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Specials and Events

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


The San Pedro Sun

Lunch Time in the City at Princess Hotel
The Ramada Princess Hotel and Casino in Belize City is a place often sought out for its safe and top notch party atmosphere and premiere gaming experience. It's home to Elite Nightclub and its "Las Vegas Style" Casino. But apart from its offering in accommodations and entertainment, there are plenty of reasons to visit The Princess�Let's talk food shall we?! Obviously the buffet was no secret, as we stood in line the crowds began to pour in and the line behind us grew significantly longer. It was our turn and man were my taste buds beginning to tingle with excitement! Set before us were tamalitos (ducunu),arroz blanco (white rice) , pan seared chicken strips, pibil tacos (OMG- Amazing!) stuffed jalapenos, quesadillas, sopa de limon and plenty of fruit sides and deserts including tres leches cake and arroz con leche (rice pudding)! The food was great and the dining hall was packed, I could honestly tell why these lunch time buffets were such a hit. I wish I had time to meet the chef and snap a few pics with the man behind the amazing recipes but time was running out on me!

Miss Honduras wins the 2015/2016 Reina de La Costa Maya Pageant
Taking the 2015/2015 Reina de La Costa Maya title and crown is none other than Miss Honduras Gabriela Vanessa Salazar Valle. She charmed the judges and audience in all four segments of the 20th annual pageant. As the opening event of the International Costa Maya Festival, this year's Reina De La Costa Maya pageant brought the carnival vibes to San Pedro with a display of color, music, dance and, of course, beauty. Even though only one could take home the crown, all eight contestants from across Central America and Mexico performed exceptionally well, certainly making their home country proud. Each delegated answered a single question on global issues. Judges for the night were: Gricel Graniel, Idolly Saldivar, Manuel Ancona, Tanya Giacoman Ayala, and Diane Tabony. One by one, the delegates approached center stage, then chose and answered their question. The judges then begun the arduous task of selecting a winner.

Elvi's Kitchen hosts Costa Maya Pageant delegates
With Chef Jennie at the helm, Elvi's Kitchen treated the contestants of the 2015 Reina de la Costa Maya Pageant to a delicious dinner on Wednesday, August 5th. Miss Belize Samalia Vernon, Miss Costa Rica Corlina On Porras, Miss El Salvador Genesis Margarita Fuentes Bola�os, Miss Guatemala Lisa Hayet Francis, Miss Honduras Gabriela Vanessa Salazar Valle, Miss Mexico Samantha Gut�errez G�nzalez-Rubio, Miss Nicaragua Yuliset Laguna, Miss Panama Maria Saavendra, and reigning Miss Costa Maya Elisa Gomez all enjoyed a wonderful feast which displayed the talent of Staines and crew in presenting delicious Belizean specialties. Of course, since there was live music, the ladies could not just sit the night away, and after blessing the dance floor with Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr., Samalia was joined by the rest of the ladies to indulge in some dancing.

Bank of America's 'de-risking' strategy causes break of correspondence with Atlantic Bank International
Another bank in Belize has lost correspondence with the Bank of America, and this time it is Atlantic Bank International Limited. Effective on Thursday, July 30th, Atlantic Bank no longer has any banking relationship with Bank of America, resulting in its customers not being able to conduct international banking transactions. This is the second bank in Belize to lose correspondence with Bank of America due to 'de-risking' strategy forced on the United States of America banking industry by federal regulators. The first bank to break ties was Belize Bank, who ceased transactions with Bank of America on April 30, 2015. Atlantic Bank International made the announcement via a press release posted on their website. In the release, they indicated the reason for the break in correspondence as well as the effect it will have on customers. "As you are probably aware by now, the International Banks in Belize have been experiencing issues with correspondent banking services. We are taking this opportunity to inform you that Atlantic International Bank Limited is no exception in this regard and, as a result, our correspondent bank account with Bank of America will be closed as of Friday July 31, 2015. Consequently, a few of our banking services such as Wire Transfers, USD Bank Drafts and Foreign Currency will be affected� We will update you in the next few days what options will be available to you for the movement of both incoming and outgoing wires. Rest assured we are working on several options at the moment and we are very confident that we will have both a temporary and permanent solution to the correspondent banking issue very shortly. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused but we ask your understanding as we work through this issue," stated the release.

Belize to Observe World Breastfeeding Week
The theme for this year's World Breastfeeding Week is "Breastfeeding and Work,Let's Make it Work" and will be commemorated from August 1st to 7th, 2015. The Collet Education and Resource Center Breastfeeding Counseling Service in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Institute on Nutrition for Central America and Panama (INCAP) and the Ministry of Health has organized a one day workshop aimed at promoting and facilitating breastfeeding in the workplace. The objective of the workshop is to sensitize the management of workplaces of the importance of promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding in the workplace.

Who will be moving on to the third round of the Five-a-side Football Tournament?
Now in the second round of competition, the Island Citizen Sporting Club (ICSC) and San Pedro High School (SPHS) Five-a-side Football Tournament is starting to peak, as players are giving it their all to earn a win for their team. In the first leg of the second round, the 16 senior teams played their first match in the round-robin series. As previously mentioned there has not yet been an elimination in the female and little league division, but teams are still striving for points. Games for the week kicked off on Thursday, July 30th shortly after 8PM at the Angel Nu�ez Auditorium. Spectators gathered in full force to cheer on their favorite teams. On opening the night were two friendly matches: San Pedro Belize Express, formerly Mecanicos FC, defeated Peace Makers FC in a 15 to 5 point game while Harmouch FC defeated Costa Warriors FC in an 8 to 5 point game.

Ambergris Today

Video Pick: Behind the Scenes Costa Maya Pageant Swimsuit Photo Shoot 2015
Ambergris Today got up at 4a.m. to join photographer Jose Luis Zapata, official photographer of the Costa Maya Festival, on the beach at Ramon's Village Resort, for the official Costa Maya Pageant Swimsuit photo shoot. We let Jose Luis do his job with the eight beautiful pageant delegates while our video cameras captured the ladies at work. Enjoy the behind the scenes footage we captured for your enjoyment and make sure you make it to the Costa Maya Festival, Pageant Night, Thursday, August 6, 2015, starting at 8p.m.

San Pedro Starts Transporting Garbage Off Island
The Solid Waste Management Project funded by the Government of Belize, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and being executed by the Belize Solid Waste Management Authority (BSWaMA), Ministry of Natural Resources & Agriculture, continues to deliver on its outputs. The San Pedro transfer station was inaugurated on July 3, 2015 and since then solid waste is being barged to the mainland for final disposal at the regional sanitary landfill located off Mile 24 on the George Price Highway. The regional sanitary landfill is built to international standards and has been recognized as one of the best constructed and operated landfill in the Latin America and Caribbean Region.

Misc Belizean Sourcesmzz

Caye Caulker People's Coalition Committee
An organization dedicated to: Reduction of crime, resolution of community issues, oversight for Police and CCVC-related topics, and promotion of a well-balanced community environment. Reduction of crime through Island Zone Representative initiative, Neighborhood Watch, Citizens on Patrol and Special Constable services. Resolution of Community Issues by working directly with Caye Caulker Police Formation Command Staff (criminal) and CCVC (zoning, permits, traffic, noise, etc.) problem areas. Oversight of Police and CVCC related topics. The Committee encourages Citizens of Caye Caulker to utilize the Citizen's Report Form to file complaints (with the PCC) on various aspects of community issues. This is one of the key elements of the PCC and one that deserves a separate paragraph.

Summer Edition of ART IN THE PARK
Bring out the entire family this weekend at the Corozal Central Park. It all starts at around 6:00 p.m. this Saturday August 8th. Here is a great time to meet old friends and reminisce on the good old times in Corozal, while treating yourself to a wonderful piece of art work. Food, music and ART.

Official Reina de la Costa Maya 2015 Photo Shoot
Taken at Ramon's Village Resort

BOLEDO DRAWING for Thursday, August 6, 2015: 82. PICK 3: 6 8 0. FANTASY 5: 24 8 36 32 14 B

Back to School Extravaganza
There will be a big Back to School Extravaganza at the Cayo Welcome Center on Sunday, August 23rd, starting at 10:00am. There will be lots of games and fun activities for the kids. "BACK TO SCHOOL EXTRAVAGANZA Only @ CAYO WELCOME CENTER 23rdAugust, 2015 starting at 10:00am to 5:00pm. All are invited!!!"

Channel 7

Dengue On The Rise In Belmopan
There has been an increase in Dengue cases this year so far. The vector Control Unit along with health professionals have been making their rounds and premise checks in those communities that have shown a spike in cases. Today Ministry of health personnel held a press conference in Belmopan to update us on the figures so far and what can be done to reduce Dengue cases. Courtney Weatherburne reporting With a couple tugs at the metal lever, this thermal fogger rumbled to a start. It's a sound that the vector control team as well as the community are very familiar with. Even more so now since the vector control team has increased its clean up and spraying campaigns in the Cayo district among other communities in the North and South. That boost in campaigns is as result of a 16% increase in Dengue cases countrywide - this year so far there have been 261 lab confirmed cases compared to 225 in all of 2014.

