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The San Pedro Sun

NEMO Week planned for Belize Rural South
The Hurricane Season starts June 1st through November 30th yearly. The National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO hosts NEMO week yearly, leading to the opening of the hurricane season. This year, the week is observed under the theme, Preserving Life and Property and will take place during the week of May 27 - June 1, 2012. As part of the national activities, all schools throughout the country have been invited to join and participate in a National Poster contest to be judged in Belmopan for NEMO Week. The contest is open to students in standard 4 to 6 in all primary schools countrywide. Entries must be submitted through the school's principal or a class teacher no later than May 22nd and depicting the theme "Preserving Life and Property". Posters will be judged on: expression of the theme; creativity and originality, visual clarity and appeal; and broad audience appeal and educational value. There will be prizes for first, second and third places.

Winnie Estelle to stop in San Pedro on her final voyage home
Many young islanders may not be familiar with the Winnie Estelle but many long-time residents can certainly share their memories of the vessel. 90 years after her launching, the vessel is making her final voyage, with a stop on Ambergris Caye, before heading back home to the Maritime Museum at Chesapeake Bay in Crisfield, Maryland, USA. The vessel, which was built in 1920, has a long history and passed from one hand to another, eventually making its way to Belize in the 70′s where it was used to transport pine lumber and eventually used for tours off the island. The Winnie Estelle was one of the original Chesapeake Bay buy boat (buy boats are a type of cargo vessel used to buy catch-of-the-day/products and transport such loads to a mainland market) used to transport melons and sea products in the US. Buy boats are so uncommon now and only a couple of them exist, so much so that it is considered a historical piece that is referred to as an "endangered piece in the Americas."

Ambergris Today

Belize and Guatemala Agree On Date for Simultaneous Referenda
At the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Friday, April 27, 2012, delegations from Belize and Guatemala, headed by their respective Foreign Ministers, Wilfred Elrington and Harold Caballeros, met with OAS Secretary General, Jos� Miguel Insulza, to determine the date on which the simultaneous single issue referenda will take place in both countries in compliance with the Special Agreement between Belize and Guatemala to submit Guatemala's Territorial, Insular and Maritime claim to the International Court of Justice. In a cordial and cooperative atmosphere and with a view to advancing with the process, the Ministers agreed that the simultaneous referenda will take place on October 6, 2013. To this end, the Ministers stated that they would now take the necessary steps to begin informing the populations in their respective countries to sensitize them as to the territorial dispute, as well as on the need to find a peaceful and permanent solution to the differendum.

Prime Minister Meets with Civil Society in Response to Crime in City
The Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Dean Barrow, convened a meeting with civil society on Friday, April 27, 2012, to apprise them of the government's response to the recent increase in gang-related crime and the heightened tensions in Belize City. In the meeting, the Prime Minister, the Minister of National Security, the Director of RESTORE Belize, and CEO in the Office of the Prime Minister presented the latest update on the current police operations to ensure citizen security and the way forward for maintaining peace. The Government then requested the cooperation and support from civil society to promote peace and to address the underlying social conditions which make our Belizean communities vulnerable to crime.

Misc Belizean Sources

Belize Mega Bingo Results For (April 28 2012)
Mini X 50.00 Each (10 Balls) 12 �38 �25 �22 �30 �8 �47 �37 �35 �54� Lucky Two 5.00 Each (11 Balls) 12 �38 �25 �22 �30 �8 �47 �37 �35 �54 �61� Lucky Three 25.00 Each (11 Balls) 12 �38 �25 �22 �30 �8 �47 �37 �35 �54 �61� Straight Line 100.00 Each (11 Balls) 12 �38 �25 �22 �30 �8 �47 �37 �35 �54 �61� ...

Channel 7

ANOTHER CITY KILLING THIS ONE OF A "GAZA" MAN
There were three murders countrywide this weekend - and we start with the most recent which happened yesterday evening in the city. Brian Welch Requena known as "Yanki" or :Oregon" was killed on Faber's Road - a block away from where Lerone Johnson was killed three and a half weeks ago. Like so many others we've reported on - this killing was no accident - the gunman pursued the 49 year old victim like prey. We were there as police recovered the body and searched for clues. Here's the report. Jules Vasquez reporting Faber's road was blocked off and secured last night. As police laid evidence markers in the middle of the street finding a number of bullets but the body was 100 feet away, in the bushes where Police searched scraps of evidence of bullet fragments. 49 year old Brian Welch Requena died in a bushy area beside this home on Faber's Road.

