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


The San Pedro Sun

Aurelio Martinez and the Garifuna Collective perform at Sundiver Resort
Aurelio Martinez, Honduran Garifuna musician extraordinaire performed to the delight of many on the beach at Sundiver Beach Resort. Accompanied by the Garifuna Collective, Martinez sang in his distinctive voice, beautiful ballads and infectiously rhythmic Punta/Paranda jams that had the crowd moving. Electric and acoustic guitars, Garifuna drumbeats, the shake-shake of maracas and the voices clear into the night - it was a fantastic evening of music and culture. Opening the evening's event was Canadian singer/songwriter Danny Michel, who has been traveling to Belize for the past six years. Michel had the crowd singing along; especially to his Caye Caulker based song "Wish Willy". Adding to the vibe was Aurelio on the drums, and Stonetree Records' Ivan Duran on guitar. After a short intermission, the Garifuna Collective launched into their beautiful, soul-stirring rendition of songs that catapulted them into the world stage. Two extremely talented ladies led in vocals, while guitar and drums resonated, fusing to one harmonious melody that had everyone on their feet. After an emotional, beautiful rendition of "Watina", it was time to groove on with faster paced, equally wonderful songs. In no time whatsoever, it was time for intermission and the long-awaited performance by Aurelio Martinez.

Rowan Garel prepares to "Walk Across Belize"
Rowan Garel may have been born without the ability to see, but that certainly has not stopped him from looking for adventure and staring challenges straight in the face. The brave young thirteen-year old, who just last year made history by climbing to the top of Victoria Peak is now back in the spotlight and taking on a new adventure to raise awareness for blind or visually impaired children. On Thursday, July 12th, Rowan and his father Joe will hit the highways to "Walk Across Belize". Together they will walk some 90 miles from the Belize border with Guatemala across the country all the way to Belize City arriving on June 16th, just in time for the 2012 BCVI Summer Camp. In doing so he hopes to raise double the amount he did last year to help support the BCVI in their work with children who are blind or visually impaired. In his blog Rowan stated that: "With the success of our climb at Victoria Peak last year and the local interest to join, we thought it would be perfect to 'Walk Across Belize' and be able to invite you all to join in on the adventure as we stride to help raise money to provide support for other children who are blind or visually impaired. Without your sponsorships the non-profit work that BCVI does on a daily basis will not be able to continue. Whether it's by getting sponsored to walk, or simply making a contribution, we are grateful for your support."

SACNW Earth Day Clean-Up
On Earth day 2012 the South Ambergris Caye Neighbourhood Watch (SACNW) group organized a neighbourhood clean-up campaign. Over 25 residents of the area plus a number of police officers from the San Pedro Police department gathered at 7AM to roll up their sleeves and take a dent out of the plastic and Styrofoam garbage that accumulates on the beaches and roads on the south end of Ambergris Caye. After 2 hours of hard work the volunteers had filled and delivered over 100 large trash bags to the land fill dump. The SACNW would like to offer many thanks to all that participated and a special thank you to the ASP Vienie Robinson and her team that used their off duty time to help keep La Isla Bonita and to Rite-Way Construction that provided a truck to deliver the trash to the town dump.

Ambergris Today

San Pedro High Gains Way to Food and Nutrition Finals
On Thursday, April 19, a team from San Pedro High School travelled to Belize City to attend the 2012 Food and Nutrition Quiz Competition where it placed first in Zone A of the Belize District. This win has secured San Pedro High a spot in the National Food and Nutrition Competition. The winning team comprised of Captain Solani Graniel, Edith Lopez and Jasmine Ritchie; Alternates: Mahe Perreira, Reyna Chavez, Ethel Villatoro; Coach: Miss Arely Reyes. They were victorious over six other schools in the Belize District area including Excelsior, Sadie Vernon, Gwen Lizarraga High School, Maud Williams High School, E. P. Yorke High School and St. John's College.