Cubans Caught in Belmopan, Bus Also Had Weed
4 Cubans were charged today in Belmopan with illegal entry. Police stopped a bus on its way from Benque to Belmopan yesterday afternoon and arrested the 4 Cuban nationals. But police also found about 7 pounds of weed on the bus. Today Belmopan Supt. Howell Gillet told us more about this bust and the coincidence. Supt. Howell Gillett, OC, Belmopan Police "Yesterday sometime after 1pm, we received information or intelligence that some drugs and some foreign nationals were being transported on a passenger bus from the Cayo District from the western border to our area. The bus was coming from Benque Viejo to this Belmopan jurisdiction. We immediately enlist of one of the specialists units within the Mobile Interdiction Team (MIT as it is called). We were able to intercept that bus and we found 4 Cubans. They have since been charged. They're names are Keyren Arguelles, Pedro Tehera, Pharrel Sanchez, and Yorda Perdomo.

Saldivar Takes A Walk On The Southside
Today Police Minister John Saldivar continued his working tour of the Eastern Division by visiting the newly formed southside formation. It's his first visit after this - the largest policing division in the country was reconfigured a month ago. He told Monica Bodden what he's looking for:... Hon. John Saldivar, Minister of National Security "I am very impressed with the organization and reorganization that I see happening on the south side. as well as I was yesterday when I visited the north side, I get the very distinct impression that this new configuration is going to do exactly what we want it to do in terms of the crime situation in Belize City. We're trying to put senior officers in charge of a smaller areas so that they can focus their attention and resources in those smaller areas. So whereas the entire eastern division previously was commanded by an assistant commissioner of police, now we have three divisions that are being commanded by assistant commissioners of police and of senior superintendents of police. So we believe that putting senior officers in a smaller area is going to yield the desired results."

Dangriga Police Destroy Drugs
Today, Dangriga police burnt up 261 pounds of marijuana in a bonfire that would bring water to a weedist's eye. The weed and a small amount of crack cocaine were burnt on the seaside just outside Dangriga Town this morning at 10:00 am. The exhibit keeper told the government press office what was burned:... Sgt. Franzine Solano, Exhibit Keeper - Dangriga "We are doing a jet destruction list. For the past 6 months police officers have been conducting routine patrols and operations and within that time span we have confiscated 35,721 grams of cannabis. Those were labeled as found property and persons arrested and charged, the amount of cannabis were 82,817 grams and 14.2 grams of crack cocaine. Those were all that were destroyed by means of destruction and it's an operation that the police do every often." It's a total of 118 kilos of marijuana - and that converts to 261 pounds.

City Cops Caught Marijuana In Swamp
And while Dangriga police destroyed their drugs, Belize city cops are adding to their stockpile of found weed. Yesterday, the northside strike team went on the southside, on Iguana Street Extension. Inside a swamp, they found four pounds of weed stuffed in an ammunition pan. The weed was separated into 17 black plastic bags. The 1.9 kilos was labeled as found property.

When Will The Price Of Rice Go Down?
In late March, the price per pound of rice became a very controversial topic when importer Jack Charles challenged the local producers and accused them of gouging consumers. He was pushing to import Guyanese rice, which he says could be cheaper than what is already on the market. The local producers pushed back and pointed out that they were not the ones gouging. It did prompt an intervention from the Government who promised to get the price per pound - which is currently at $1.15 - decreased so that consumers could get it cheaper. That announcement came on April 1, and the Government said that it would take 1 month for this new price regime to be announced. Since then, it's been been 3 and a half months, and no price change has been finalized. So, when we got the chance today, we asked the CEO in the Ministry of Trade, what's the hold up? Here's what he had to say: Mike Singh - CEO, Ministry of Trade "There has been a lot of movement, just not public movement. There has been a committee that was formed which involves our people from the Bureau of Standards, it involves people from Agriculture, from our Ministry and the Consumer Protection Unit. We've gotten so far, where two weeks ago we actually presented what our calculations of government side has been for the cost of production at which we will set the basis for where the price will be set.

Talking Trade With Guatemala
That opportunity to speak with the Trade Ministry's CEO came at a conference held at the Princess Ramada today between the Ministries of Trade from both Belize and Guatemala. They were continuing the discussion on how to formalize trade alliances between both countries, as spelt out in the Partial Scope Agreement, which was signed in 2010. Right now, the Trade technocrats from both sides have divided themselves up into 3 separate subcommittees to work through the challenges. CEO Singh discussed the challenges that they are tasked to overcome to move the process forward: Mike Singh - CEO, Ministry of Trade "And this includes committees for example for sanitary issues which is a SBS committee to deal with how does our BAHA personnel deal with the people in Guatemala to make sure that we equate our procedures so that fighter sanitary issues are acceptable in both sides to enable trade. We have other issues relating to tariff issues with Customs, so that our tariff codes can integrate.

Summer School for Principals
Right now, the summer holiday continues for students, but right now it's workshop time for principals all across the country. It's called the CPD Professional Development training, and as part of this year's session, these school leaders are learning to computerize vital information about their schools so that the Ministry can access it easier, and make timely interventions. They will be doing so using the Open Education Management Information System, or Open EMIS for short. By having this data properly documented and managed through the Open EMIS system, the Ministry will be better able to make policy decisions on what to do with its budget, for example. The government officials would know, after reviewing the data, if they need to buy more textbooks, build more classrooms or schools, or hire more teachers. Today, we dropped in at the training for the Belize District Principals at the Edward P Yorke High School, and we found out more:

Police Cadets Get Swarmed By Bees, Cop Saves Them
13 police youth cadets were stung by killer bees this afternoon. At around 3, about 50 cadets were out on a summer field trip in Macaroni Hill in the Pamona Area of Stann Creek when 13 of them walked right into a swarm of killer bees. The 13 were badly stung and 2 of them even fainted as a result of the panic. Fortunately, the kids as well as a Police Constable Lyons were all taken to the hospital and were treated and released - only the 2 cadets who fainted are still being monitored. We understand Lyons did all he could to distract the bees from the cadets and attract them to him.

Youth Apprenticeship Programme, 150 More
Today, the Youth Apprenticeship Program graduated its 7th intake of students. When the program started in November 2010, it was conceived as a second chance opportunity for at-risk youths who dropped out of the formal education system, and wanted to get their lives back on track. Today, 150 who spent the last 6 months under the tutelage of coordinator Diane Finnegan and her team, graduated at a ceremony held at the Princess Ramada Hotel. Here's what Education Minister Patrick Faber told them during the Keynote Address: Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education "One of the reasons why I come to these graduation ceremony, well apart from the fact that Ms. Diane refuses to have them until I am available to come, is that I get a shot, an injection, an infusion of motivation in the work that I do. When I am able to sit, watch and hear the success stories of our young people whom many, at one point or the other in their lives, are said wouldn't amount to anything productive in our society. When you see them being productive, that's an injection, an infusion of motivation for all of us in the Belizean society.

From Roswell, But Not Via Spaceship
Roswell New Mexico in the United States may be most famous for its UFO sightings - but cops from that City are here to teach Belize police officers - and they didn't come on a spaceship! 35 police officers from the Cayo District are at the training academy learning about everything from first aid to firearms. WE FOUND OUT how it will help local police: Training ends on Thursday.

Incentive For Cops To Bust Cattle Thieves
With the price of Belizean beef soaring in the Guatemalan market - cattle rustling in Western Belize has become a chronic problem. Well, now the Belmopan Police and the Belize Livestock Association have agreed to work together to directly reward cops who run down rustlers. And it's not just small change, either. Any cop whose arrest leads to a conviction of a cattle rustler will get five thousand dollars. We found out more today:.. Supt. Howell Gillett, OC, Belmopan Police "Recently, not only in the Cayo District, the price of beef has gone up tremendously, I think double or more. Along with the rise came the increase in cattle theft, or what we know as cattle rustling. So we knew that because of the increase, there will be a rise in criminal activities so we partnered with the Belize Live Stock Producers Association and they almost readily agreed to the proposals that we took to them and one of them is that last Wednesday, we signed a memorandum of understanding between the Belmopan police and the BLPA.

Getting Shrimp Up To Standard
Last week we showed you the fishermen who hustle every year around this time to catch the rare sea shrimp at the North side of the city. As we showed you it's all about hauling in the most shrimp which will ultimately bring in more cash. Sounds straight forward right? Well, when looking at the Shrimp industry at the commercial level - it is anything but simple. Today stakeholders in the industry held a workshop at the George Price Center in Belmopan to discuss the standards and regulations that Belize must follow in order to enrich the quality and packaging of the product as well as other key elements that will improve service to you the consumers. Janice Hilaire, Project Coordinator "To put it into context, we as I said I work and seeks to harmonize or develop standards across the region across, the Caricom and the Sates. We are network of national grower's standards so that Belize grower's standards is one of our members. So we are working with the bureau and the shrimp value chain and in effort to make the value chain more competitive, the value change has made a lot of strides.

