maintenance Limited (BML) will be sent home on Monday due to financial constraints of the company. The Belize City council currently owes the sanitation company 1.3 million dollars and according to Lawrence Ellis, owner of BML, that 3.1 million does not include...

PUP Disgusted But Not Shocked that Penner Walks.
In a press release issued on Friday, the People’s United Party expressed their gross dissatisfaction with the way the Elvin Penner Prosecution was struck out calling it a “Dark Day for the Belizean Nation.” According to the press release, “ Elvin Penner, the individual who many Belizeans feel is...

Ram-jam buses and fed-up commuters
Edmund Castro in 2012 , as the new Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport, appeared determined to address some of the overwhelming problems faced by regular commuters. As it turned out, one of the most pervading problems was the overcrowding of buses. Several amendments were made to...

The Reporter

Home invasion turns deadly
A home invasion on Mopan Street turned deadly as one man was killed and three others were shot just before 5:00 a.m on Saturday. The Reporter has confirmed w that Carlos Mayorga was shot and killed while Alisa Ascencio, 41, was shot in the […]

CitCo arrears may cause BML to downsize
Belize Maintenance Limited has avoided dismissing 50 employees on Monday, thanks to a payment from the Belize City Council on Friday. The company may still find itself having to contemplate retrenching some workers next week, however, if the Council fails to make another payment […]

Brazil releases $13 billion to boost economy
Brazil’s central bank has announced plans to boost economic growth by reducing the amount of money commercial banks keep in reserve. The bank says the measure will free up $13 billion which the banks could lend. The announcement comes less than three months before presidential […]

Company offers reward for safe return of missing employee
There is now a reward for the safe return of Kevin Carcamo, the chairman of Hattieville who has been missing for the past five days. Carcamo, an employee of Discoverseis Geophysical Swrvices disappeared while on the job in the Freetown Sibun area behind Hattieville Village. […]

Mystery surrounds teacher’s death
Stephen John Michael Jr., a 28-year-old Seventh Day Adventist school teacher, was killed in his home and found early Friday morning. Michael’s father, who lives across the street, found him lying nude in his bed with what he said was a spot of blood […]

The Belize Times

SABOTAGE!!! - Court dismisses case against Penner, COLA will appeal
To no one's surprise, Elvin Penner, the disgraced former UDP Minister, walked out of the Belmopan Magistrate's Court from the Immigration criminal charges on Thursday morning 24th July, 2014. The UDP's Penner is the first Government Minister to be caught red-handed in a scandal of major proportion over Belize passports. So stink was the stench of the scandal that PM Barrow, knee deep in his Government's corruption cover-up, had to shovel Penner out of his Cabinet in September of last year. Barrow at first publicly told Belizeans he would support the disgraced Penner to the maximum. He hastily visited Penner's constituency and at public meetings was caught on camera telling Cayo voters that he had "millions upon millions of dollars" which he would spend to keep Penner as the elected area representatives. Subsequently, Barrow has done everything possible to prevent Penner from answering to the nation. First, a citizen's effort to recall Penner was sabotaged when personnel from the Elections and Boundaries, overstepped their authority and deprived just a sufficient amount of voters on the recall referendum, which would have removed Penner from office as the Area Representatives for Cayo North East.

KHMH In Crisis!!! - CEO urges PM to intervene; blasts Ministry of Health for lack of support
Reports of the financial woes at the nation's main public referral hospital, Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, have been greatly understated according to a letter written by the hospital's Chief Executive Officer Dr. Francis Gary Longsworth which was sent to the Chairlady of the Board, Chandra Cansino. In the May 30th 2014 letter, leaked to the BELIZE TIMES, CEO Longsworth explained to Cansino that the financial situation is so terrible that the hospital has been denied supplies by certain vendors who have been demanding payments owed to them. Longsworth warned, "�this matter is now at the point of crisis" and added that there is a possibility that the hospital "will not be able to meet next month's payroll". Earlier this month, when Cansino gave media interviews regarding the almost 600 members of staff and the likelihood that they won't benefit from the Government's salary increase, she seemed to overlook the fact that the hospital's financial crisis may deny the staff's regular pay.