Town Council Addressing Town Needs
In a way to address issues concerning the island, Mayor Daniel Guerrero and the town councilors set to visit all the schools and government offices on the island all of last week from Monday, April 16, 2012 to Friday, April 20, 2012. These visits were also part of officially introducing themselves and presenting their portfolios of work. During this familiarization visits, the Town Councilors and Mayor had the opportunity to meet with the entire student body and teachers at each school. Students were asked to have civic pride and to help maintain La Isla Bonita clean. They were also invited to participate in the beautification of parks, a project which will soon be launched by the San Pedro Town Council.

Kiryani Pou Dazzles as San Pedro New Miss Chiquitita
Lovely Kiryani Pou won the hearts of the judges and took the coveted title of Miss Chiquitita 2012. It was a night to remember, as all six outstanding girls, Elizabeth Grace Sanchez, Tjaunnie Ack, Kiryani Pou, Ayanna Staine, Aylen Tang and Yari Flores first took on the stage with a very energetic dance and made it known that it was going to be a tough competition. The entire audience joined in by making their cheers and applauses very audible throughout the show.

Belizeans' Safety Addressed After Homicides of Gang Leaders
And after all the rumors of various shootings and the increase of murders around the country over the weekend in the social media, the Ministry of National Security and Prime Minister of Belize set a press conference early Monday morning, April 23, 2012, to reassure Belizeans that it will continue to work diligently to provide a safe and secure environment to all especially the residents of Belize City in the wake of the recent shooting death of an alleged gang leader Sheldon August Tillett AKA Pinky who was shot and killed on Friday 20, April 2012.

Prostitution Ninety Years Ago In San Pedro For One Shilling!
According to Danny there were two prostitutes in San Pedro in those days as well. Strangely enough, they were both Mayas. One lived south of the village and one lived north of the village. They serviced the young men of San Pedro, but occasionally we heard of married men who felt the urge to take a walk north or south of the village after dinner. These women charged a shilling (25 cents) and that was a day's pay for most men so it was considered expensive.

Misc Belizean Sources

Belize 2012 Crime and Safety Report
Crime has been on the rise in Belize for the past several years. Belize remains a high-crime country due largely to the extremely high murder rate per capita. Belize is officially the sixth most dangerous country in the world with an average of just over 39 homicides per 100,000 residents. Belize has the second highest murder rate in the Caribbean, the third in Central America, and the fifth in the Americas. Belize set new national records for murders in 2009 and 2010. Gang violence, still largely confined to Belize City, is a significant contributor to the high murder rate. There were 125 murders recorded for 2011, four less than 2010, likely due to the gang truce in Belize City that began in September 2011. However, even though the number of murders dipped, ending a three-year trend of new records for murders, the murder rate actually increased slightly, due to a slight decrease in the population. A government of Belize (GOB)-supported gang truce was agreed to in September 2011 and dramatically reduced the intentional homicides during the final four months of 2011. There were also highly-publicized raids in known gang areas by the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU). There were only nine murders reported in the 100 days following the truce. The gang truce will undoubtedly have an impact on violent crime in Belize City in 2012.

Belizean joins Cirque du Soleil
Congratulations to Sapphira Pelayo of Belize City for joining Cirque du Soleil as a performer. She is very talented, and Cirque du Soleil is top notch. Maybe we'll get some Belizean-priced tickets to watch her perform? (tee hee). Reach for the stars, girl, the world is your playground. Enjoy it!

The Festival of San Jose in Succotz pictures
Succotz had their festival this weekend. The Institute for Sustainable International Studies got some pictures of the celebrations.

Buy and Sell Classifieds for the week
Another great issue of Cayo Classifieds.

Belize Motocross event photos
And they're off! Pictures from the last event in Belmopan.

"One Day on Earth" at Midas pictures
It was a fantastic Earth Day, and there was a good turnout at Midas for the 'One Day on Earth' screening. The poolside seating was great, as was the in pool seating. Thanks to the SISE House of Culture for making this happen. They will be bringing 'The Remaining' to Midas on Cinco de Mayo for a poolside concert.

