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The San Pedro Sun

Lisel Alamilla to receive University of Idaho International Alumni Achievement Award
The Senator, Honorable Lisel Alamilla, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development for Belize, has been honored by the University of Idaho's College of Natural Resources (CNR), as the winner of its, "2013 International Alumni Achievement Award". She will be presented with the award at a banquet honoring outstanding CNR alumni and students in Moscow, Idaho, on Thursday, April 18, 2013. Minister Alamilla was nominated for this award due to her outstanding achievements, including her appointment as a minister in Belize's Cabinet, her selection as winner of the 2012 Whitley Award for Nature and her selection as winner of the 2010 Marsh Award for Conservation Leadership. Each year the CNR Leadership Team convenes to nominate six distinguish college alumni for awards. The International Alumni Achievement Award is given to an alumnus who has a career is some aspect of natural resources, whose career exemplifies a record of distinction and international service in natural resources, and who is recognized as having made a difference in natural resource management in their country.

Dredging - mangrove clearance taking place north of marina channel
The San Pedro Sun can confirm that dredging is taking place in an area north of the San Pedro Marina Channel (located south-west of Ambergris Caye). The person to whom the dredging permit has been issued to is Darrin Sherry for Royal Belizean Land Co. S.A. The San Pedro Sun can also confirm that the recommendation was granted by the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) and signed by Mayor Daniel Guerrero on April 2, 2013. Documents obtained by The San Pedro Sun shows that the owner of Lot Number 5481 and 5482 in the San Pedro Registration Section intends to dredge a total of 76, 917 cubic yards of sand, silt and mud. However the person has divided the dredging into three phases; the first will see 16,851 cubic yards of material dredged, the second 11,666 cubic yards and the third 48,400 cubic yards. It is interesting to note that the law requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for any dredging exceeding 50,000 cubic yards of material. On March 8, 2013, the Government of Belize, through the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment approved a mining (dredging) permit which expires on December 31, 2013. The permit was granted a month before Sherry received the recommendation from the SPTC. The permit (for extraction) indicates that not more than 16,000 cubic yards of material shall be extracted from burrow sites around the properties in question.

Three more officers join the San Pedro Police Department
The San Pedro Police Formation has been slowly growing and with the recent six new officers, the formation counts with 39 policemen. They are tasked in ensuring the protection of life and property on the island of Ambergris Caye. Last week we presented you with two of the six new officers and in this issue, The San Pedro Sun introduces three more police constables. Woman Police Constable (WPC) number 1554 Arilee Young is originally from San Ignacio Cayo. She has recently graduated from the Belize Police Academy and her first placement is at the San Pedro Police Formation. Just as WPC Young, Police Constable (PC) number 1459 Norman Coye Jr is also a recent graduate of the Belize Police Academy and his first assignment was to Ambergris Caye. PC Coye Jr is from Cotton Tree Village in the Cayo District. PC number 1443 Hector Blanco is also new to the police force and he too is a new graduate from the Belize Police Academy. He is originally from Orange Walk Town.

Ambergris Today

San Pedro Darts Team Wins Big Creek Dart Classic
The Jolly Roger Reloaded Darts Team, organizer and host of the first BIG CREEK GROUP ANNUAL DARTS CLASSIC, takes great pleasure in formally thanking Mr. Anuar Flores, Buisness Leader, and his Board of Directors of the Big Creek Group Of Companies for their sponsorship of our dart tournament held on April 13th & 14th, 2013. We also applaud the company for the commitment to venture into curving of the youths into the sport of darts in the country of Belize. This show of sportsmanship through its participation, endorses the company's mission statement of "A Company In Touch With Tomorrow". The Big Creek Darts Classic was a huge success with a brilliant display of camaraderie and unity to foster a new generation of dartists in Belize. The host team through this medium would like to also thank Fr. Timothy Thompson (SJC), the Minister of Sports, Hon. Herman Longsworth, "Open Your Eyes" Management, Staff and anchors, for such a quick response to readily endorse such encouragement to inspire the young people and to revive the consciousness to pass on the skill of yesteryear before it is buried with us, and The Belize City Lion's Club, for the use of the "Lester Young Lion's Hall" for the venue.