Canada's Advisory
For the past few nights we've been reporting on the slight downturn in tourism arrivals. The BTB says it's because fewer Canadians are travelling to Belize - and indeed the numbers bear that out: arrivals from Canada are down 11.3%. It could be because so many more of them are flying Air Canada to Barbados which has seen 28% more arrival from Canada, or it could be because of this advisory which we found today on the Government of Canada website. Last updated on July 16th, it tells Canadians, quote, "Belize - Exercise a high degree of caution." It goes unto say, quote, "There is no nationwide advisory in effect for Belize. However, you should exercise a high degree of caution due to a high rate of violent crime throughout the country."

Belize Needs Your Vote
And so, Belize needs all the help it can get right now - and you can do your part by voting online for Belize in the 2015 world travel awards. In the Mexico & Central America's Leading Destination 2015Belize is matched against Acapulco Mexico, Bay Islands, Honduras, Cancun, Mexico and Grenada Nicaragua. Cancun has cleaned up for the past 6 years, but the BTB says your vote counts. So far Belize is on the short list and has gotten 580,000 votes. You can find a link to vote at 7newsbelize.com.

Channel 5

Is There a Dengue Outbreak in the West?
The Ministry of Health is currently dealing with an outbreak of dengue fever. A rash of the disease is being confirmed in the country, a concentration of which has been [...]

15 Cases of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever Diagnosed Across the Country
The dengue virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito which reproduces in areas where stagnant water is not properly drained.� Despite an awareness campaign which remains ongoing, the ministry [...]

MOH: Prevent Dengue By Cleaning Up Your Environment
According to health officials, additional manpower has been brought in to assist with fumigation efforts, as well as the application of larvicides.� Residents are required to do their part to [...]

K.H.M.H. C.E.O. Addresses Bed Scarcity
Still on health related matters, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital is faced with yet another embarrassing dilemma which has forced the national referral facility to suspend elective surgeries until Monday, [...]

Dr. Adrian Coye Says CT Scanner is Operational Once Again
A similar concern had been raised about the diagnostic X-ray scan.� The CT scanner has been out of service for quite some time and it was only on Friday of [...]

Lightning Strikes Mennonite Farmer
A Mennonite community up north is grieving the unexpected death of one of its own. A freak accident on Wednesday associated with a tropical wave passing through the north took [...]

Still No Charges for Alleged Teen Killer
A fifteen year old San Antonio resident of Corozal remains tonight in police custody for the murder of twenty-four year old Samir Vivas. Vivas was fatally stabbed on Tuesday night [...]

Discussions on Belize/Guatemala Partial Scope Agreement
While Guatemala's territorial dispute will take time to solve if it lands before the ICJ, trade relations between Belize and Guatemala are moving along. In June 2010, after years of [...]

C.E.O. Mike Singh Says Wrinkles Will Be Ironed in Days Ahead
C.E.O. in the Ministry of Trade, Mike Singh, expressed optimism that in the next few days all the wrinkles will be ironed out in the cross-border trade.     Mike [...]

Strike Team Successful in Recovery Weed on Iguana Street
The North Side Strike team of the Police Force is reporting a huge drug bust in the south side of the city. The team along with the CIB Precinct Four [...]

Lincoln Moguel Remanded for Burglary
Forty-two year old Lincoln Moguel, an unemployed former taxi driver was remanded to prison today for a charge of burglary after he pleaded not guilty. On Monday, August third, Carla [...]

Youth Cohort Completes Apprenticeship Program
The Youth Apprenticeship Program graduated eighty students this morning. The six month course prepared the apprentices to enter and stay focused in the work force.� The program has had a [...]

Harvest for Kids Holds Camp in Belize City
Over the past few years we have shared many stories on the projects of the Belize Camping Experience. It's a N.G.O. that has been supporting camps with children primarily in [...]

Jasmine Alert, Three Years Later
Three years after Jasmine Lowe was brutally killed in the Cayo District, the Jasmine Alert was created in her memory to help protect young children. A program fashioned after the [...]

Table Tennis is Growing in Popularity
The summer vacation for students is winding down and so are the summer camps that have been keeping them occupied. At Body Two Thousand here on Coney Drive, about sixty-five [...]

Breast is Best in Healthy Living
World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from first to seventh August in more than one hundred seventy countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the [...]

CTV3

Prisoner Quarantined For Tuberculosis
One man has been quarantined at the Kolbe Foundation for Tuberculosis. Well, he has been partially diagnosed for the illness according to officials who spoke to the media today. Officials say that the male prisoner had presented symptoms and samples were sent for testing. The results of that was received on July 24th which came back positive but there are more tests that need to get done before the patient is fully diagnosed with TB. In following with protocol, the information has been sent to Belmopan where instructions were given to have the patient quarantined and given treatment. As part of the procedure, the prison officials have conducted a health education with persons who shared the same cell with the patient. Screenings were also conducted with them as well as persons who have come into contact with the patient. Officials say that all persons have been screened and are now awaiting the results of the tests for these individuals. Doctors of the prison say that TB is curable now with proper treatment. Prison officials have confirmed that in February this year seven persons were diagnosed with TB one of who passed in March. The prison's medical staff suggests however that the individual did not die as a result of the illness but of a cardio respiratory arrest. All other patients have been cleared with treatment.

BSCFA Says Farmers Expected Higher Second Payment
Next week Cane farmers will be receiving their second payment for cane delivered to the BSI/ASR mill. The highest payment is being received by the test group of the Progressive Sugar Cane Farmers Association while the lowest is being received by a group of BSI. The cane price estimate for second payment is seventy dollars and forty-five cents which is an improvement over last year's final price of sixty-seven dollars and fifty-two cents. This year the estimated average price per ton of cane is a record breaker, according to BSI/ASR. But while the milling company is boasting about an excellent crop, Chair of the Committee of Management at the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, Ezekiel Cansino, says they were expecting a little more. "Estamos contentos con el pecio que hemos logrado hoy atreves de la calidad pero aun as� hemos dicho de que de parte de BSCFA est�bamos esperando un poquito m�s unos dos d�lares m�s de lo que estamos consiguiendo pues tendr�amos que esperar para el tercer pago para ver c�mo vamos a terminar."

Crime Targets Ten Year Old And His Sister
Tonight this man, Christian Martinez of a Salvapan address, Belmopan, is spending his second night behind bars at the Corozal Police Station waiting to be charged at the magistrate court. Martinez is accused of robbing and beating a ten year old boy on Tuesday afternoon at around 12:58. While police believe Martinez did not act alone, they are yet to arrest his accomplice. The ten year old boy told police that he and his 13 year old sister were in the area of Baeza's Layout in Corozal when they were approached by two masked men, one of them wielding a machete. While demanding money the criminal armed with the machete swung the weapon at the ten year old injuring him on the left arm and back of the head. Today our Corozal Reporter spoke to the grandmother of the children who told us that they were just a stone's throw away from home when the incident occurred.

Severe Weather Conditions Destroys Wooden Structure In Calcutta Village
Yesterday Corozal experienced a bad weather, some people are calling it a storm which even caused a power outage. But while most of us were safe in the confines of our home, one man and his parents living in the Village of Calcutta were not that fortunate. The home of Cesario Mossiah Junior was partially destroyed last night during the storm. It is rather an unfortunate incident caused by Mother Nature as Mossiah shared the home with his elderly parents. Today when we spoke to Mossiah he told us he was inside when he heard a loud bang. "Well, I didn't see it I was with the neighborhood when I heard the noise and the neighborhood said your house fall down and I said I know it is that because it is over there that I heard the noise and when I come out I see that it dropped already and I say I wonder if my mother is in there and I run into the house and my mother in her wheelchair where she usually sit down and then I smell the butane and so I told my mother lets go out here because this thing could catch fire and so I took my mother and I brought her down and so my father he is old and he don't know what happened so he stayed out in shock and then I told my father better left everything like how it is make now worries left everything like how it is because I done know what happened here already but thank God that worst could have happened but only my mother safe and my father safe and now the house broke down."

Vehicle Of Police Constable Set On Fire
In the wee hours of this morning, authorities responded to a vehicle fire reported on Rio Bravo Street in Orange Walk Town. Upon arrival at the scene around 2:20am, officials saw a white Kia Sportage engulfed in flames. Fire officials responded swiftly and were able to doze the fire and immediately an investigation ensued. The vehicle is said to belong to P.C Antony Guzman who is presently working at the Caye Caulker Police Station. Authorities say they are looking at the incident as arson since they recovered one small plastic bottle which is suspected to have been used to carry fuel to start the fire. As you can see the vehicle's interior was totally destroyed by fire.