Happy Belize Book Week!
It's International Book Week. Here in Belize there are quite a few events over the next 3 days, put on by the Institute of Social and Cultural Research and the Belize Book Industry Association. Today, the University of Belize is having the opening ceremony, and the launching of 'The Economic History of Belize from the 17th Century to Post-Independence." Tomorrow and Wednesday, there are events at the Bliss. Thanks, ISCR and BBIA!

VIDEO: Commissioner of Police comments on the death of Arthur Young

Channel 7

BOSSES OF GSG AND TAYLOR'S ALLEY KILLED, CITY REELS INTO PANIC
Tonight, it is as if the landscape of the entire Belize society has changed; the two most prominent gang leaders in the country, Shelton Pinky Tillett and Arthur Young are dead - after a weekend that rocked the nation to its core and caused widespread panic and public terror. First off, despite reports that there had been a wild murder spree and a soaring body count, that didn't happen - but that doesn't mean it isn't bad as it is. Four persons - including Pinky Tillett and his female friend - were murdered between Friday and Saturday. There were two more shootings: one on Saturday and one this morning - combined, they left three persons injured. We'll tell you about all of them, but we start with the biggest news of the weekend: the execution of a gang boss. For those who knew him, Shelton Pinky Tillett was not a menacing or aggressive character - but he was considered the boss of the George Street Gaza - the most powerful and dangerous gang in Belize. Tillett himself though, seemed to have been taking it easy on Friday night; he was in the Coral Grove area with a female friend; he didn't have any soldiers with him, and his guard was down. He certainly wasn't expecting to meet a gunman on a singular mission to kill the biggest gang name in Belize.

ARTHUR YOUNG KILLED BY POLICE: WAS IT EXTRAJUDICIAL?
And so the end of that meeting left us at Sunday afternoon. The situation then was that Arthur Young was on the run. 7news has confirmed that Young communicated to his attorney and police that he would turn himself in on Monday morning. But, Arthur young is considered to be one of the most cunning and daring figures in Belize's crime underworld - and police weren't about to wait around for him to show up at the police station. Intelligence was received that he was hiding out in the Ladyville Area. An operation was launched and it led police to an abandoned home in Vista Del Mar. Jules Vasquez went there looking for answers - and found some disturbing ones:.. Jules Vasquez reporting This is the abandoned house on Bonefish Avenue in Vista Del Mar where Arthur Young was hiding out. Last night around 11:00, police parked their vehicles nearby and walked to the house - declared their presence with a bullhorn - and then stormed in. Police say Arthur YOUNG was found inside and attempted to escape, but was apprehended. Residents say they saw police vigorously beating the person in the house - which has no curtains. They say he was brought out in cuffs- and then thrown into the back of a pickup.

POLICE INCREASE PRESENCE. BUT IS IT ENOUGH?
What all that happened since Friday - and all that was rumored to have happened, Belize city residents were literally afraid to come out of their house this weekend - and still today, many fear that an all-out gang war will spontaneously erupt in the streets. It may seem dramatic but that's what a good many city residents genuinely fear. And so, today the Ministry of National Security held a press conference to ally those fears, and tell the shaken populace to take heart, help is on the way, things are under control. But as Jules Vasquez found out, the press conference was less than confidence- inspiring. Here's his report:.. Hon. John Saldivar - Minister of National Security "The gang rivalry activities between George Street and Taylor's Alley started with the death of Orlando Reyes on the afternoon of April 20, at around 3:30 p.m. This was followed with the double murder of Shelton August Tillett, aka "Pinky, and Kamill Andrews, approximately 8 hours later at the Esso Gas Station at Mile 2 1/2 on the Northern Highway. About 14 hours or so later, another murder occurred in the city, on Allan Pitts Crescent, on April 21, 2012, where Peter Flowers was shot and killed. And on April 22, Mr. Larry Sutherland was shot in the stomach, and he remains in the KHMH in a critical condition. There have also been reports of random shots fired." Jules Vasquez Reporting There were four murders in the city in 24 hours - which is astounding, but Saldivar seemed more concerned with the rumors that there had been three times that:

CITY SHOOTING WHILE MINISTER SPEAKS
And as you saw in our coverage of the press conference, while Minister Saldivar was giving his opening address, another broad daylight shooting was occurring. A man was shot in the face, but fortunately he is alive tonight. It happened on Freetown Road at about 10:10. 40 year old CORRINGTON BOWDEN, was standing in front of a boutique when a man rode up on bicycle and fired a single shot at him. Bowden was hit in the face and rushed to the hospital where he is in a stable condition. At this time there is no known motive for the shooting.