Unknown Graffiti Artist Spreads Flower Power Around San Pedro
The message might be that of Peace, Love or Happiness, but the images of flowers that have been plastered around the island by an unknown graffiti artist surely bring a smile to your face when you see it. Or maybe it is a puzzled face that people make when they see these random images of flowers (of different sizes and colors) that have been pasted in random areas of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. There is a large colorful one on a utility post by The Island Academy, a large black one on the concrete fence of the San Pedro Roman Catholic School and tiny ones all around. You have to have a keen eye to actually catch a few. I got out to conduct some investigating this morning, but there were no clues as to who posted these flowers around town. There seem to be no witnesses around as it seems that they were posted in the middle of the night. Clever!

Public Consultation For San Pedro's Solid Waste Management Project
Keeping La Isla Bonita clean is something that the San Pedro Town Council has been arduously working on. There has been a massive cleanup campaign taken into effect to target specific areas of the island in different time periods so as to effectively cover the entire island and educated the people and maintain the island as clean as possible. The collection of garbage has always been the responsibility of the Town Council and the disposal of the garbage has been in the southern side of the island in the dumpsite where all solid waste is disposed and burnt. But the disposal of the island's garbage will change once the Solid Waste Management Project comes into effect. The Government of Belize has proposed to implement a project to improve solid waste management practices in four municipalities of the Western Corridor of Belize (San Pedro Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Belize City and San Ignacio/Santa Elena) that will support the goals of environmental protection, natural resource conservation, and protection of public health, safety and welfare.

Responsibility To Whom And For What?
In my articles I try to point out and describe to readers, both inside and outside of Belize, the many responsibilities as well as the essential needs of educators, students, parents, and the community/country at large. The bottom line and ultimate goal of each article presented in this column and on belizeguidance.blogspot.com is to encourage each individual, not only students but the entire country, to keep improving and growing productively in the new 21st Century. My recent observations and striking descriptions (with apologies to no one) of "learned helplessness" throughout Belize have elicited quite numerous and varied individual responses throughout social media such as Facebook, Blogs, and emails. I respect and will honor each individual's request for privacy. Nonetheless, it was very encouraging to see that, despite the scant or few comments usually posted under each new article, so many of you readers "do care" about how our Education Systems in Belize work, and whether or not they serve the nation productively. Most encouraging of all was to see how many of you, according to the many emails you sent me, are genuinely interested in improving our Education systems in Belize.

Misc Belizean Sources

Barry Bowen Bridge closed on May 15
to all vehicular traffic for one or two weeks.

New Horizons provides veterinary care to animals of Belize
U.S. veterinary professionals provided treatment to various types of animals April 17 in Orange Walk, Belize, as part of a training exercise called New Horizons. The veterinary team treated approximately 340 dogs, seven horses and one cat. Elisa Castellanos, Orange Walk resident and owner of Napoleon, a 10-year-old Labrador and pit bull dog, was excited the clinic provided free veterinary care for dogs in the town. "I love this effort because it is very much missing here in Orange Walk," she said. "When I heard about it, I told everybody." Castellanos wants as many dogs as possible to be vaccinated at the clinic. "My neighbors have never given their dogs vaccinations," she said. "I have some random dogs in my neighborhood, but I will make the trips back and forth." Castellanos also said she believes this clinic will make a big difference in the community. "A lot of it is people are not educated what to do for their dogs and the responsibilities of it," she said. "We each have a responsibility to do something. We just have to do what we can in our community."

IMF concludes consultation mission to Belize
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Gerardo Peraza, visited Belize from April 8-18, to conduct its yearly review of the country's economy in the context of the IMF's Article IV consultation, which began in November last year. Peraza released the following statement in Belmopan at the conclusion of the meetings on Thursday: "This year's Article IV consultation mission took place after the completion of an external public debt exchange. The mission welcomes the collaborative dialogue between the government of Belize and the Creditors Committee to achieve a consensual debt restructuring. "In 2012, economic activity accelerated thanks to a strong rebound in agriculture and services, despite a sharp decline in crude oil production. Output growth is estimated at 5.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), led by a recovery from the 2011 effects of weather-related damages to commodity exports. Inflation averaged 1.4 percent in 2012, as commodity price pressures abated. The external current account deficit widened to about 1.7 percent of GDP, up from 1.1 percent of GDP in 2011, due to a steep drop in crude oil exports and higher imports of fuel and electricity. The fiscal primary surplus for FY2012/13 is expected to decline to 1.3 percent of GDP from 2.3 percent of GDP in FY2011/12. After two years of decline, credit to the private sector recovered in 2012. For 2013, output growth is expected to moderate to about 2.5 percent as the main export crops stabilize and crude oil production continues to contract.