Blood Flows In Corozal, 15 Year Old Accused of Killing Samir Vivas
A fifteen year old minor is tonight behind bars accused of killing a 23 year old resident from Corozal Town. Reports are that Samir Vivas, who is no stranger to the law, was hanging out in front of his house when became involved in an argument with the minor over a bicycle. The situation escalated and at the end resulted in the minor stabbing Vivas. With the assistance of our Corozal reporter, Karel Herredia, we bring the following story. He formed part of our headlines when we reported on a robbery or burglary in Corozal. Today 23 year old Samir Vivas is the main character of his own story as we report on his murder. Last night around 8:30 Vivas was hanging out in front of his house located at Venezuelan Site Corozal Town, when death came looking for him.

Mask Men Attack and Rob Ten Year Old
A ten year old boy from the Corozal District is tonight recuperating from a frightful ordeal after he was robbed and beaten by two mask men. Yesterday around 12:58 in the afternoon the 10 year old and his sister were in the area of Baeza's Layout in Corozal when they were approached by two masked men. According to the ten year old, as the men approached him and his sister, they demanded money. But that's not all. One of the individuals was carrying a machete which he swung at the ten year old while demanding money. As a result the ten year old student from Concepcion Village in Corozal received an injury to his left arm and back of the head. Fearing for his life and that of his sister the ten year old handed over $80.00 and his touch screen phone valued at $280.00 to his attackers.

LOVE FM

Woman Blames Hospital For Losing Baby
A mother of the San Martin Area in Belmopan is in mourning after she went into labor and lost her baby at the Western Regional Hospital. Correspondent Fem Cruz reports as the mother blames the hospital for her loss. MARCIA GARCIA "On July 16 I wake up with a terrible pain on two of my [�]

Woman Wants Grand-Daughter Safe From Alleged Rapist
The heart wrenching stories of children being molested and raped are being more and more publicized as children, as timid as they may be at times, are embracing their rights. Today we met a grandmother, who is distraught after hearing that her 13-year-old granddaughter was raped at the age of ten by a man who [�]

Changes Announced at the University of Belize
Today a printed email was dropped off at our studious. That email has to do with the University of Belize. The email was reportedly sent from the Officer of Public Information to the community of UB which includes students, faculty and staff. The email states that the Board of Trustees of the University of Belize [�]

Belize Nominated for World Travel Awards
Belize has been getting a lot of publicity lately in terms of the attractions and adventures it offers both on land and sea. That publicity and recognition continue as the Belize Tourism Board has announced that Belize was nominated for the 2015 World Travel Awards. The World Travel Awards is a prestigious recognition platform of [�]

No Accommodations at KHMH for Patients of Elective Services
A release came out of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital yesterday and while we were not one of the recipients of that release until earlier today, we can tell you that once again patients who were scheduled to receive elective surgeries or services are being put aside temporarily due to limited accommodations at the hospital. [�]

Police News
Police in Belize City are investigating a traffic incident that occurred yesterday on the Philip Goldson Highway involving a four door Nissan X-Trail SUV and a black motorcycle. According to police reports, the driver of the SUV, 65-year-old, Emilio Awe was exiting the parking are of DK Supermarket and entering the highway when he saw [�]

2015 Shows Two Cases of Chikungunya (Chik-V)
The last mosquito borne disease that health officials update the media on was Chikungunya. Last year, 8 suspected cases returned positive after being sent for testing at CARPHA and Central Medical Lab. For this year, Kim Bautista, says that they have confirmed two cases, so far. KIM BAUTISTA "If you look at last year we [�]

Immigrants Account for Several Malaria Cases in Belize
While Dengue is on the rise, health officials reported today that Belize has seen a reduction of Malaria cases by 98.7% during the period of 2000 to 2014. Head of the Vector Control Unit, Kim Bautista told the media today that Malaria continues to be concentrated mostly in the southern District of Stann Creek. However, [�]

Health Officials Monitor Toledo, Corozal and Cayo
This morning, the media was called out to the offices of the Ministry of Health in Belmopan where health officials shared the latest statistics as it relates to Dengue, Chik V and Malaria. The three districts that they are closely monitoring are Toledo, specifically Punta Gorda Town, Corozal and Cayo. Hipolito Novelo has the report. [�]


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PlusTV

Shrimp Association Talks Bacterial infection, Says "We will Survive"
In April earlier this year Plus TV broke the story of a bacterial infection that had infected a couple of shrimp ponds in Stann Creek, which was causing a high mortality rate in the shrimps younglings. BAHA acted quickly to try and contain the spread of this bacteria but a month later, in Jun...

Minor stabs man in the chest
A 15 year old minor is in police custody at this time after allegedly stabbing a man in the stomach and causing his death. on Tuesday sometime around 9:00 pm Corozal Police responded to reports of a male person, later identified as 23 year old Samir Vivas, who had been stabbed. Police visited the Co...

Two youth shot on Jane Usher Boulevard
The sound of gunfire erupted on Jane Usher Boulevard in Belize City this morning just before 11:00. Two young men, identified as 22 year old Raheem Arnold of Curl Thompson Street and 18 year old Shemar Moore, were shot following an argument with another person standing on the street corner. We unde...

BML take Belize City Council to court again
If there was any thought that the hiring of more than three-quarters of the former staff of Belize Maintenance Limited (BML) in January as part of the taking over of their sanitation contract by the Belize City Council would end the long-standing impasse between the two, those hopes have temporarily...

Quality Infrastructure for Shrimp Industry
The Belize Bureau of Standards in collaboration with the CARICOM regional organization for Standards and Quality (CROS-Q), the network of Standard Bureau within Caricom members states, is holding a three day diagnostic workshop between stakeholders of the shrimp industry. The idea is to standardize ...

Belmopan Police Receives Training
Yesterday we told you about a 3 day training workshop for 35 police officers attached to Cayo Division most from the Belmopan formation. The workshop started yesterday with an opening ceremony at the Police Training Academy in Belmopan. On the Agenda for the three day training workshop is how to res...

10 year old injured in Robbery
A 10-year-old male student of Concepcion Village, Corozal District accompanied by his mother reported that around 12:58 p.m. while in the area of Baiza Layout along with his sister, he was approached by two unknown male persons wearing masks who demanded money from them. One of robbers had a machete...

The Guardian

Sweet, sweet second payment for Cane Farmers at $25M this year
Despite major problems at the beginning of the sugar crop, this year has turned out to be one of the best paying years for cane farmers in the sugar belt of Corozal and Orange Walk. In a release from BSIL/ASR the company notes that a total of 106,969 tons of sugar was produced by the factory this year. Of this 139,654 tons was exported to the European Union, the U.S. market took in 11,902 tons and the rest is destined for either local consumption or other smaller markets. According to the release the revised price per ton of sugar stands at an average of $70.45 which is a new record for payment to the cane farmers. The sugar cane delivery payment is done in three portions with the first payment done on delivery, the second payment at the end of the season and a third just before the start of the next crop. This year the first payment was $42.84 per ton of sugar cane delivered. The second payment, depending on the branch will earn farmers between $18.55 per to $23.41 per ton.

Better policing expected from reorganized Eastern Division police
On Wednesday August 5, Minister of National Security, Hon. John Saldivar began a two day tour of the newly reconfigured Eastern Division. Minister Saldivar explained that the division was simply too big to be properly supervised and the decision was made to divide it into three formations including Belize City North Side, South Side and Rural. After a month with the new strategy Hon. Saldivar explained that he was on the ground to let all levels within the police department know, "that they have a minister who is in tune with what they are doing; supervision starts not only with commanders but the minister must also be involved," he stated. Minister Saldivar's tour took him to the various precincts on the North Side, he started at the Queen Street police station where he first inspected a Guard of honor. This was part of his overall objective which includes the meeting of officers at all ranks including the most officers as well as checking on the infrastructure, office space and the actual policing strategies which are being employed.

FREEDOM Train Reloaded
The PUP old guard seem to have hunkered down for the long haul. They are standing by their man. The PUP have decided to sink or swim with Francis. It is more than likely they will sink with him. Francis must have the most dirt to spend or the most favors to collect. Just look at the way he is picking off the members of the dirty dozen. The original dirty dozen appears to be down to 9 because 3 of those eggs have been cracked fried and eaten. They were spoilt eggs, but in the PUP they eat spoilt eggs. On Sunday last the party held a RALLY they dubbed Power To The People, but are now insisting it was only a consultation and not a rally. Consultation or Rally it was PILINKY, and to me it very much looked like a throwback of those PEOPLE'S ASSEMBLIES that were held leading up to the '98 elections. Back then those became a Circus act with a brightly colored blue bus in-tow, skimpily clad young girls dancing, Dickie chanting SEX IT UP. Even the old farts of the PUP who were the candidates for that election joined in the dancing on the stage. For them it was a chance to dance with some young girls.