TWO MORE MURDERS; APRIL WAS A DEADLY MONTH
And two men were killed this weekend in the environs of the Capital City. IT appears to have all started with a fight at the National Agricultural Showgrounds. At 2:00 am on Sunday, police found 22 year old Javier Larios with a stab wound to the center of his chest at the showgrounds. He was rushed to the hospital where he died shortly after. Not far from him, they found 23 year old Moses Orellano dead under a cargo truck - and he had also been stabbed to the chest. Police believe a third man was involved in the fight and escaped. Those three murders bring the total so far for 2012 to 42 - which is one more than last year at this time. But it also makes April 2012 one of the deadliest months in memory with 21 murders reported countrywide - as many a the three previous months combined.

TRAFFIC TRAGEDY ON THE ROUNDABOUT
Over the years, Belize City's drivers have become accustomed to the rules of roundabouts - and we rarely hear of accidents on the eight that are within city limits. But while drivers have can handle them, add bicycles into the mix and it becomes a kind of controlled chaos. And on Saturday afternoon that chaos is what pulled 25 year Rafael Torres under the wheels of a tandem trailer and crushed him. Monica Bodden found out what happened:.. Monica Bodden reporting The incident happened here at the Western Highway Roundabout - just after 3 on Saturday afternoon. 25 year old Rafael Torres lay dead on the street - alongside his body was his extensively damaged beach cruiser bicycle. Torres died on the spot after his head was run over by an 18 wheeler truck - driven at the time by 49 year old Alberto Morey.

GUNMAN TO COURT
Last week Friday, there was a shooting in the Gungulung area of Belize City which left a Belize City man injured. Today, his alleged shooter was brought to court. 20 year-old Ibrahim Smith, a resident of Mopan Street, was arraigned for charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, use of deadly means of harm, and wounding, all of which he allegedly committed against Desmond Gonzalez. Because of the nature of the charges, no plea was taken, and Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith remanded him to Prison until June 11. According to police, Gonzalez reported that at around 1 p.m. on Friday, he was walking on M&M Street when he saw a white Honda Civic vehicle drive up. Gonzalez said that he then saw Smith - who he knew for years - jump out of the vehicle with a firearm in his hand. Smith reportedly fired several shots at Gonzalez, and 2 of them caught him in the left arm. Gonzalez said that he took cover, and that's when Smith escaped.

MAN SAYS GSU PLANTED DRUGS ON HIM
Last week, on Wednesday and Friday, the Gang Suppression Unit conducted major operations In Corozal and Belmopan which netted a large quantity of illegal items. On Wednesday, at about 9 p.m the GSU searched the home of 33 year-old Ex- Police Constable Ryan Genus, also a resident of Sixth Avenue Corozal Town. Genus and his girlfriend, 19 year-old Keisha Ramclam, originally of Independence Village, were both present at the time when police found an undetermined about of crack cocaine in the bedroom. The officers also found 2.8 grams of cannabis in a plastic zip-lock bag in the yard. As a result, Genus and Ramclam were both jointly charged with 3 counts of possession of a controlled drug.

JUNIOUR BALLERS BACK FROM OHIO
15 of Belize's best young basketball players have returned home after representing Belize at the King James Amateur Athletic Union Classic. Last Saturday the team travelled to Cleveland Ohio to take part in the tournament -where they represented Belize among 99 other teams. It's the first time a Belizean team has participated and in the end Team Belize came out shining in the top sixteen - not bad for their first time playing among some of the best young talent in the United States. 7news was there when the players touched down at the P.G.I.A this morning- here's how it went. Brice Neal, Assistant Coach "The team travelled there last Saturday and spent about 10 days in the Cleveland area and participated in some training programs in different colleges and universities." "This past weekend Friday and Saturday we participated in 4 different games. On Friday we won the first game, Saturday morning we lost the second game and third game we won on Saturday. But the guys were too tired to participate in the fourth game. In every round the teams gets better. The experience was just awesome, the kids have learnt a lot. They got exposed to real organized basketball for the first time and it was just a tremendous trip for the young men."

FORMER MAYOR MOYA'S NEW RESTAURANT INVESTMENT
Former two term Belize City Mayor Zenaida Moya is going to open a new restaurant over the river, at the mouth of the Belize Harbour. Moya today confirmed that she is the investor behind the project, which will occupy the space formerly used by the Triple J boat service. It came to our attention because of the piles being driven - and the news that the Local Building Authority had issued a stop order on the project. But Moya today told us that the issue has been resolved and the stop order has been lifted. She says the project has received clearance from all relevant authorities. She expects it to finish within three months and says she's thinking about naming it Caribbean Breeze.