Belize to develop its first credit reporting system to increase access to finance
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is helping Belize establish its first credit reporting system, which will allow financial institutions to share credit information and better manage lending risks, thereby expanding access to finance for individual borrowers and small businesses. With support from the Canadian International Development Agency, IFC and the Central Bank of Belize are co-hosting the third Caribbean Credit Reporting Conference today in Belize City. The conference will bring together representatives from financial institutions, credit unions, utilities, insurance companies and central banks in the region to build awareness and deepen knowledge of credit reporting systems. IFC organized previous conferences in St Kitts and Nevis and Jamaica in 2012. "A credit reporting system is key to the development of a sound economy," said Marilyn Gardiner-Usher, deputy governor of the Central Bank of Belize. "It helps to reduce risks for financial institutions and often leads to lower interest rates, making loans more affordable and more widely available. That's a win-win for Belize."

Heartz FC Family Day
The Heartz Football Club has uploaded some football pictures from their 'Family Day' this last weekend. "HeartzFC Family Day with Adventures FC"

PACT at UB Earth Day
The University of Belize had their Earth Day today, and the Protected Areas Conservation Trust was there to take some pictures of the event. Lots of people showed up for the food, fun, and games. "PACT attended the University of Belize's Earth Day Celebrations 2013. We helped to judge the Trash-On Show Competition! Kudos to all participants, especially the winners: Kuxlin Ha Primary School - 1st Place St. Martin's Primary School - 2nd Place United Evergreen Primary School - 3rd Place"

'My Body is Precious' Tours Cayo
The play 'My Body is Precious' is on tour around Belize, and it is coming to Cayo tomorrow. The Special Envoy for Women and Children is promoting the new book with the same name to combat the sexual exploitation of children. The play will be in Belmopan, at the UB Auditorium at 10am, and then in Benque, at the Marshalleck Stadium, at 2pm.

Black Hole Drop
One of Caves Branch's most amazing tours is their famous Black Hole Drop, where you rappel into a 300 foot deep cenote. If you crave adventure in Cayo, this is for you. Some of the best Cayo jungle lodges, including Crystal Paradise, Mariposa, and Parrot Nest, got to experience it so they could better answer their guest's questions about the unique adventure. "Ian Anderson's Caves Branch Jungle Lodge offers one of the most extreme rappelling adventures in Belize with their Black Hole Drop. It's around an hour hike to a huge cenote that you rappell 300 feet into. You then have a delicious lunch, and explore the cenote. There are caves in it too."

Succotz Festival Weekend
The Succotz Fiesta is this weekend, and they are having the opening ceremony tomorrow with the Super Furia Band. Saturday and Sunday is when the fiesta really takes off. They'll be having a bicycle race, and fun in the Mopan. There will be live music, food, and games for the entire family. Feliz Fiesta!

Belizean Cold Cake Version 2
This is the 2nd version of Cold Cake. In this version, I eliminated the jello and added sugar and butter to the Nestle's Cream. I think added the sugar made all the difference for this dish for me. It wasn't too sweet and the cookies are a delight in each bite.

Channel 7

Police Get Aviation Fuel, No Luck In Finding Plane
Tonight, nine drums or 450 gallons of aviation fuel are sitting at the Ladyville police station - the product of an all-day search by Ladyville police and the Belize Special assignment group yesterday. At 10:00 in the morning, they received information that a plane was circling in the area West of Crooked Tree. A team of two dozen BDF soldiers and police were dispatched to scour the vast area between Crooked Tree and Shipyard. 7news got information as well, but our quest only took us to the Lagoon at behind Crooked Tree, as the terrain was treacherous beyond that. But police persisted, and at 2:30 pm, between an area known as Backlanding and Shipyard they encountered an abandoned runway - one that had been destroyed by BDF explosives months ago. But about 100 yards from the runway they found 9 full drums of aviation fuel. The drums were covered with palms and Bay leaves - likely for concealment and protection against the sun. There were also 16 empty clear plastic fuel containers beside them, likely used for refueling vehicles and ATV's.