Mother of 2 accused of common-law husband's murder
37 year old Anabel Bacelis Kumul, a mother of two children, has been detained by the Police in San Pedro as the main suspect in the vicious stabbing murder of her common-law husband, 28 year old Felix Alamilla. Kumul, who is of a Mexican nationality, was arrested around 7:00am on Wednesday morning outside the Tropic Air office on the island. Her common-law husband died about half an hour earlier at the San Carlos Medical Center from multiple stab wounds he had sustained. Unconfirmed reports are that on Wednesday Alamilla was sleeping at a house he takes care of in the Boca Ciaga Area, when around 5:30 that morning Kumul arrived and attacked him with a knife. Alamilla sustained stab wounds to his thigh, shoulder and one of his eyes. He was rushed to the medical center on a golf cart by his step father but he did not survive.

It not now�when?
It is becoming painfully and increasingly obvious that besides throwing concrete over every grassy knoll, this current UDP administration has absolutely no clue as to how to govern this nation. Things are out of control in every aspect; be it judicial, economical, educational or moral. New laws are being written, old ones are being amended but yet, the guilty walk and only the innocent are going to jail. We are closing down schools and firing teachers but more children are out of school than ever before. Politicians are growing rich and traveling the world in style while the number of people below the poverty line grows exponentially. Oil companies and big business get lavish accommodation agreements but the unemployment figures continue to rise. It seems we have busted loose from our every social and philosophical mooring. Captain, this ship is adrift and the seas are getting rough! Unfortunately, this administration has succeeded in creating an atmosphere of intimidation and fear that has silenced many of the powerful voices in our society. Those not docile and submissive have been bought with prestige, profit or even cake; 'tis a sad state of affairs indeed.

Barrow's Doing
Most Belizeans would not be surprised that Elvin Penner walked a free man from the private prosecution initiated by the brave Citizens Organized for Liberty thru Action (COLA). This is because even though the private prosecution was suggested by Prime Minister Dean Barrow, he had already declared on national radio and television, many months ago, that he does not see anything criminal in Penner's actions. Anyone who knows how Barrow rules, will tell you that his declaration was as good as a royal decree. Even the Commissioner of Police trembled at Barrow's trumpeting. He found a cave to hide. The news, therefore, is really that COLA will not back down and plans to appeal the travesty that took place at the Magistrate's Court this Thursday, July 24th morning. The case was just about to get interesting, with COLA seeking the Court's permission to summon Commissioner Allen Whylie, Immigration Minister Godwin Hulse and even Prime Minister Dean Barrow to Court. Many believe they are keeping information about Penner secret from us all. But the truth will come to light! While Penner walks after giving away our passport and nationality to an international fugitive, hundreds of normal Belizeans are being carted off to Court like heavy criminals for much, much less wrongs such as not riding a bicycle equipped with bells and lights.

Customs advances to softball playoffs
Customs/Central Bank bombed Telemedia 24-11 by mercy rule in their first win to qualify as the No. 4 seed entering the Belize City interoffice softball playoffs at the Rogers Stadium over the weekend. They were led by Gilbert Gordon and Marlon Garnett, who scored 5 runs each, while Sasha Brown scored 3 [...]

Edgar Rogers wins 1st Annual Spartan Fitness Club Bodybuilding Classic
The taller, leaner, more sculpted Placencia fitness buff, Edgar Rogers, took 1st place in the Overall Category to win the 1st annual Spartan Fitness Gym Bodybuilding Classic organized and hosted by Mr. Belize, Rigo Vellos and Spartan Fitness Gym. Rogers had won the Over 70 Kilos Category. 2nd place in that category [...]

City Boys Jrs. wins 2014 SMART Mundialito
The City Boys Jrs. won the 2014 SMART Mundialito championship, blasting the Ladyville Rising Stars 4-1 in a penalty shootout at the Yabra green in Belize City on Saturday. The Ladyville Rising Stars held the City Boys Jrs. to a nil zip draw through regulation time and overtime, going to a penalty shootout to decide the winner. City Boys' Shadrick Lord, Denzell Carr, Ken Galvez and MVP Akeem Sutherland converted their penalties, but only Kenroy Allen scored for Ladyville.

Godwin Hulse should launch special Passport investigation in Taiwan
Belize City, July 21, 2014 The much-publicised and maligned Kim Won Hong passport, issued by the Passport Department of the Ministry of Immigration, is a crucial piece of evidence in the ongoing prosecution of corrupt UDP Area Representative Elvin Penner. This ...

Delusional Sedi!
Belize City, July 24, 2014 Attorney General Sedi Elrington was playing Simple Simon on Wednesday night in an interview with UDP station Channel 7 about their Government's oppressive and overreaching gun laws which is jailing innocent Belizeans. Dean Barrow's gun laws have been jailing people left, right and center. Children, minors, and ...