SATURDAY SHOOTING INJURES CITY MAN
40 year old Larry Sutherland is in the KHMH in a stable condition after he was shot on Saturday night. Sutherland was on Racoon Street Extension along with friends when three men rode up on bicycles them and fired several shots - one of them hit him in the center of his back. Sutherland declined an interview today.

(SUPPOSED) DEAD MAN WALKING...AND SELLING PASTRIES!
During this violent weekend rumors rained down on Belizeans creating fear and misunderstandings with invented statistics and mixed up identities. One of the fastest spreading rumors was that Wayne Myles, known to many city residents as "The Jam Roll Man" was shot and killed. People from all across the globe mourned his death as Facebook, Twitter, and cellular phones were ablaze with news that he had been killed. Well, we spoke to the infamous man himself. It appears he was mixed up with 26 year old Pete Flowers known as "Jam Bwai" who was murdered this weekend. Combine that with the fact that the gang war scare caused even him to stay home on Saturday - and you had the perfect storm for a wildfire rumour. And so, when we spoke to the pastry vendor today he told us that no one is happier to be alive. Wayne Myles "When I heard that it changed my whole vibes from working. I went to notify the people that does business with me that I am alive. After that I went home to exile myself. When I was at home I heard the shots still going on. Some said that "pie boy" got shot. Everybody felt that it was I that got shot but he is a different "pie boy."" "I come to the press to show that "pie boy" is alive. I am still here and alive."

MAN GETS OFF MURDER AFTER WITNESS AMNESIA
Today in the Supreme Court, 28 year-old Denvoy Domingo was acquitted before Justice Herbert Lord of the 2007 murder of 27 year-old Jermaine "San San" Smart. In the trial which started last week, Crown Counsel Trenia Young called 3 witnesses to the stand to testify against Domingo. These witnesses, who gave the investigating officers important information which led them to Domingo, took the stand and told the court that they couldn't recall anything about August 29, 2007. Crown Counsel Young attempted to show the court that the men gave the police statements, but when she confronted them with the statements, they either denied doing so, or they said that they couldn't remember. When she realized that her witnesses would not cooperate, Crown Counsel Young closed her case.

MEN BUSTED FOR WEAPONS GO TO COURT
On Friday, 7News told you about the major weapons bust made by the GSU. Today, two of those men who were allegedly caught with some of these weapons were brought to court. 32 year-old Lucius Myers, a laborer of #5 Mayflower, and 32 year-old Kareem Gentle, a construction worker of #20 Albert Street were charged jointly with 1 count of keeping an unlicensed firearm, and 2 counts of keeping unlicensed ammunition. Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges and Gentle then asked to address the court. He said that he was in the area to pick up his daughter from school, and that's when the officers grabbed him and took him into the Mayflower area and accused him of having weapons. He said that he doesn't live there, and that he doesn't know anything about the items found.

MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION QUESTIONS CITY HALL
By now the public must be familiar with the 100 promises in 100 days by the new city council. Well one of these promises is dragging up a thorny social issue - "protective custody" to deal with the homeless. The city council will try to develop a program to house the homeless in the Kolbe Foundation where they will have access to food, clothing, shelter and counseling services. Although it appears to be a good idea, it has already been brought up before - and shot down. In a press release from the mental health association, they reminded Bradley that incarcerating this population is extremely expensive, and the money could be better used for support instead of detention. Also, the rights of individuals would not be respected if these people would be forced to live at the foundation. They add that most of the homeless are not dangerous, and for those that are, the law already provides methods for dealing with them. Finally, the press release urges that the homeless should not just be locked away - out of sight out of mind.