Ladyville Police Catch Burglars In Act, Shoot One; He�'s Critical
Ladyville Police shot a man they allegedly caught committing a burglary this afternoon. 21 year old Ryan Lozano is in a critical condition at the KHMH - after police shot him in the midsection. Ladyville Police shot a man they allegedly caught committing a burglary this afternoon. 21 year old Ryan Lozano is tonight at the KHMH in a critical condition - after he was shot by police. Police say that at 12:20 this afternoon, the responded to the report of a burglary in progress in Los Lagos. When they got there, they saw 27 year old Ladyville resident Lenny Benguche hiding behind the house while Lozano was walking out. Police say he had a crowbar and a knife and they cautioned him - but he continued to advance in, quote, "a threatening manner." Police then opened fire, hitting him in the midsection. But this evening 7news travelled to Ladyville to where the shooting happened. Neighbors confirmed that they heard 4 gunshots ring out - and when it did, they say the two men were already lying face down on the ground. They said they saw neither a crowbar nor any knife. Lozano's mother was told by doctors that her son was shot twice- once to the back and once to his side. Tonight Lozano is on life support at the KHMH still hanging on to life and his mother Cynthia Usher, has still not been contacted by police. She said she has had troubles with her son.

IMF Urges GOB To Reign In Wage Bill
The IMF today concluded its Article IV consultation with Belize - and they say government has to watch its wage bill. A press release issued this afternoon reports that discussions with the government focused on how to take advantage of the breathing room provided by the Superbond renegotiation. The IMF recommends what it calls "robust fiscal consolidation," among other measures. They emphasize quote, "(placing) debt and financing needs on a faster downward trajectory," and continue to say that quote, "the focus of fiscal policy should be on spending restraint-especially moderating wage pressures-and reversing the erosion of the tax revenue base." The release also points to "a high�level of nonperforming loans" - in the commercial banks and urges government to "(tackle) major impediments to doing business in order to better attract investment, expand exports, and bolster external sustainability." The more complete staff report will be issued in June.

Another Bee Attack In North
There was another killer bee attack in the Orange Walk District today. 72 year old Wilhelm Nuefeld, a Mennonite of Camp 18 in Shipyard was rushed to the Northern Regional Hospital after bees swarmed him while he was working behind his house. KREM News reports that he was attempting to transfer swine from one stall to another and was not aware of a hive of bees in the stall. Fortunately he was treated and released. His horse was also attacked but survived as well. There's also news about the other tragic case which occurred in Little Belize. As we reported 4 year old Enrique Thiessen was killed by a swarm of bees while his five year old brother, Pedro was critically injured. Well, Pedro has been showing signs of improvement, and was released from the Northern Medical Plaza today to attend his little brother's funeral. But when that's done, he'll have to go right back to the hospital. Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez reports that his liver is still swollen and he has to be kept for two more days of observation.

Sidewalk Demolition Raises Concerns
In March of last year, the Sustainable Tourism Project started works for the Belize City Fort Point Pedestrian Walk. The 5.47 million dollar project promised to deliver a refurbished North Front Street from the bridge-foot to the Memorial Park. It's been a long 14 months since the ground breaking ceremony launching the development and so, residents of the city have been forced to deal extensively with the limited road access while the contractors do their work. The works are now approaching the foot of the Swing Bridge, and so today we caught up with the Project Director for an update on when they will be completely finished. We also asked about the demolition of the newly built sidewalk in front of the Image Factory. The director told us that it is due to a drainage issue that they had to fix. She also discussed the challenges which have delayed the completion of the works. Christy Mastry - Sustainable Tourism Project "Well North Front street right now is about maybe another three or four weeks away from completion. The entire project was scheduled to be totally completed by the end of April. North Front St. had some unique challenges that many of the other roads didn't have or not in as much dire need of attention as North Front St. did. It was the variation of the entrances of all of the buildings to the actual sidewalk and then the relationship to the sidewalk to the road bed itself. So because of that it definitely posed a drainage challenge to the contractor.