Freddy Bencomo Debuts at the Factory
By Katie N. Usher "I work, I have a regular job, I've had it for 18 years. I paint at night and on the weekends, when I have free time," he said calmly "And you farm?" "Yes!" He responded, completely dodging my attempt ...

AMAZING GRACE – Would You Accept A Beer From Jesus?
Like the aged veterans who always came together to play dominos outside the village Chinese store, believers enjoy coming together to share stories, sing songs, and blast out resounding 'amens' and 'hallelujahs' that shake the rafters of the ceiling. They call this meeting 'church'. Every Sunday (and Monday prayer meetings ...

HOME ECONOMICS – The Enemies of Industrial Growth Part I
By Richard Harrison Belize's colonial history left the country inheriting laws, policies and practices....and culture...of harvesting raw materials and sending them abroad...with preference for importing and consuming finished products. Production and value-adding is not a part of our genetic make-up or conditioning. Amendments to our laws, policies and practices since Independence ...

Cervantes family unsatisfied with Police investigation
"My dad wasn't kidnapped to extort money out of our family, he was killed. It was a contract or a hit to kill him," - Ramon Cervantes Jr. Belize City, July 20, 2014 The family of murder victim Ramon Cervantes Sr. has ...

Ariel Rosado Memorial Foundation awards 30 scholarships
Belize City, July 15, 2014 The life of avid cyclist and attorney-in-the-making Ariel Rosado, whose sudden and untimely passing saddened the country in May 2011, has been immortalized in acts of kindness and a commitment to uplift human kind. Parents Dr. Alvaro ...

Oscar Reque�a supports Sports Development in Toledo West – Over 24 teams - 90 Games
Toledo District, July 18, 2014 The first of its kind Oscar Reque�a Football Cup was a huge success in Toledo West. On Saturday July 12th, a crowd of over 700 supporters gathered in San Pedro Columbia to witness Hon. Reque�a awarding the ...

WOMAN IN THE HOUSE – How Not to Govern!
By Dolores Balderamos Garcia Last month there were a slew of graduations all over the country. In Belize Rural Central we had our share as well. Flagship high school for the constituency, Ladyville Technical High School, held their graduation I believe for the tenth time, and they consistently produce good graduates ...

PUP STATEMENT ON DISMISSAL OF PENNER CASE
July 24, 2014 Today is a DARK DAY for the Belizean Nation. Elvin Penner, the individual who many Belizeans feel is most directly responsible for the illegal sale of our Belizean nationality and passports, walked freely out of the Magistrates Court in Belmopan City today without even answering one single question ...

REFLECTIONS OF THE PUBLIC SQUARE – A new vision for Southside Belize City
By Francis W. Fonseca This past Saturday I spent the day on the Southside of Belize City visiting with residents in the Mesopotamia Division and participating in a Yard Meeting in the Port Loyola Area. Southside Belize City represents both the "good" and "bad" of Belize. Residents are vibrant, energetic, passionate and loud. ...

PUP Yaad Meeting in Port Loyola – Residents Condemn Barrow's Abusive Gun Laws
Belize City, July 21, 2014 On Saturday July 19th, 2014 Gilroy Usher Sr. and the PUP Port Loyola Committee held a very successful yard meeting in the division with a number ...

Time for Action Against Corruption in Public Health Service
Dear Editor, I would really like to know how much corruption or distasteful action Belizeans will ignore in the Ministry of Health before they get riled up and demand the removal of those persons who are depriving the country of funds needed to assist people in need of help. With the present ...

Diaspora, what have you done for me lately?
Dear Editor, "Churchill in 1940 emphatically refused to make plans to dispatch the British fleet to American ports in the event of Britain's defeat, and he argued against evacuating children to Canada. Both measures he thought were "defeatist". Any discussion of transferring the fleet he wrote "is bound to weaken confidence ...

Blogs

Last Days Of Belize Summer Vacation�
Or so it feels like it�rather than spending most of the days on the computer (or traveling or eating), I've been hitting the beach. My most bestest friend Jamie (who is a 7th grade math teacher - pause to shudder over the thought of hoards of pubescent children) usually visits me for 4-6 weeks during her summer break but this year, it was a piddly TWO. She won't even be here to pose with the Costa Maya girls this year! Here she is in 2011 with the festival's beauty queens at Fido's.