Learning to build computers in Belize
There are hundreds of thousands of smart phones being used in Belize today, a country of just over 330,000 people. Some people have two phones, a tablet, a laptop and a desktop computer. Many would not even be able to function for 24 hours without access to these devices. It is this great dependency on and demand for technology that makes computer science the employment field of the future. Unfortunately for Belize, "as a country we are primarily users of technology; we have very few of our people inventing and we know that our people are as bright as anybody else," says Colin Young, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology and Public Utilities. The Government of Belize has identified computer science education as key to the country's development. Young says, "We need to provide the environment through which our people can innovate. Innovation is key to our national development." This is why the Public Utilities Commission has partnered with the Ministry of Education to improve the I.T. curriculum in secondary schools by introducing the revolutionary credit card sized computer called the Raspberry Pi.

Minor Charged for Carnal Knowledge - Girl's Father Charged for Wounding
A 37-year-old mechanic from Sandhill Village is out on bail after he was charged for beating up and stabbing a 16-year-old male minor of the same village. According to a police report made by the boy, he was at the mechanic's house with his 13-year-old girlfriend and another 17-year-old male at around 11 a.m. on Monday, August 3. The mechanic, who is the girl's father, came home and when he saw them there he got angry. The girl's father threatened him asking how he was going to exit the house because there is only one door. When the boy tried to walk to the door the girl's father punched him to the left side of the face and stabbed him with a pliers. He continued to punch the boy in his face then choked him until he passed out. The boy said he regained consciousness sometime after and noticed that he was covered in blood. At this time he saw the father slapping the girl to the face with the back of his hand. When the girl's father noticed that he had regained consciousness he charged at him with a huge black handled knife but the boy was able to run away and escape further injuries.

Arenal resource center upgraded offering services never before seen in that community
The Government of Belize steadfast in its continued commitment to address the basic needs of Belizeans, in the areas of education and employment will officially inaugurate the Arenal Resource Centre for over 400 residents of Arenal in the Western District, at 2 p.m. July 31, 2015. The newly constructed Arenal Resource Centre financed by the Government of Belize at a total cost of $314,636.99 through a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank will contribute significantly in improving the quality of life of residents as well as to foster and enhance community development. One remarkable feature of the Arenal project is that the building is designed to be used as a hurricane shelter, and host events such as community meetings. The ferro-concrete structure is approximately 60 ft. x 44 ft., with galvalum timber truss roof system and has an access ramp to accommodate persons with diverse abilities.

The people and visitors to Benque receive a renovated Centennial Park
In a symbolic ribbon cutting on Friday of last week, a largely renovated Centennial Park was handed over by partners from the Social Investment Fund SIF to the community of Benque Viejo del Carmen. This event marks a new beginning, especially for the residents of Benque Viejo; as they will now be able to ride around the concrete portion of the sealant retouched walkways at the park. Members of the Benque community will also be able to do morning or evening exercises and benefit from the greenery, while at the same time meet friends and family members. During the brief ceremony, a ribbon was cut by the Mayor of Benque Viejo del Carmen Heraldo Ramcharan as well as the Director of SIF, William Lamb Jr. The ceremony marked the culmination of a series of activities in the most Western Town of Benque Viejo. The park had been adopted by SIF in December of last year. In a press release from the Belize Municipal Development Project, the newly rehabilitated Centennial Park and Sidewalks Project was completed by the Government of Belize for Benque�os, visitors and tourists. Funding for the park and sidewalk project totaled $432,853.50 and was secured by the Government of Belize through a loan from the World Bank along with a three percent contribution from the Benque Viejo del Carmen Town Council, totaling $12,985.61.

Condolences
The family of the late Alfred Williams would like to thank all those who assisted in any way during their difficult time of grief. It has been nine days since the passing of this great man. The United Democratic Party family was very saddened by the passing of a UDP stalwart, friend and great man Alfred Edward Williams of Orange Walk Town. He died peacefully Wednesday last at the Northern Regional Hospital after battling a short illness. UDP supporters will always remember Mr. Williams as an avid supporter who never missed a political event. He had been active in politics since 1984 along with Lelis Carballo who defeated Joe Briceno in the general elections that same year. He was also a fixture at each and every location visited by the Prime Minister during his Countrywide Tour in 2011-12.

New Center for Women of Cristo Rey in Cayo
A new Cristo Rey Arts and Craft Center was inaugurated on Monday of this week in the village of Cristo Rey in the Cayo District. The center is a joint project between the Government of Belize, the Belize Natural Energy Trust and the Kah-Lohil Tepal Women's Group. The Hon. Rene Montero, Representative for the Cayo Central Division and Minister of Works was on hand to deliver the building to the residents of Cristo Rey. In opening the center, he was accompanied by the Cristo Rey Women's Group Chairlady, Gladys Martinez as well as the Chairman of the Belize Natural Energy Trust, Alberto August. "As your Area Representative for Cayo Central, I am always working for you, God bless Belize, God bless Cristo Rey, thank you all," the Hon. Rene Montero remarked on Monday to a group of community members, who had gathered for the eventful occasion.

Dangriga looking better than ever
On Tuesday August 4th, Area Representative for Dangriga, Hope Creek and Sarawee, Hon. Frank Papa Mena was "boots on the ground". Hon Mena was on site at the famous Carl Ramos Stadium to see for himself the progress of the renovation work being done on the facility. Work is progressing steadily, already the massive and impressive bleachers, press box, VIP seating area and concession stands are taking shape. Many youths of the municipality are being gainfully employed in this massive endeavor. Hon. Mena next visited the Rivas Estate Area where he viewed the installation of storm flood concrete culverts on Papa Mena Street. Area residents know that during the rainy season that part of Rivas Estate is flood prone. The large concrete culverts which are being installed are better able to deal with the large volume of water that comes across the road from the Ecumenical area into the area of Powell's Butane and Solid Rock will soon be installed. It is expected that these culverts will go a long way in the alleviating flooding that once plagued the Rivas Estate area.

First Caribbean sells assets to Heritage Bank
First Caribbean International Bank, which has a collective history of over 65 years in Belize, has decided to sell out their assets and operations to the Heritage Bank. It is being touted as the "first of its kind consolidation to take place in Belize". First Caribbean, which is a regional banking powerhouse with headquarters in Barbados, has decided that the time is right to sell their operations and pull out of this country after more than a half a century. The asset purchase was announced on Monday, August 3, after weeks of rumors circulating that a move was afoot within First Caribbean. The way it will work is that, subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Belize and the Central Bank of Barbados, all assets, will transfer to the ownership of Heritage. Absolutely no concrete reason is being offered publicly as to why First Caribbean has decided that they want to leave. To appreciate the saga of this bank, or its iterations in Belize, readers need to go back to the times of the Colonial Government. First Caribbean was once known as Barclay's Bank, a financial institution based in London, United Kingdom. The principals of that Bank brought their business to Belize. Then in 2002, Barclays and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), combined their assets in retail, corporate and offshore Caribbean banking operations and launched First Caribbean International Bank.

Patient Bed space availability at the KHMH
On August 5th 2015 The Management of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital took the decision to suspend elective admissions to the General Surgical Ward and Day Cases due to the overwhelming numbers of emergency cases, particularly trauma victims, requiring admission and surgical intervention, over the last week. These patients come to us not only from Belize City, but from the entire country. Unfortunately, at times, our bed capacity is superseded by the number of patients only Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital can care for. In an effort to care for those patients already admitted and requiring surgery in the most effective and efficient manner, we have opted to concentrate all our efforts this week on clearing our backlog. We apologies to the patients who have been inconvenienced and affected by this decision.

$3,000 Fine for the Love of the Camera!
Whoever said, "talk is cheap," is a liar. Talk is not cheap; especially not for lawyers. Attorney at Law/Media Personality, Audrey Matura-Shepherd, has been ordered to pay $3,000 for failing to keep her mouth shut about confidential proceedings. After a long legal battle between the Government of Belize and the Belize Grassroots Youths Empowerment Association (BGYEA) over the use of the buffer zone in Harmonyville, the two sides were finally about to reach a mutually acceptable settlement through mediation. However, one of the terms of that settlement was that the details of negotiation were not to be publicly discussed until the agreements were final. This settlement was proposed on February 26, 2015, and on that very same day Matura-Shepherd gave an interview to Channel 5, Channel 7 and other media houses in which she completely ignored the gag order that was an essential part of the agreement. She even went further than that and she wrote an article on it in the Amandala Newspaper.

You talk too much!
Attorney at law Mrs. Audrey Matura - Shepard is not known to shy away from the cameras. She is quite comfortable in front of the cameras. As a former journalist, Audrey knows the power of the media and has used the media to her advantage. Some people have suggested that she may believe that she is still working at the BCB (former Radio Belize/ Friends FM/Tv3 ) or at Channel 5 or Channel 7. This past week has not been a very good week for Audrey. Last Friday a decision was handed down against her by the Supreme Court. The judgment stemmed out off a situation where she was being accused of talking too much. Audrey has built a reputation of talking too much in the media about every matter she is involved with. She plays up to the media. She spoke so much that she could be deemed as trying her cases in the media. It is my opinion that in so doing she gets publicity and creates hype but at the same time she puts her clients at a disadvantage.