OCEANA: Win Some, Lose Some
On Tuesday Oceana Belize had a major victory in court when they up-ended 6 offshore oil drilling contracts. Well, their next challenge in the Supreme Court hasn't been enjoying as much success as that one. That's because since the Chief Elections Officer disqualified 8,047 of their signatures to trigger a referendum on off-shore oil drilling in 2012, the GOB attorneys have been ensuring that the court doesn't reverse it. Today, once again, GOB, successfully managed to convince Justice Michelle Arana to dismiss an application from Oceana for leave to appeal concerning her ruling to strike the challenge out on a technicality of tardiness in December of 2012. We spoke to both sides outside of court, including Audrey Matura-Shepherd, who is undeterred by this dismissal. She says that these setbacks will not discourage her from trying to get the Court of Appeal to hear the matter. Denys Barrow - Attorney for GOB "The Oceana people had applied for leave to appeal against the earlier decision of Justice Arana, striking out their claim, which have been filed out of time. We took the objection on this application today that again, they have made a misstep and they applied for leave to appeal when they had a clear right to appeal without making any application for leave. Therefore the application for leave was a mistake. It was meaningless and as the judge said she has no authority to give leave. If they wanted to appeal they ought to have filed a notice of appeal. So they have no appeal"

Murder Way Up in 2013
Crime Statistics show that - for the first quarter of 2013, the murder rate is way up. Comparing the period of January to March 2012 with the same period in 2013, 30 murders were recorded in 2013, as compared to 23 for the same period in 2012. Looking at it on a district-by-district basis, Belize City showed an alarming increase, from 11 murders between January and March 2012, compared to 26 murders for the same period in 2013. All other districts except Toledo were down in the number of murders reported. According to the numbers, cases of Robbery, burglary and theft were all down.

Jamaican Police Minister Cries For Crime
And while those murder figures are enough to make anyone hang their head in weary resignation, in Jamaica, the staggering crime statistics almost brought the Police Minister Peter Bunting to tears. In a speech that has triggered angry responses from Jamaicans, on Saturday Bunting said only divine intervention can solve his country's problems - we have this report from CEEN News:.. Tamika Tomas Reporting "It was an emotional security Minister Peter Bunting who lamented the situation of the country's crime problem. After fifteen months on the job, the Minister says he is frustrated over what he described as little results despite the best efforts of the security forces. Speaking at the anual cry and thanksgiving service for the security forces, as the Northern Caribbean university over the weekend, the Minister noted that he was in a dark time in his career as Minister and only divine intervention would solve the crime misery." Peter Bunting, Minister of National Security, Jamaica "After fifteen months I am convinced that the best efforts of the security forces by itself, will not solve the crime problem in Jamaica but it is going to take divine intervention; touching the hearts of a wide cross section of the society"

UB Researchers Touching On Important Topics
Research: it's the duty of every university to promote it - and for the third year, UB's Faculty of Management and Social Sciences held their Annual Student Research Conference. The idea is to get out the research work students have been doing in a specific subject area Dr. Jean Briceno-Perriot - University of Belize "The research are in areas of Accounting, Tourism, Management and some social Science. It's very intense and they have to work very hard and at times it is stressful for them. They get it done and as you can see from the response of them being here it's kind of a goal for them now. We want our study to be presented." Shenira Hoare - Student Researcher "Well my research was mainly to focus on the factors that are contributing to a GPA change in students, specifically Accounting students that are doing their Bachelors Degree after they have relocated to Belize City. My findings were that specifically because it was such a small group, there were minimal changes in their GPA. So for the minority that changed didn't feel like their parents' expectations were a push for them to do their best. They didn't have the family support. They did not feel like they had good relationships with those they lived with. So for the minority that did change those were the factors that affected them the most and caused them to shift from having a higher GPA to a lower GPA."

Central Banks Setting Up Credit Bureaus
And while UB's students are researching business, the central bank was kinda sorta doing something similar. They've teamed up with the International Finance Corporation to set up a Belize's first credit reporting system. Today, they held a press conference and the Deputy governor of the central Bank explained the importance of credit bureaus. Here's how it goes. Marilyn Gardiner Usher - Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Belize "A credit reporting system is key to development of a sound economy. It helps to reduce risks to financial institutions and often leads to lower interest rates making loans more affordable and more widely available. We expect the data to come financial and non-financial providers like the utilities and the insurance companies. So that this can actually have the impact of bringing individual, small and medium enterprises who don't normally hold accounts and have a relationship with the bank, to have access to their reputation and collateral to the formal financial system."