The Eco Kids Rule - Another Chapter in Our Jungle Book!
We promised an update on the Eco Kids educational summer camp, and as our budding environmentalists rounded the half way mark of this weeklong educational adventure the job just got harder - not from trying to find things to write about, but by having way too many cool things to pick and choose from. There's no doubt the Eco Kids have definitely hit the right balance between education and fun while giving their dedicated camp councillors a run for their money. So, to pick up from where we left off, we'll start with July 22nd, scheduled as water activities day. Safety comes first with Eco Kids, so when it was determined that the usually tranquil Macal River was running a bit fast this day, the fun was moved to Chaa Creek's infinity pool, showing once again that whether they be from the city, villages or countryside, all kids share a love of water. Refreshed and ready for action, the kids then broke into teams for the annual Maya ball tournament, with Tapirs v Toucans and Jaguars v Monkeys. The winning Monkeys and Tapirs duked it out in round two, with Monkeys claiming victory, and, according to some reports, the actual local howler monkeys loudly celebrating the triumph throughout the jungle that night.

SALAD BAR - CAJUN CHICKEN SALAD
Make three diagonal slashes across each chicken breast. Put the chicken into a shallow dish and sprinkle all over with the Cajun seasoning. Cover and let chill for at least 30 minutes. When ready to cook, brush a stove top grill pan with the corn oil, if using. Heat over high heat until very hot and a few drops of water sprinkled into the pan sizzle. Add the chicken and cook for 7-8 minutes on each side, or until thoroughly cooked. If still slightly pink the center, cook a little longer. Remove chicken and set aside. Add the mango slices to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.

International Sourcesizz

Panama U20s seal CONCACAF, Pan Am Games berths
e at the 2015 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, posting a 3-0 win over Guatemala in the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) qualifying tournament on Friday. For complete schedule, results, table and scorers, click here. In addition to earning a ticket to Jamaica next January, the Panamanians also secured a berth in the 2015 Pan American Games. Here's a recap of the tripleheader action at the Estadio Cuscatlan: Honduras 5, Belize 0 In the opener, surging Honduras (8 points) won its second straight game and posted its third consecutive shutout, topping Belize (0 points), 5-0. Bryan Rochez (65', 74' pen) netted twice in the second-half, while Junior Lacayo (42') and Rolin Alvarez (45') staked the Catrachos to a 2-0 just before the break. Fredy Medina (71') had made it 4-0 with his second goal of the competition. The Hondurans will be guaranteed one of the four qualifying spots with a win against Nicaragua on July 29, but can also progress earlier, depending on results of matches two days before. Belize has been eliminated from contention with two games left on its schedule.

Videos

Video: ProWorld, Belize, 2min.
I've had the amazing opportunity to intern with ProWorld in Punta Gorda, Belize at the 'Youth Empowerment Center' for the month of July! Hanging out with kids was nothing short of entertaining; we enjoyed photography workshops (done by yours truly), art projects, painting a mural, yoga, cooking, soap making, drumming, hiking, snorkeling, and so much more! Enjoy! :)

Video: Backpacking Belize & Guatemala, 4min.

Video: Belize:Guatemala 6:2014, 7min.

Video: Belizean Legends: Glenda Ellis, 14min.
The first in series of documentary series called Belizean Legends that will profile Belizean softball legend Glenda Ellis as she discuss with host Bilal Morris how Belize beat the 1970's's softball world champions team the United States in the 1979 Pan-American Games. Ellis was the player that hit the winning home run that gave the Belize team a 2-1 victory over the United States.

Video: Chicken drop in san pedro belize, 5min.
This is a local gambling game where the chicken is allowed to drop on a board of numbers. You win if he drops on your number.

Video: belize 2k14, 15min.
Belize vacation

Video: Mission Trip - Armenia, Belize - July 2014, 14min.
The First Baptist Church of White Plains mission team returns for the 2nd year to Armenia, Belize.

Video: Cave Tubing in Belize, 9min.

Video: Dji Phantom 2 over Belize's Great Blue Hole, 2min.
Aerial footage of the Great Blue Hole after our Great Blue Hole dive with Huracan Diving and Itza Lodge! This was before I got FPV on my Phantom 2, so I unfortunately couldn't see what I was filming at the time.

Video: Belize Diving Video, 8min.
Short video using our GoPro and diving in Belize. Fun times

Video: Sharks in Belize, 6min.
GoPro footage of us having some fun in Belize. Snorkel with the sharks.

Video: Belize Snorkeling GoPro, 5min.
Filmed by: Austin Admire Music by: Dexter Britain- Until the Day Filmed in San Pedro, Belize- Shark/Ray Alley. July 2014.