Police meet with the populace in Cayo
A meeting that was organized by the People's Coalition of Cayo PCC, between San Ignacio Police and the populace, was successfully held at the Cayo Welcome Center on Tuesday night of this week. A highlight of the meeting was an introduction of the new Commanding Officer of San Ignacio Police, Andrew Ramirez, whose previous post was as Officer in Charge of Corozal Police. The Superintendent of Police brings with him 24 years of experience within the Belize Police Department. Andrew Ramirez took over his new post in San Ignacio on July 20, 2015 in one of the largest police jurisdictions in Belize. "We need the political will; the formation continues to see shortages in vehicles, human resources�this building [we work in] was built in 1950 and it is outdated," said Andrew Ramirez. There had been "a downward trend in crime" in the West of Belize said Andrew Ramirez, and the support and working relationship with the PCC was "showing fruit." However; there had been an increase in domestic related incidents and cases where young females "commit murder" on their unborn.

Solid waste management project sites near completion
The Solid Waste Management Project funded by the Government of Belize, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and being executed by the Belize Solid Waste Management Authority (BSWaMA), Ministry of Natural Resources & Agriculture, continues to deliver on its outputs. The San Pedro transfer station was inaugurated on July 3, 2015 and since then solid waste is being barged to the mainland for final disposal at the regional sanitary landfill located off Mile 24 on the George Price Highway. The regional sanitary landfill is built to international standards and has been recognized as one of the best constructed and operated landfills in the Latin America and Caribbean Region. Phase I of the regional sanitary landfill, consisting of 5 acres, was inaugurated in July of 2013 and has been operational since. From August 2013 to May 2015, Phase 1 has received for environmentally safe disposal a total of 50,000 metric tons of solid waste transferred from the Belize City and San Ignacio/Santa Elena-Benque Viejo transfer stations. On a daily basis an average 54 tons is received from the Belize City transfer station and 20 tons from the San Ignacio/Santa Elena-Benque Viejo transfer station.

Over 1000 Children at Vega's Summer Camp
The 10th annual Orange Walk North Summer Camp concluded on Friday, July 31, at the San Jose Village Football Field. Deputy Prime Minister of Belize and Area Representative for Orange Walk North, Hon. Gaspar Vega, says it is one of the events he and his family look forward to every year. The first camp was held 11 years ago for primary school aged children 5-13 years old in the Trial Farm area. Only a little over fifty youths participated in the first camp and funding was low. Christopher Hendricks was the coordinator of that camp. He says he can remember presenting the participants with certificates printed on typing sheets due to low financial support. Donations were so poor in 2005 that there was no camp. In 2006, Hendricks approached Hon. Gaspar Vega and shared his idea for the summer camp. Deputy Prime Minister Vega assisted financially and the camp was reborn, this time with 65 participants. The camp grew slightly the following years and in 2009, the Hon. Gaspar Vega decided to extend the camp to the entire division. There were over 300 participants that year. Now, the camp has attracted many more youths and sponsors. This year over 1,000 youths participated in the Orange Walk North Summer Camp. The camp is so huge that it is now divided into four zones to incorporate all the villages of Orange Walk North: Santa Cruz, San Antonio, San Luis, Trial Farm, San Jose, San Pablo, Nuevo San Juan and Douglas.

Beaten to death for exposing himself in public
Anwar Garbutt, a 34 year-old Belize City resident, was killed in Dangriga Town on Monday, August 3, allegedly by a 4 men who were particularly offended that he had exposed himself to a young girl. Police have since detained several persons, and they are being interrogated. Police say that at around 9:15 a.m., they received a call to respond to a man who had broken the law and exposed himself in public. The report was that Douglas had committed the lewd act against a young girl. When they responded, to the Back-a-Town area of Dangriga, they found Anwar Garbutt on the ground, with his hands tied to his side with a brown leather belt. He was severely injured to the head and body, and he was transported to the Southern Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Corozal resident killed in brawl with 15 year old
Corozal Town Resident Samir Vivas was stabbed to death on Monday, August 4, in what looks to be a brawl between the 23 year-old victim, and a 15 year-old minor. It happened at around 8:30 p.m. in front of Vivas' house at Venezuelan Site, in the town. Vivas and the minor allegedly got into some sort of a verbal argument which escalated to a fist fight which saw both young men rolling around on in the dirt. That's around the time when the youth pulled a shiv (locally known as a "bora") and stabbed him in the chest. He managed to stumble over to his grandmother trying to get help for his injury, but he collapsed shortly after and died at that spot.

Deaf mute, Oren Vaughan, accused of assault with a firearm
Oren Vaughan, a 26-year-old deaf mute, spent the weekend in custody at the Queen Street Police Station after he was accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Sharon Wade, 23, with a firearm. According to Wade, who is a resident of Altamira Village in Corozal, she was at a friend's home in Belize City on Wednesday, July 29, when Vaughan came to the house and cranked a chrome firearm at her. Fearing for her life, Wade went to report the matter to Precinct One Police Station on Euphrates Avenue. Vaughan was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Firearm charges withdrawn against Conch Shell Bay fisherman
On Wednesday, August 5, three Conch Shell Bay fisherman, Gerald Allen, 50, Jeffery Murillo, 36, and Windell Gibson, 25, were freed from gun and ammunition charges originating from an April 22, 2013 bust. On April 22, 2013, the men were along with Ignacio Garcia, 27, inside a boat in the waters of Conch Shell Bay when police conducted a search and found a chrome Phoenix Arms Raven brand .25 caliber pistol with three brass Frontier brand .25 caliber rounds of ammunition. They also found 22 grams of marijuana in the men's possession. All four were arrested and charged with one count of keeping an unlicensed firearm, one count of keeping unlicensed ammunition and one count of drug possession each. On April 23, 2013, the day after the bust, Garcia pleaded guilty to the two firearm related offenses when he appeared before the Senior Magistrate, Sharon Fraser. He was sentenced to serve two 3-year jail term. Both sentences were ordered to run concurrently. Gibson took responsibility and pleaded guilty to the possession of 22 grams of marijuana. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment.

Five charged for First Caribbean Bank heist
The First Caribbean Bank branch in the San Cas Plaza in Belize City was the location of the second armed robbery in 2 years. The 5 men who are believed to have been the culprits have since been criminally charged, and they have been remanded to the Belize Central Prison. The robbery happened on Friday, July 31, just before 9 a.m. on a crowded payday. The bank, located at the foot of the Belcan Bridge at the corner of the Phillip Goldson Highway and the Central American Boulevard, opened for business as per normal. Customers entered, and began conducting their business, but unbeknownst to them, 4 armed thieves were among them, well-dressed to try to masquerade as legitimate customers. They quickly conducted a blitz where the armed security guard was held at gunpoint and dragged inside the bank. Everyone present was instructed to get on the ground, and the security was searched for any service weapons that he might have had on his person. When the men were satisfied, they jumped over the counter and helped themselves to just over $52,000 of the bank's money, and they fled the scene in a waiting vehicle.

Robert Mejia accused of attempted rape
A 34-year-old woman from Hattieville Village is accusing her childhood friend, Robert Mejia, 35, of breaking into her home and attempting to rape her. Mejia was arraigned before Magistrate Deborah Rogers on Tuesday, August 4, for a charge of burglary with intent to rape. The woman reported to police that after arriving home from a night club in the village at around 1:20 a.m. on Sunday, June 28, she decided to take a bath in her bathroom, which is located outside in the yard. After she finished bathing, she exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body and as she was entering her house she felt someone pulling the door trying to come in behind her. She fought back the person but her hands were wet and slippery so the attacker managed to pull open the door and gain entry. She recognized her attacker to be Robert Mejia, someone she has known all her life.

Former Municipal Court prosecutor cleared of gun charges
Joseph Nunez, 34, is free from gun and ammunition charges after the prosecution's main witness was a no show at court on Tuesday, August 4. Nunez is a former police officer who was employed as a Municipial Court Prosecutor at the time of the alleged offense. According to police, he was busted with a firearm loaded with 15 live rounds of ammunition on Sunday, June 22, 2014. Nunez was busted shortly after he intervened in a domestic dispute between his friend and his friend's wife. According to reports, Nunez convinced his friend, who was intoxicated, to hand over his licensed firearm because the argument with his wife was getting heated and out of control.