A LUXURY SUV THAT COSTS MORE THAN A HOUSE
New car dealers constantly complain that due to the slow economy, Belizeans just aren't buying new vehicles anymore. And the numbers support that claim - sales are down between 50 and 60% since the mid 2000's. But, dealers can't just bury their heads in the sand and wait for the good old days to return - they have to try and push their product - and that's what we met Eddie Bulwer of BRAVO Motors doing last week. But he wasn't pushing any regular old product; he's got an ultra-luxurious SUV that he's trying to move off the lot. He called us - not because we can afford it - (we can't) - but because he wanted to offer us a joyride - which, of course, he hoped would be on TV. It's a fair enough trade - as we got to see how the other half drives. Here's the story: Jules Vasquez reporting It's not every day - or any day really - that I get to drive a vehicle that sells for a quarter million Belize dollars. But that is the new Nissan Patrol - an imperious, imposing re-design that makes no apology for its hefty price tag.

PSU NOT HAPPY ON LABOR DAY
Tomorrow is Labor Day - a public and bank holiday - the one set aside for to celebrate the achievements of workers and to thank them for their many labours. But the PSU isn't joyfully reflecting - that union issued a scathing press release today which lashes out at what it calls, quote, "insidious attacks on the public Sector." The Union says that even the problem of gang violence goes back some twenty years to budget cuts in public Services particularly to Government ministries that offer social programs to the public. The release says that for the past 4 � years the unions have been negotiating with Government to offer workers much needed increases in allowances - those negotiations are still ongoing.

CITY COUNCIL WANTS YOU TO WORK FOR THE COMMON GOOD ON LABOUR DAY
And while the PSU laments about the woes of labour, City Hall wants labour day to be a day of community service. The Belize City Council is inviting all Belize City residents to take part in its first ever clean-up campaign called "Labour for Belize City 2012." It will be start tomorrow at 6 in the morning at the San Cas Plaza. For those willing persons, registration will take place at the San Cas Plaza where you will be assigned to a specific area to clean up along with your group. One of the coordinators of the campaign told us more. Phillip Singh, Community Outreach Officer "For those who don't know yet, we are planning a labour for Belize initiative. This initiative comes straight out of the 100 days plan and we are asking residents, groups to join us in this labour for Belize."

Channel 5

Double Murder of cousins after Agricultural Show
The gang war in Belize City may have slowed down because of the additional police and Belize Defense Force presence. Nevertheless, three men were murdered this past weekend; one man was shot several times on the south side of Belize City. However, the focus of the country this past weekend, the Agricultural show-grounds, was also [...]

Family desperate for information that will lead to killers
News Five made several attempts to speak with the family of Javier Larios; however, they eventually declined comment. Moses' mother, Yolanda Orellano, told us this afternoon that she is at a loss for words over the death of her son. She is desperately appealing to the public to come forward with any information that can [...]

Deportee gunned down on Faber's Road
Police investigations continue into Saturday's double homicide. And as the weekend was coming to a close on Sunday night, it appeared that Belize City would have been spared a regular weekend murder. However, another number was added to the murder statistic. A man, identified as Brian Welch, was walking on Faber's Road when a gunman [...]

Deadly domestic dispute; villager stabbed by her ex
Belize's reputation as one of the most violent countries in the region can't be fully attributed to urban violence. In Cotton Tree Village, on the outskirts of Belmopan, a woman almost lost her life during a domestic violence dispute. Twenty-one year old Lillian Lemmott is tonight recovering from multiple stab wounds after being viciously attacked [...]

Local butcher killed during accident at Western Highway roundabout
In addition to the murder victims, two more persons lost their lives in vehicular accidents. On Saturday evening, a few minutes before four p.m., Aaron Coleman was driving his green Ford Ranger on the Southern Highway. When the thirty-three year old mechanic of Big Falls Village arrived at Tambran Village between miles sixty-six and sixty-seven, [...]

Is Belize ready for border dispute referendum?
The date for the territorial dispute referendum has been set for October sixth, 2013. That date was confirmed by Belize's Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington who along with negotiators met with Guatemalan Foreign Minister Harold Caballeros at the Organization of American States office in Washington, D.C. If successful in both countries, the simultaneous referendum about Guatemala's [...]