Triple Fatality Reported
There was a terrible accident at mile six on the Western highway just a short while ago. At about 6:50 pm, a maroon Chevy extended cab pickup and a black car collided head on. First images from the scene show sent by our team show massive frontal damage to both vehicles. Our team reports that at least two persons have been extracted dead from the pickup - and bystanders say one more person is dead inside. Another was taken out alive and rushed away via ambulance. We'll have more on this before the end of the news.

PROFILE
Tonight's I am Belize profile of Mona Lisa Mangar.

Making The Most OF Disaster Preparedness
This afternoon at the Radisson, Godwin Hulse the Minister in Charge of Emergency Management briefed the media about the highlights coming out of the Regional Disaster Preparedness technical advisory committee meeting organized by Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency - CDERA. Hon. Godwin Hulse - Minister of National Emergency Management "Some of the highlights coming out of today's meeting were, still ongoing as you know, but there's the strategic direction was endorsed. That is where we are going from 2013 to 2018 and so there was a tremendous amount of discussion there that was endorsed and so that now goes up to council. The country's support program was examined and supported. A country support program means for example; What will Belize get? What the other agencies will get? That was also was discussed and then of course the operational planning enhancement. How we are going to move in all of these changes that are happening? We looked at communications systems and that sort of thing; the world is a changing place. You know, couple years ago we sent a mail and we would hope you got it and then from there we sent you a 'telex' and the we started sending you a fax and then we got cellphone and now we have facetime. So we are going up. So communication is changing and how we interact and communicate with each other. In between all of that, a myriad of smaller issues so fundamentally that is where are and what we have been doing so far."

A Fiesta With A Tradition
The SAN JOSE Succotz Fiesta has become a major annual event for the WESTERN village and it is scheduled for April 18, 19 and 21. But oftentimes, these events become established for a particular symbolic reason, which is lost on the younger generation who look forward to it only for the fun and excitement involved. The spokesperson for the Fiesta gave 7News a brief history about the importance of the event. Wilson Patt - Spokesperson, Benque Succotz Fiesta "Usually for the 'fiesta" we try to promote our own traditional dances and folklore and also the traditional dishes. That is the main focus of the fair. It was done yearly from the 1920's it was done more as a religious but traditional event. Now its being done like a fundraising drive. We have moved away from the Catholic since the St. Joseph day, the patron Saint is 19th of March and it falls within lent so we have decided to move away from lent and move it into a more traditional way and there isn't a religion that can do any harm."

Vansh Giveaway Day 4
Today, the Vansh Charles Birthday giveaway continued here at Channel 7 on Albert street. As we've told you, all this week, Monday to Friday all children 12 and under who are born on April 19th, between the years 2001 and 2012 can come to Channel 7 to pick up their gift bag and a gift certificate. We spoke to a few of the recipients who've come form all over the country. And we spoke to one mother who is just happy to have her April 19th birthday after he was switched at birth in a hospital mix-up Daniel Ortiz "Now that he's celebrating his birthday. What's it like?" Sofia Fuller - Mother of 2 Year Old Kent Moses "Well, i'm very happy and greatful everyday that I have my son." Mother of Shernelle Anderson "I feel great about this. It's a wonderful thing to do for kids that are born on April 19th." Sherl Lewis "Hi" Daniel Ortiz "How do you feel about receiving your gift today?" Alliyah Salam "Happy." Daniel Ortiz "You're happy. What school do you go to?"

Channel 5

Brutal accident on highway kills three
There is breaking news of a fatal traffic accident on the George Price Highway that happened just before seven this evening. Three persons are now dead and two survived when there was a collision between a small car and a pickup truck. The persons who perished were in the pickup truck and are believed to [...]

Terrible dredging on the north end of Ambergris Caye
On Tuesday, OCEANA won a major legal victory when six oil contracts were declared null and void by the Supreme Court. Tonight, there is a developing story from San Pedro that is stirring unease on the island. It is reported that north of San Pedro's Marine Channel, seventy-six point nine cubic yards are being dredged [...]