Chris Rosado fined $3,000 for avenging his sister
Chris Rosado, 23, owner of Thirsty Thursday Restaurant & Bar in Belize City, was fined $2,000 and ordered to pay $1,000 to his ex-brother-in-law, Sergio Quan, 19, who he beat up in November of 2014. Rosado escaped jail time for the conviction of wounding because Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith exercised leniency since he is a first time offender. Rosado testified that he was away from his business place in the early hours of Sunday, November 23, 2014 when he received a call that his sister, Chelsea Rosado, was seen crying on Baymen Avenue. According to a statement from Chelsea Rosado, she and her boyfriend at the time, Quan, started to quarrel at the establishment and that was when Quan threw a fork that hit her on the left shoulder. He then pushed her to the ground and kicked her several times. Quan then left Thirsty Thursday and Chelsea followed him. They got into another altercation in which he beat her up some more and knocked her down to the street. This time she went unconscious and had to be taken to the hospital. It was around this time that Chris made it back to Thirsty Thursday and learnt about the fight. He was Chelsea's legal guardian responsible for her at the time and the news enraged him. He stormed out from his place of business enroute to Quan's home on Slaughter House Road.

Burnt body identified in Scotland Half Moon
Readers may remember that on Saturday, July 18, Ladyville police came upon the severely burnt remains of a man about a few hundred yards away from the bridge which leads to the Scotland-Half Moon Village. After 3 weeks of intense investigations, the police are 100% sure that the victim is 28 year-old Kelvin Usher, a villager from Ladyville who went missing 2 days earlier. Senior Superintendent Edward Broaster, the officer commanding Eastern Division Rural commented to the press on Tuesday, August 4, that through their investigation, and with the confirmation of the body's identity by Usher's mother, they are sure that it is him, and they know how he was killed.

Belize Bank Bulldogs and Heritage Bank are co-leaders in the Firms Basketball Competition
The Belize District Basketball Association Firms' competition continued over the last weekend with games at the Bird's Isle in the city. On Saturday 1 August, 2015, in the first of three games on the schedule, Digicell upended BWS Pressure by the score of 53-41. The top scorers for Digicell were Raheem Staine with 20 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals; Lupito Acosta with 12 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 4 steals and Lennox Cayetano with 10 points, 19 rebounds, and 1 assist. For BWS Pressure, the top scorers were Akeem Trapp with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 steals; Ashley Hemsley with 9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals and Leroy Forbes with 7 points, 8 rebounds, and three steals. In game two, Heritage Bank defeated INFOTEL by the score of 70-57. The top scorers for the Heritage Bank team were Felix Martinez with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal; Steve Bonnel with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and Karym Coleman with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Special Olympians bring back Silver from the World Games
Belize had representation at the XIV Special Olympics World Games that were held in Los Angeles, California, USA. Belize was numbered among the 160 nations that participated in the games. The Belizean contingent consisted of 4 athletes (all female), plus the coach and the Chef-de-Mission for a total of 7. Belize participated in one single event at the games in both the individual and team competition. Belize's single event was in the Discipline of Bocce Games. Belize finished second in the overall event, which originated in Italy.

FIFA conducting Physical Fitness Coaches Training in Belize
The Football Federation of Belize is pleased to announce that it is currently conducting a five days FIFA Physical Fitness Coaches Training at the Football Federation of Belize Headquarters in the City of Belmopan. The course commenced on Tuesday 4 August, 2015 and will conclude on Saturday 8 August, 2015. The objective of the course according to the FFB Press Release is to enhance football in the country. The Physical Fitness course is being conducted by FIFA'S Fitness Instructor, Andre Waugh which includes strength training, speed training, agility training, power training, endurance training and proper techniques for warming up and cooling down before and after matches.

SpecRenisha Richards picks up first win in international softballial Olympians bring back Silver from the World Games
The National Junior female softball team of Belize returned home on Monday 3 August, 2015, from the XI Central American Junior Female Softball Championship that was played in San Salvador, El Salvador, from July 31-August 2, 2015. The XI Central American Junior Female Softball Championship commenced on Friday July 31, with Belize going up against Nicaragua in the first game of the championship, which saw Belize winning over Nicaragua in 8 innings by the score of 8-7. Team Belize playing behind the pitching of 15 year old Renisha Richards dug in for the long haul in the game when it scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning, added 3 more in the 5th inning and then scored the 2 more in the bottom of the 8th inning for the win. The Belize Team collected a total of 10 hits including Designated Player Elma Wade's 2 run-homer in the bottom of the 5th inning.

Can we justify it to our youths?
If the struggling economy hasn't made it tough enough to keep food on the table and clothes on the family, and if the hectic day-to-day living in Belize hasn't made all of us more than a little agitated, what would we be telling our youngsters to try to calm them and offer them some kind of sense and solace about the continuing violence that dominates the headlines? Positivity is constantly being pushed into the made up realities of our youths, but the opposite is being viewed in society. In the history that I've come to experience, it's the first time that I have ever witnessed so many deaths, home burglaries and the recent bank robbery. How do you justify these actions to our youths, while trying to mold them into future Belizean leaders? Yes, it's true that the number of violent crimes in our country may be nearing historic highs, so parents still must look into their children's anxious faces, comfort them about bad dreams and seek to explain some inexplicable highly publicized recent incidents. It is partly a parents' responsibility to keep their sons off the streets or their daughters safe from harm's way. Youths especially feel the urge to express every corner of their curiosity, which sometimes leads them into the wrong path.

Breaking Belize NewsPJ

New soldiers pass out Friday
The Ministry of National Security announces the graduation of 81 new soldiers who will join the ranks of the Belize Defence Force. Recruit Intake No 60 assembled on 4 April 2015 and underwent 1 7 weeks of intense training. The recruits were instructed in minor tactics, offensive and defensive operations, unarmed [�]

What tourism for Belize?
Statistics show that the tourism industry is growing in the Caribbean, with various countries showing large increases in visitors, but Belize surprisingly has had a decrease in visitors, especially from Canada. Arrivals from Canada to Belize have declined by 11% and arrivals from the USA have also declined by 1.4%, [�]

Tuberculosis confirmed at Central Prison
While not an "outbreak" as some fear, officials of the Belize Central Prison have confirmed a single case of the viral disease tuberculosis inside the prison walls. That person has been place in quarantine and is said to be recovering. The quick action negates rumors that the virus has spread [�]

Lightning bolt kills man in New Land Area
The black spot on this open road network in the New Land Area of Santa Martha Village was the mark where 24 year old Johan Friesen was struck by a lightning bolt, fatally wounding him yesterday afternoon. Reports are that yesterday around 2pm, Friesen along with two [�]

Driver to face charges for traffic accident
65 year old Emilio Awe, a resident of Star Fish Crescent, has been served with a notice of intended prosecution after a motorcycle collided into his Nissan SUV yesterday, August 5. Officers responded to the scene of an accident next to DK Supermarket on the Phillip Goldson Highway, where 21 [�]

KHMH overwhelmed by emergencies, briefly suspends elective admissions
The K.H.M.H, Belize's national referral hospital, announced Wednesday the suspension of elective admissions to the general surgical ward and day cases. According to a press release, this is because of an overwhelming amount of emergency cases from the entire country and also due to a shortage of beds at the [�]

Corozal businesswoman attacked at home
Cuban businesswoman, 37 year old Yaquelin Morish, residing in Corozal Town, was attacked with a knife last night, August 5, shortly after 10:00 p.m. at her Consejo Road residence. Morish told police that she heard a banging on her house wall and when she looked outside, she saw a ladder [�]

Sugar farmers are told to prepare for lower prices
It is being predicted that sugar prices will fall in 2016, which will have a huge impact on the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) and other organizations if it does indeed happen. So how will the BSCFA and all sugar cane farmers cope with this reduction in sugar prices [�]

Diarrhea cases up in northern districts
Parents in northern Belize are being alerted to high reports of diarrhea cases. According to CTV3 News, Doctor Kent Novelo has come across several cases where his patients presented the symptoms of the rotavirus, one of the most common causes of diarrhea and severe infection that leads to [�]

Police units recover drugs in San Pedro
Police's Special Branch, K-9 Unit and Quick Response Team conducted searches in San Pedro Town yesterday, August 5, which led to the discovery of cannabis totaling 1,296.9 grams, all labelled as "Found Property" since no one was in any of the areas at the times of discovery. Around 7:00 a.m, [�]

Christian sports ministry in Belize
Media houses and church groups have been invited to a meet and greet with Christian Sports Ministry Sports Reach of Kentucky, USA, who will be arriving tomorrow, August 7th, 2015 comprising of Director Bobby Speer and several NCAA basketball players, including; Justin Johnson, Ken-jah Bosley and Jordan Montgomery. Sports Reach will be partnering with our very own Hoop Dreams Basketball Team which recently won the Copa Cancun Tournament, to spread the word of God through sports. The Sports Reach team will be playing local selections beginning on Saturday at Birds Isle in Belize City before traveling to Belmopan, San Ignacio and Dangriga. The final match features Sports Reach versus Hoop Dreams.

Belize ~ Why The Economy Won't Move
There is a general feeling among most Belizeans that the economy is not moving at the rate, nor in the direction, that they would like to see it go. That is because most Belizeans are cordoned off from the portions of the economy that are growing. The vast majority continue to see the same pay check�.with rising costs for most things that they purchase to live by on a daily basis�..fuel, electricity, telephone, food, rent/mortgages, cable, water, entertainment, spare parts, construction materials, etc. Even Boledo sales are said to be falling, because of the increased pressure on family income. Through increased government spending�..a thousand new jobs may have been created in street and roads construction, and cleaning and maintenance of government properties and municipal spaces. Most of this money go to a small pocket of well connected contractors�.the workers get a menial weekly salary. This spending is mostly on cement, steel, machinery, fuel and asphalt�all of which are imported.