Family wants answers about Boco T's death
The death of Kevin 'Boco T' Kelly is not only causing grief for his family, it is also stirring up ill will towards the system, which it feels is preventing them from burying their loved one. Boco T was the second person to drop dead within two months at the San Pedro Police Formation. Though [...]

Missing Fishermen; but boat had blood and holes
It has been nine days since forty-nine year old Silverio Tepaz, fifty year old Teobaldo Tepaz and twenty year old Mejadi Tepaz went missing. The boat that the three Sarteneja fishermen chartered was found submerged near Glover's Reef. A massive search and rescue was spearheaded by the Belize Coastguard, while other fishermen and family members [...]

Ibrahim Smith charged for M&M shooting
On Friday afternoon, there was a broad daylight shooting on M&M Street located in the Gungulung area of Southside Belize City. Twenty-two year old Desmond Gonzales was injured and before the end of the weekend, twenty-year old Mopan Street resident, Ibrahim Smith was arrested and charged for that shooting. This morning, Smith; who was unrepresented, [...]

Busted by cop in house during burglary, he says he's innocent
Also in court, a burglary case against a thirty-four year old Belize City resident ended in a five year prison sentence. Lionel McCleary, a resident of Booths Crescent was caught by a cop hiding inside the home of Lennox Steven back in October of 2011. Today he was found guilty of burglarizing and stealing several [...]

City Hall Labour Day cleanup of streets
It's Labour Day on Tuesday and it means that it will be a day of rest for the working class; but the City Council is asking for your time to help them clean up the old capital. An initiative called 'Labour for Belize' seeks to get as many hands out on tomorrow to collect the [...]

Scare at Belize Consul in the U.S.A.
An online report of an incident in the United States has caught the attention of the diplomatic corps. A bomb threat in Wilmington, North Carolina earlier today forced occupants of a two-storey office building, which houses the honorary consulate for Belize, to evacuate the premises. Around eight o'clock in the morning, Belizean Honorary Consul Ed [...]

Ariel Rosado Foundation rides for scholarships
Ariel Rosado was killed in a traffic accident but his memory lives on. Rosado, who was a stellar young cyclist in Belize in the late nineteen nineties and early 2000, made a name for himself by capturing big titles in the cycling world. He was pursuing his tertiary education up to his untimely death. Earlier [...]

Celebrating World Red Cross Day
The organizers of the ride intended to make it an annual event. Another annual event celebrated in Belize is World Red Cross Day. It is celebrated on May eighth on the birthday of its founder, Henry Durant. The day is observed to celebrate the selfless work that the volunteers put in for the vulnerable people [...]

Mission Catwalk now showing on Channel 5
Mission Catwalk, it is the popular fashion designer reality series that is hit across the Caribbean. After negotiations, Channel Five has gotten the green light to air the much talked about show. Starting on Tuesday night you can watch the first episode at eight o'clock and subsequent episodes every other Tuesday night. Featured on the [...]

Sports Monday Highlights with James Adderley
Good evening, I'm James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   The battle to get into the 1st championship series as presented by the Premier League of Belize raged simultaneously at the Norman Broaster Stadium in San Ignacio and inside the F.F.B. stadium at Capital City, Belmopan Saturday night. We take you inside the Norman [...]

LOVE FM

Monday, April 30 - - -POLICE NEWS
49-year-old Brian Requena Welch, also known as "Yankee" was murdered shortly after seven on Sunday night on Faber's Road. The blood-stained rug below marked the spot where he fell after a volley of bullets perforated his body. Residents of Faber's Ro...

NEW PUNTA GORDA TOWN COUNCIL PREPARES FOR ITS FIRST PUBLIC MEETING
Plans are in place for the first public meeting of the newly elected Punta Gorda Town Council. Punta Gorda Mayor Anthony Fuentes and councillors of the Punta Gorda Town Council are looking forward to meeting a good cross section of concerned Punta Gorda inhabitants to their first publi...

ORANGE WALK MAYOR TAXI ASSOCIATION MEETS WITH
Dalila Ical reporting� "They are known as the "Dalla Taxi" - taxi operators who make runs from the center of Orange Walk Town to other parts of town, primarily north, to and from the Northern Regional Hospital and the Trial Farm Village area. Giorndan...

CANCER MONTH TO BE OBSERVED IN MAY
May is observed as Cancer Month and to start such an interesting month full of activities, the Belize Cancer Society held a Church Service at the Central Assembly of God. Ivorine Bulwer - Representative, Belize Cancer Society "The Cancer month is be...