MAN CLAIMS MEDICINAL MARIJUANA
Today in the Magistrate's Court, 5 people were arraigned for drug trafficking after police busted them with weed during their Friday operations - but a physicial therapist says its medicinal marjuana. According to police, on Saturday at around 5:15 p.m., they conducted a search on a residence at # 85 Amara Avenue, which belongs to 48 year-old Harold Zuniga, a therapist and medicine specialist. Inside the house, police found 5.4 ounces and 2.2 ounces of marijuana in separate plastic bags, and They also found a pipe suspected to be used to smoke weed. As a result, they charged, Harold Zuniga; 25 year-old Clement Martinez, a prison officer of a Tea Street address; 25 year-old Felix Zuniga, a student of Lords Bank; 24 year-old UB Student, Christine Goff, a resident of Lavender Street; and 24 year-old police officer Lawrence Martinez, a resident of Hattieville Village with 2 counts of drug trafficking, and 1 count of possession of a pipe.

BUSINESSMAN THROWS UNUSUAL PARTY FOR PLENTY PIKNI!
Those of us who have children - or who are children - know that a birthday party is something special - you invite over family, a few kiddy friends, maybe a pi�ata, a clown or even a cake. But the truth is that - especially in these hard times - a lot of folks can't afford a party - and that's why businessman successful Jack Charles had a different idea for his son's birthday. His son, Vansh Chawla turned 5 on Thursday, April 19th. But instead of having a party just for him, Jack Charles had a charitable idea, why not have a party for all Belize City children born on April 19th between 2001 and 2011? Strange as it was, he followed up and requested from the Vital Stats Unit a list of all kids born on that date. There were 37 in the city, but they could only find 20 of them. So, all the Birthday children were invited along with 3 guests each to celebrate their birthday with Vansh and his family. We were invited too and here's how it went for the one to 10 year old's:

Channel 5

George Street Leader, Pinky, and female companion murdered

There was a prevailing sense of insecurity that enveloped the Old Capital over the weekend as open gang warfare flared up. In the past fifteen days alone, there have been fourteen murders; that's almost one per day. But turning to the bloodbath, at the start of weekend on Friday afternoon, Orlando Reyes was killed at [...]

Taylor's Alley Gang Leader, Arthur Young, killed in police custody

There are still lingering questions over the killing of Arthur Young, who police believe murdered the other gang leader, Pinky Tillett on Friday night. Young evaded the long arms of the law for many years and more recently, he was attached to the Conscious Youth Development Programme. Young also surfaced as the leader of the [...]

Southside Gang Associate murdered on Caesar Ridge

On Friday night, Shelton "Pinky" Tillett was gunned down. Retaliation was highly anticipated and while it is not confirmed if it is related, on Saturday afternoon, another gang affiliate was killed. Peter Flowers Junior who is associated with the South Side Gang, the SSG, was gunned down in the most vicious way. Flowers was a [...]

Police hosts media on special tour of hotspots throughout Belize

This afternoon, members of the media were invited to a special media tour of hotspots throughout Belize City. After boarding a police bus around five-thirty this evening, Acting Commissioner of Police David Henderson explained the work the police department did at check points on the Western and Northern Highways. Police presence has been beefed up [...]

Ministers meet gangs on Sunday

The violence spurred the government to meet. On Sunday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow met at ITVET with several ministers and this morning a press conference was called. Firstly, the press savvy prime minister was present at both but it was left to the Minister of National Security, John Saldivar to deal with the crime. Saldivar's [...]

80 more cops on streets, but is gang truce on life support?

The press conference had just started when shots rang out again in the city on Freetown Road. Minister of National Security, John Saldivar, however, blamed the social media for exaggerating the crime situation and outlined what the government is doing in response to the crime wave. News Five' Jose Sanchez also has this story.   [...]