Aviation fuel found near Crooked Tree; reports of plane attempting to land confirmed
On Wednesday, reports circulated that a plane had been heard circling somewhere behind Crooked Tree, but we could get no official confirmation and our investigations came up empty-handed. But today, there is official word from the Belize Police Department, of a significant find of what is believed to be aviation fuel. Following the reports of [...]

Union salary increase dependent on Maranco Oil
Since the announcement of an encouraging oil show in the northwest block, an area in the Orange Walk District spanning nine hundred and fifty-two square miles, the Ministry of Energy & Science has remained relatively quiet about the results of an assessment to determine whether the find is in commercial quantity.� On March thirtieth, prospecting [...]

APAMO strongly disagrees with rosewood amnesty
The sale of confiscated rosewood announced by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development on Monday has been drawing huge public outcry. This afternoon, the Association of Protected Areas Management Organization added its considerable weight to the public condemnation surrounding the recent decision by government regarding the amnesty, sale and exportation of rosewood. In [...]

Bad bus business resolved in the capital
Public transportation is flowing tonight following a meeting in Belmopan.� As it stands, the wrinkles have been ironed out between two competing companies over the Belmopan-Belize City run. Both have agreed to a formula making way for one of the companies to service the five o'clock run which transports most public officers from the Capital [...]

Violet Jones believes found bones are from lost son
On January nineteenth, 2011 distraught mother Violet Jones visited our studio to plead with the public for information on the whereabouts of her son, Matthew Gonzalez. Matthew lived in San Pedro, and had not been seen since January seventh, when reports are he went fishing. No information ever surfaced, and Violet Jones never found any [...]

Second bee sting victim is suffering liver damage
A five year old boy remains hospitalized at the Northern Medico Plaza in Orange Walk following an attack by killer bees. On Monday, Pedro Thiessen and his four year old sibling, Enrique were playing behind their house in the Little Belize Community in southern Corozal when they were stung repeatedly by the swarm of killer [...]

OCEANA loses on technicality on referendum, but fight not over
Oceana has had a good week in the court. Justice Oswell Legall ruled that several offshore contracts were null and void. It was a celebration that came with a terse reply from the Government that it would appeal the decision. Today, Oceana Belize returned to the Courthouse. This time they appeared inside the courtroom of [...]

Minister says it's impractical to refuse entry to Guatemalan citizens
When he spoke to us today, Minister of Immigration Godwin Hulse also expanded on the plan to require new entry permits, at an additional cost, from all persons entering Belize with the newly proposed Guatemalan passport. The printing of the passports have been put to tender, but Guatemala is proposing that will retain a map [...]

John Baptist, accused of abusing minor, fails to appear in court
The trial of a Belize City man for sexually abusing a young girl had to be put on hold because the accused failed to return to court. John Baptist's trial got underway last week in the Supreme Court and continued throughout the week, but earlier this week Baptist was a no show. He is accused [...]

13 packages of weed found in car
San Ignacio Police has recorded an impressive bust of cannabis. It happened on Wednesday at around twelve-thirty p.m. when a mobile patrol on the George Price Highway intercepted a green Toyota car with two men inside in front of Three Flags Superstore. A cursory search of the vehicle turned up nothing, but because of the [...]

Belize to implement a Credit Report System
Belize is establishing its first credit report system that when completed, financial institutions will be able to share credit information and improve on lending risks. The Central Bank is with support of the Canadian International Development Agency. News Five's Jose Sanchez reports.   Jose Sanchez, Reporting The International Finance Corporation is assisting Belize to develop [...]

200 students graduate from Gang Resistance Education
Today more than two hundred students from the Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School, the Queen Street Baptist School and the Saint Luke Methodist Primary School graduated from a new program in their schools called Gang Resistance Education and Training, or GREAT for short. The program was introduced to Belize in 2009 by the US Embassy [...]

Regional facilitators gather for disaster management conference
The Technical Advisory Committee of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency today concluded a two-day session. The Committee includes representation of National Disaster Coordinators from the eighteen member states, as well as other participating regional bodies. The goal of the session was to come up with a cohesive, effective and forward thinking regional strategic plan [...]

Healthy Living examines the complications of the gall bladder
Many persons have gall stones and would not know about it until the pain begins to strike.� The stones form in the gall bladder from cholesterol, bile, salts and calcium. While galls stones affect all age groups, its formation increases with age, especially among women. In this week's Healthy Living, we look at the complications [...]