NATIONAL AGRICULTURE & TRADE SHOW MARKED A SUCCESS
Officials estimate that over 20 thousand visitors stopped in at the National Agriculture and show which ended yesterday in Belmopan. Chairman of the National Agriculture and Trade Show Committee Eugene Waight told Love News the event was a success. "I definite...

BELIZE AND GUATEMALA AGREES TO SIMULTANEOUS REFERENDUM ON TERRITORIAL CLAIM
The announcement was made on Friday that Belizeans will vote in a special referendum next year. At a ministerial level meeting at the Organization of American States headquarters in Washington, Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington for Belize and Harold Caballeros for Gua...

PlusTV

Victims of alleged police brutality file report
At this weekend's Agricultural and Trade Show, Police and security officials were on high alert to the recent heigh...

Missing child reunited with family
A six year old boy had quite a scare today as he lost his parents and ended up at the Belmopan Police Station. Plus...

Man ran over by truck dies
A man's life came to a crashing end on Saturday Afternoon. Police responded to a report of an accident at the Weste...

Chief Agriculture Officer assess Agric 2012
The Agriculture Show was ostentatious in presentation with impressive numbers turning out on both Saturday and Sund...

Double murder at the Agriculture and Trade Show
The National Agriculture and Trade Show has come and gone, and thousands converged on the Capital City for the thre...

10 year old knocked down and killed
Another fatal road traffic accident occurred over the weekend. This time in the south. 33 year old Aaron Coleman of...

Former Mayor Zenaida Moya's new venture
Here's an update on the activities of former Belize City mayor, Zenaida Moya. It seems that she's building a busine...

Neighbourhood meeting scheduled to discuss proposed farmers market
The placing of the proposed New Farmers Market continues to plague the residents of the Mountain View area. The Cou...

HANDS International's Medical Mission
The Ministry of Health (Central Health Region) in collaboration with HANDS International is organizing a Medical Mi...

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Rose's Grill and Bar celebrates 12 years of service
Rose's Grill and Bar, the recent recipient for the 37th International Award for Tourist, Hotel and Catering Industry on January 18th, 2012 in Madrid, Spain celebrated twelve years of service on April 11, 2012, as a full service restaurant operating on Caye Caulker serving fresh delicacies to tourists and locals alike. Starting off as a small take-out restaurant 12 years ago, serving breakfast and lunch, they now boast a full service menu grilling the freshest of seafood with side orders that open your taste buds as you walk by. Proprietor/Manager, Eduardo Arceo explains how hard work and determination has paid off a great deal in having his business prosper over the years, thanks to the support of the general public, they are who make Rose's. Now with a full staff of 10 persons, he is happy and proud of what Rose's has become. Here are some highlighted photos of the night's event:

Blogs

Bird-watching paradise found in Crooked Tree, Belize - Day 2
Because the sun rises early over the lagoon, the birds start singing, and the dogs start barking, it is easy to get up early at Crooked Tree Lodge. We rolled out of bed at exactly 5:42 am, having just missed the sunrise by a few lazy minutes. This is at least an hour or more earlier than we usually rise. We were excited to start what we expected would be an excellent full day of birding. After grabbing a cup of coffee in the lodge, we took a morning walk before breakfast and checked out the birds along the road. Of course we saw many, as birds are most active in the morning and again at dusk. It was a beautiful morning, and the sun was already getting hot -- it gets hot early in Belize. A morning cuppa joe in a lovely setting Breakfast was served at 7, and what a spread it was -- scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit, johnny cakes, toast, homemade jam, and freshly squeezed orange juice. The perfect way to start a big day. After breakfast, we took the two touring kayaks out on the lagoon to try to find some Jabiru Storks. We had seen them on the far side of the lagoon through our binoculars in the late afternoon of the day before, but they were too far off to photograph. It was a gorgeous day for paddling, and so much fun to be out on the water again. We used to own touring kayaks but sold them on Craigslist before we sold our house in 2010, and hadn't paddled for a long time. The water was very shallow in the lagoon. By the end of May, it might be dried up totally until the rains come again. We were glad we made it here while we could still enjoy a paddle.

BETEX is Belize's Rising Tourism Star
According to BTIA President Jim Scott, this year was the biggest in the event's history, with over 350 attendees at Belize's Princess Hotel. Mr. Scott said that due to the country's small size and other unique attributes, promoting Belize in-country was more effective than attending larger trade shows overseas. 'Where better can you promote your culture and your destination than at home? They get to learn about Belize, about our culture, about our natural resources, things to do while they are here� the hotels, tour operators, sites, restaurants, smells and so many good things. Things that you have pride in as a Belizean.'