Artist with a hope after prison murdered in Belmopan

As we told you, there were four gang related murders in the Old Capital over the weekend alone; three on Friday and one on Saturday. The crime wave also spread to the Nation's capital where a painter lost his life. Luis Valladarez, who has served time behind bars, was chopped on the head and back. [...]

Larry Sutherland injured during weekend of shootings

Aside from this morning's shooting of Corrington Bowden, there was another shooting on Saturday night. Three gunmen on bicycles reportedly approached a group of friends on Raccoon Street Extension and opened fire, but only one person was injured. Forty year old Larry Sutherland was shot once on the back and the bullet exited his abdomen. [...]

P.U.P. reacts to elevated level of violence

After five o'clock this evening, the opposition reacted to the violence. A release reads "The People's United Party is extremely concerned at the tepid response of the Government and the Minister of National Security to the elevated levels of violence currently occurring in Belize City, which has blanketed the City and surrounding communities with fear, [...]

Mysterious circumstances into sudden death of minor down south

Down south in Punta Gorda, a sixteen year old girl also died over the weekend, but under mysterious circumstances. According to police, the minor lived in Jalacte Village with her common-law-husband, nineteen year old Jose Cho. The couple was at home on Thursday evening when she began at around five-thirty. When her condition did not [...]

Elsworth Hendy charged for forcing himself on a minor

A thirteen year old school girl has reported that she was sexually abused over the weekend by a young man who she knows well. Tonight, an alleged suspect is behind bars. He is twenty year old Elsworth Hendy of Belize City. Hendy was unrepresented when he appeared before the Senior Magistrate, Sharon Frazer this morning [...]

Witnesses amnesia leads to flopped murder case

Today in the Supreme Court, the murder trial against twenty-eight year old Denvoy Domingo ended with his acquittal after Justice Herbert Lord instructed a jury of seven women and five men to find him not guilty. Domingo was accused of the murder of twenty-seven year old Jermaine Smart, which occurred back in August of 2007. [...]

Earthquake in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala

An earthquake shook Puerto Barrios, Guatemala in close proximity of southern communities, on Sunday evening at about six-twenty. The United States Geological Service reports that it was five point one in magnitude and that its depth was thirty-five point five miles. The epicenter was located at approximately thirty-nine miles, west North West of Puerto Barrios, [...]

Football dominated the Weekend Sports

Good evening, I'm James Adderley. Welcome to Sports Monday.   The PLB playoffs got off with a bang over the weekend with all 4 teams seeing action in a bid to reach the finals as the league seeks to produce a champion to represent the Jewel in this year's UNCAF Champions Tournament. So we take [...]

LOVE FM

BELIZE TOURISM EXPO KICKS OFF THIS WEEKEND
The Belize Tourism Expo kicks off this week. Love News spoke with the Executive Director of the Belize Tourism Industry Association, Efren Perez who told us more about the event. Efren Perez - Executive Director, BTIA "BETEX starts off on Wednesday,...

MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OPPOSES RELOCATION OF THE HOMELESS
The Mental Health Association has voiced its opposition to the idea of relocating homeless people who occupy the Battlefield Park and other areas of Belize City to the compound of the Hattieville Prison. The idea was floated recently by Belize City Mayor Darrel Bradley. Pre...

OPPOSITION COMMENTS ON CRIME WAVE
The Opposition People's Untied Party has issued a press release regarding the crime satiation in Belie City. The release states, and we quote: "The People's United Party is extremely concerned at the tepid response of the Government and the Minister of Nat...

POLICE MISINFORMS PUBLIC ON HOUSE WHERE MURDER VICTIM WAS FOUND
When the police department announced the capture and subsequent death of Arthur Young on Sunday night, the official press release said he was being harbored at a house in the Vista del Mar area of Ladyville. The statement issued by police press officer Inspector Fitzroy Yearwood ...

ARTHUR YOUNG SHOT BY POLICE
The fury of urban warfare escalated to new levels over the past weekend when undeterred bloodshed continued, claiming four lives and leaving several others injured. It all followed last Friday afternoon's murder of seventeen year old Orlando "Bam" Reyes Jr., who...

MINISTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE
Minister of National Security John Saldivar this morning hosted a Press Conference in Belize City to update the nation on the weekend violence. Flanked by Prime Minister Dean Barrow, Housing Minister Michael Finnegan, Human Development Minister Anthony Martinez and Junior Ministe...

LOVE TV

Man claims police was wrong to publish his name
The man named in the police report as being the owner of the abandoned house where Arthur Young was discovered on Sunday night has reached out to say that he is concerned for his safety because of the police report. In a telephone call, the man, whose name I will withhold, explained that he is receiving threats because of the police's publicizing his name. He explained that the house, which is not in his name, has not been in use for over a year now, and that he had no prior knowledge that the building was occupied by anyone.

National Security Ministry press conference scheduled
The Ministry of National Security has scheduled a press conference for this morning in Belize City. Stay tuned to Love FM for complete coverage of the event via a live broadcast. Then tune in to the midday news at 12:30 pm and The Evening News at 6 pm for full details.

Arthur Young killed � details shortly
There are reports that Belize City resident Arthur Young has been killed. Details of his killing are still sketchy; but reports are that Young was killed early Monday morning on the outskirts of Belize City. More information on this latest homicide will be provided as they become available.

Earthquake strikes near Belize-Guatemala border
A magnitude five-point-one on the Richter scale earthquake struck near the Belize-Guatemala border on Sunday evening. According to the United States geological service, the epicenter of the quake, which struck at 6:20 pm Sunday, Belize Time, was at a depth of thirty five and a half miles underground. Reports from around the region say that the quake was felt as far north as Chetumal, Mexico, and as far south as San Salvador, El Salvador. So far, there have been no reports of injuries from Sunday evening's earthquake.

PlusTV

Chopping incident in San Martin leaves a young artist dead
But moving the spotlight from off the old Capital to the City of Belmopan where a fatal chopping occurred and a tal...

Taylor's Alley gang leader dies in Police custody
Another point of interest at this morning's Press Conference had to do with the death of Arthur Young. Last night a...

Cabinet arrange emergency meet to address crime situation
Tillett's death sparked terror in the streets - as on Saturday night very early all downtown stores were closed as ...

PM Barrow calls press briefing in Belize City
But with the rise of these shootings and murders within the Old Capital, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Nat...

Belize City youth loses life to gun violence
Face book and Belizeans both at home and abroad were in frenzy over the weekend with concern for their country. Fac...

George Street gang leader Sheldon 'Pinky' Tillet shot dead
That set the stage for an onslaught of other lethal events. Since the murder of Orlando Reyes on Friday evening the...

Police reassures public, hours later another man slain
In our first segment we told you about the shooting death of Shelton Pinky Tillett. Well the shooting of Tillett ca...

Gun rampage continues during Police press conference
Besides those reports of murder, several other shootings took place in Belize City and other parts of the country. ...

University of Belize triumphs in Central American games
On a brighter final note for the night - Belize has a reason to celebrate: Last week a contingent of more than 60-i...

Investigation into the sudden death of teen
Punta Gorda Police is investigating a report of sudden death. On Thursday April 19th, at about 3:10am, Police visit...

Min. of National Security addresses the weekend's crime outburst
Those incidents prompted another press release on Sunday, this time from Raphael Martinez of the Ministry of Nation...

Attempted robber shot by store owner
And in the Corozal District. On Saturday April 21 at 5pm, 27yr old Joshua Kuylen, Businessman and owner of Kuylen G...

PUP says it is willing to work with the GOB to alleviate crime
The People's United Party has expressed its concern at the tepid response of the Government and the Minister of Nat...

Blogs

Yesterday: Complete Weather Perfection
After a mild winter in the northeast United States, they are now shivering with heavy wet snow, rain and just unseasonably chilly weather for the end of April. The cold front yesterday brought us a wind from the northwest, low low humidity and THE MOST GORGEOUS DAY. Today looks like more of the same. Should be in the mid 80s, super sunny with a cooling breeze. Sigh... The sea was flat and crystal clear. We headed up to Caribbean Villas for a little music, Sunday BBQ and to watch the kids sail. The flat water made sardines (bait fish) easier to see and hopefully to catch. We passed a few fishermen trying to net them.