Blogs

Tips and stories on diving and scuba diving safety from Belize and Mexico
In this write up, I'd like to comment on dive safety and how to evaluate and find a safe diving outfit to enjoy some underwater adventures during your vacations. The idea to write this came from my own experience some two weeks ago. However, before continuing I would like to start by saying that diving is a very safe sport, yet accidents can happen. However, most accidents are avoidable and can be dealt with. In fact, most serious dive accidents happen when basic rules are not followed (and most often more than one) and panic arises when things go bad. On a recent trip to Playa del Carmen on the Riviera Maya, I decided to go diving. Looking mainly at prices and a bit in a hurry (as the trip was rather short and not planned) I organized three days of diving at what at first sight seemed to be a trustworthy dive shop. Excited about going diving in cenotes (sink holes that appear in limestone) as well as in the ocean, I didn't check online for reviews. That might have already been my second mistake. I say second mistake, because my first mistake was not to bring my own gear (in particular the regulator - the stuff you breathe through!), but simply to trust the gear handed to me. Dive gear is for the most part simple and durable but it needs to be serviced regularly - especially rental gear that is used often and usually not treated well. On my first dive the regulator (the mechanism you breathe through) stopped working at about 30 m depth, and while my tank still had air -I didn't. My regulator stopped working and I had to get air support from the guide. As most experienced divers I have trained for situations as such, yet had to wonder how a nervous a novice diver would have reacted.

Guava Limb Caf�: Belize's "2015 Restaurant of the Year"
It's wonderful to win an accolade such as the Belize Tourism Board's 2015 Restaurant of the Year at the Annual National Tourism Awards, but we must say that unsolicited emails from private individuals like the one below really make our day. This kind of feedback is one of the best things about our relationship with our Guava Limb and Chaa Creek customers. Which is not to say that we aren't hugely grateful and appreciative to have the Belize Tourism Board honour us as the 2015 Restaurant of the Year. Being such a small, intimate place tucked away on the banks of the Macal River in San Ignacio, it really means a lot to us to not only be noticed, but to win such a prestigious award. It also speaks volumes about our friendly, hard working and creative staff who, from those tending the Maya organic farm to the chefs and people bringing personality and excellent service to the Guava Limb tables, have all worked together to create something special indeed. We couldn't be prouder.

14 Facts Of Ancient Indigenous America
The American man (Indian) has been on the American continent for more than 30,000 years! Before the coming of the Europeans the ancient cultures of America existed in the great splendour of mighty cities such as cities of the Zapotecs, Tainos, Inuit, Maya, Inca and many more The cities were based on agriculture and trade; the people understood the value of nature and lived harmoniously with nature More than 50% of the agricultural products on the planet consumed originate from the America's Tenochtitlan, in Mexico. hosted up to 300,000 inhabitants! This reflected a city 5 times the population of Madrid, Spain at the same time! None of the American cultures were isolated from the other. Trade and communication was prominent between them.

Visiting Belize in September? Don't Let Unbelievable Deals at These 8 Belize Resorts Get Away!
It's the biggest secret in Central America: Belize turns into a wonderland of parties, pageants and pleasure every September in honor of the nation's independence. Airlines understand this, which is why carriers like Delta have increased their routes dramatically. But airline conveniences aren't the only surprises awaiting you in Belize: Huge savings reign supreme at resorts, no matter which corner of Belize you choose to visit. Which of the following sounds most appealing for your September vacation?

Golden Rum Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in the eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil and 1/2 cup rum. Blend well. Pour batter over chopped nuts in the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto serving plate. To make the glaze: in a saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar.

5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Belize
Imagine the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea lapping on the shores as the white sand glistens in the sun. Sea turtles and whale sharks swimming among you as you snorkel and dive in the second largest coral reef in the world and the longest in the Western Hemisphere. Ancient Mayan ruins towering above the jungle landscape. And you'll find yourself in Belize. But jungles, beaches, and snorkeling aside, there are many reasons why you should add Belize to your bucket list. Here are 5 simple reasons why you should travel to Belize: 1. No Visa Required 2. English Is Spoken 3. Set Currency Rates 4. Dollars Accepted Everywhere 5. Short Flights From the US

International Sourcesizz

One mans trash, another mans treasure
A program that started in Vermilion, Alta., is reaching well overseas by way of donating old books and school supplies to schools in Belize. Robin Sherwood, creator of the Books For Belize Program, started collecting donated books after a trip to the southern country showed him how few resources Belizean children have in schools. "There is quite a use for our material down there," Sherwood said. "We're really focusing on children and education books. We've been in several of the school and resource wise, they have not caught up to our single school houses from 70 years ago. It's a third world country." Sherwood explained in many of the rural areas in Belize, "the teachers are expected to have their own library." "Their wages aren't great and with the humidity, if the teacher let every (child) bring home a book, the shelf life on it would be not very long," he said.

MEDICINAL AND RITUALISTIC USES FOR CHOCOLATE IN MESOAMERICA
The Maya and the Aztecs believed that cacao was discovered by the gods in a mountain and was to be given to the people following their creation. The Maya held a yearly festival to honor the cacao god Ek Chuah, which included several offerings and rituals to him. Although sustaining the high possibility that is was not a native Mesoamerican crop, the cacao tree was one of the ancient Maya and Aztec's most prized. The warm, liquid form of the chocolate consumed was very different from today's hot cocoa, being laden with chili powder and other spices making it a hot and sultry treat popular with royalty while lay people occasionally enjoyed its healing qualities. The Spanish who moved into Mesoamerica were unfamiliar with the 'savage' flavors of the spicy chocolate and determined that it would not be popular as it stood and was not to sent back home without proper adjustments like the elimination of many spices and the addition of sweetening ingredients. While archaeological evidence for cacao use by the Aztecs and Maya is rather limited, pictorial and iconographic evidence is quite substantial. The goal of this poster is to demonstrate the many ways in which the cacao tree was especially important ritually, medically and spiritually to the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica..

Videos

  • Costa Maya Pageant Behind Scenes Bikini Photo Shoot 2015, 7min. Ambergris Today and Photographer Jose Luis Zapata take on the eight contestants of the Miss Costa Maya Pageant 2015 in the official swimsuit photo shoot held at Ramon's Village Resort in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

  • Belize Mission Trip, 4min.FPC Morganton on an amazing international mission trip to Belmopan, Belize.

  • COLEMANS CAFE, Big Falls Toledo Belize, 5min. without Lola's nod about this and other places we would never have discovered this great place. Totally local flavours this buffet style meal was started by the Colemans to feed the workers on the Bigg Falls Bridge and been here ever since ... all local all when its ripe type of thing .. incredible we will go back and we don't hesitate to recommend this off the road place..

  • Diving of the coast of San Pedro Belize, 1min. Diving of the coast of San Pedro Belize with my newly PADI Certified Daughter. Our 1st dive together from Ramone's Village.

  • Belize Vegan Roots All-Star Invitational Game, 38min. Vegan b-ballers on the scene, moving with the athletic strength and stamina of raw and living energy, but can they stand up to meet the fierce contest on the court? The meat-eaters play hard and heavy with no mercy giving a sacred few vegan all-stars a b-ball challenge they will never forget. And after the face-off, the winning team and the losing team are served up a healthy, delicious raw vegan meal, Kwatamani style.

  • Crocodile Encounter Tours in San Pedro Ambergris Caye Belize, 3min. It's not a normal human reaction to jump waist deep in the water where crocodiles live, but the guys at American Crocodile Education Sanctuary do it. Much like a normal person would jump into a pen filled with adorable puppies, tour guide Chris Summers does with crocodiles. It is very exciting watching them catch a wild crocodile; it's like being on an Animal Planet show.

  • Nurse Shark Feeding in Belize, 3min. On tackle box reef in Belize we had the chance to see up to 7 nurse sharks up to 8 feet in length being feed and had great close up photography. Nurse sharks are tame, but rules must be observed as a bit on the hand can be very severe. Never tough a nurse shark especially if you have been handling FISH.

  • GREEN SEA TURTLE IN BELIZE, 12min.

  • Creative Kaos, 76min. In 2012 a film arts training program set out to make history by producing Belize's first dramatic feature film Most of the actors and crew had never done anything like this This documentary from filmmaker Daniel Velazquez tells the story

  • Belize Scuba July 2015, 13min.

  • Magdalena Talamas Presentation OAS Forum Belize City, 27min. July 28, 2015.

  • Belize agosto 2015, 4min.

  • Belize, 15min.

  • A glimplse of my time in Belize - TravelerBR, 4min.


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