Happy Birthday Dane!
From one of the original crew members birthdays to our newest addition to the team, Dane's birthday!! Dane joined the Raggamuffin crew back in January and he has settled into the family like he has been here for years! We were truly blessed when Dane scouted us out as he is extremely experienced (one of the few Tour Guides on Caye Caulker that has his Senior Tour Guide License) and he has the kind of personality that is difficult not to like!! As with all our Tour Guides, everybody has to learn to each others job and for Dane his priority at the moment is to master to sail a boat so that we can officially call him Captain Dane!! Watch this space, perhaps this time next year Dane will be a fully fledged Captain!! Happy Birthday Dane from all your family here at Raggamuffin - we wish you many more!!

International Sources

RCURY VENUS EARTH MOON MARS JUPITER SATURN PLUTO ASTEROIDS & COMETS NASA MODIS Image of the Day: April 30, 2012 - Fires and smoke in Central America
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of fires and smoke occurring in various areas of Central America on April 26, 2012 at 1915 UTC (3:15 p.m. EDT). The fires are marked by red dots and smoke from the fires appears a light brown in color. Some of the fires are located north of Salina Cruz and Juchitan de Zaragoza along the southern Mexico coastline and smoke from them is blowing south into the Pacific Ocean in this satellite image. To the east, some fires are seen in northwestern Guatemala, burning in the Biotopo Protegido Laguna del Tigre Rio Escondido and the Parque Nacional Laguna Del Tigre. In Belize, fires also appear to be burning in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, located of the Maya Mountains in the Cayo District of south-central Belize.

No device found inside suspicious package
A building housing the Honorary Consulate of Belize was evacuated early Monday morning after a suspicious package was found. The incident took place at 1135 Military Cutoff Road around 8 a.m. Monday after a package with suspicious writing was found on it. The building is mostly made up of medical offices, including an urgent care, dentist and radiologist. The first floor has been cleared. The second floor, which houses the consulate, was checked. Officials with the Wilmington Police Department's bomb squad searched the building. They took the suspicious package into custody and were able to assess what was inside the package. "It was determined at that time that it was all writing - a series of papers with suspicious writing on them, but no device was found inside the package," explained Detective Kevin Smith. Now, officials are trying to determine how the package got in the building and who may have been behind its delivery.

Featured Gay Friendly Accommodations: Toucan Nest, San Pedro, Belize
Periodically we'll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay. Welcome to Belize's Toucan Nest Guesthouse - a tropical getaway on Ambergris Caye - what a great find! Each morning, Toucan Nest offers a fantastic breakfast, as well as full service trip and tour planning. There are so many things to do here, including: Toucan Nest offers wifi internet access, a/c, ceiling fans in each room, daily beer delivery, and purified drinking water. Our Ambergris Caye bed and breakfast is just a seven minute walk from San Pedro, and just a stone's throw from the ocean.

Package at honorary Belize consulate investigated
An unusual package accompanied by a rambling letter prompted the temporary evacuation Monday of a Wilmington building that contains an honorary consulate for Belize. Belizean Honorary Consul Ed Paul Jr. said Monday the discovery has prompted an investigation by both federal and local authorities. When Paul went to work Monday morning, he called for police after finding a bulky package. Citing the ongoing investigation, Paul would not say more about the package's contents, where exactly it was found or whether it was mailed or dropped off. Wilmington police evacuated the two-story office building at 1135 Military Cutoff Road, which primarily contains doctors' offices and has a New Hanover Regional Medical Center name and logo on the building's exterior.

Protect Dolphins from Oil in Belize
Right now, oil companies are preparing to drill in the middle of the Belize Barrier Reef - home to thousands of dolphins, green sea turtles and whale sharks. Thousands of people in Belize have already signed on to put a national referendum outlawing offshore drilling on the ballot, but to stop this drilling once and for all we also need your help. The deadline for the referendum is fast approaching and we want every registered Belizean to have the opportunity to sign this historic petition against offshore oil drilling. If you help us show Belize that the world is watching this debate -- and stands with those in Belize who oppose dangerous drilling -- it could have a big impact. The Belize Barrier Reef System is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to innumerable species and an irreplaceable natural resource. Your support today will help preserve this natural wonder for Belize, and for visitors from around the world. Tell the government of Belize that you want to see dolphins, not oil drills, in the Belize Barrier Reef. Help us get to 10,000 signatures!