Kids swim with sharks! - The Belize Shark Project.
Last week we touched on the work of the Belize Shark Project and today we will continue. To summarize, the shark population in Belize has decreased alarmingly here in Belize due to overfishing. The BSP intends through research, education and regulation to stem this decline and therefore to sustain healthy and functional ecosystems. Education is high on the priorities for Rachel Graham (Belize's resident shark expert/ aquatic Jane Godall and pioneer of the BSP). Due to Rachel's successful work in protecting the magnificent Whale Sharks off the coast of Belize and Mexico she won the 2011 Gold Award from the Whitley Fund for Nature based in the UK. These funds she channels back into education in her community by two pronged approach. Firstly informing those currently within the industry of the importance of the sharks in their ecosystem - meetings were held in both Caye Caulker and San Pedro the beginning of this month. And then secondly and equally as importantly to educate the youth of the Belize that sharks are not to be feared but encourage them to protect them for the future of their ocean.

International Sources

High-end travelers crave unchartered territory
Luxury travel network, Virtuoso, unveiled the much anticipated 2012 Virtuoso Luxe Report. Virtuoso's elite travel agency membership provided input for the annual survey, which is recognized throughout the industry as a respected trend-predictor for luxury travel based on insight garnered from some of the most upscale travelers in the world. Findings indicate that Virtuoso's client base is a well-seasoned force, not easily dissuaded by rising fuel prices and hotel costs, as is evident by its continued support of Europe. Italy and France ranked as two of the most popular international destinations, with England joining the top five on this prestigious list for the first time. Similarly, Virtuoso's clientele showed a strong desire to explore new, undiscovered destinations with Cuba, for the first time ever, topping the polls as the most popular emerging destination. Similarly, Cambodia and Belize made their debut as new additions to this category, marking a distinct trend towards more intrepid travel locations than in previous years.

Just Belize
Niles' native Tarr takes national team on tour of northeast Ohio. When Niles native Bernie Tarr held his first basketball camp in Belize in 1995, he was greeted by a ragtag group of athletes, many of whom showed up in bare feet or sandals. Asked to display their dribbling skills, more than a few began bouncing a basketball with their feet, soccer-style. Nearly 17 years later, a new generation of Belize athletes hope to prove they are now ready to compete against the best of the best. Later this week, a group of 15 Belize basketball players will take part in the King James Classic. The LeBron James-sponsored tournament features nearly 100 AAU teams from throughout the United States and Canada. Games will take place Friday through Sunday at various locations throughout the Akron area. The Belizean team arrived in the area on Saturday, and has spent the first part of its trip with a host family in Cortland.

Prognosis good for Belize girl recovering from tumor removal
A young girl from Belize is recovering in Knoxville after a life-saving surgery. Eleven year old Catarina Ishim endured a grueling 40 hour surgery earlier this month to remove a tumor from her face. It was the size of a watermelon. Following a few setbacks, her grandfather is grateful for her prognosis. "Every day is different, every day is changes, every day is improving," Juan Ishim said. "When we came here, she had a big tumor, which is in very pain, in critical condition. But so far today, the big tumor has gone out, she's very much happy, and she's doing very well." Just over a week after surgery, Catarina is now painting and writing, things previously impossible. "To look at her face now is amazing, after one week. It's just so surprising how good it looks. She's 11 years old, kids heal a lot faster than us grownups do," said Dr. Rick Glover.

Mission: To Rule The Catwalk - Belize Designer - Rebecca Stirm
Mission Catwalk Season 2 has aired but four episodes and already it is local television's hottest ticket. With the competition extended to accommodate regional designers, it's incumbent upon all to up the ante in order to 'Rule the Catwalk'.


Last edited by Marty; 11/17/12 10:14 AM.