This news synopsis will be a bit more condensed than usual for a couple weeks due to time constraints.


FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

Specials and Events

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


The San Pedro Sun

San Pedro Police Barracks update
The new San Pedro Police barracks is on its way, construction has started and the building is taking shape. The temporary barracks will be a two story wooden structure that will house eight police officers comfortably. Each room will be equipped with a private bathroom and a mini balcony. The project started on Friday, May 31st, when demolition of the dilapidated police barracks commenced. With the initial support of Gricel Graniel from Matachica Resort, Mukul Kanabar from Phoenix Resort, Brent Kirkman from Victoria House Resort and David Hesse from Las Terrazas Resort, who pledged a total of $20,000BZ was pledged and construction commenced.

Costa Maya Festival® presents Miss Honduras!
Hot on the heels of the announcement of Belize's representative for this year's Reina de la Costa Maya Pageant taking place during the International Costa Maya Festival being held August 1 - 4, 2013, we announce Honduras' beauty. She is 19 year old Monica Alexis Elwing Gough. Monica is the reigning Miss Honduras World 2013 and will be represent Honduras at the Miss World 2013 in September. Standing at 5' 7" tall, Monica is a radiology intern with green eyes and light brown hair, she measures at 36-24-36. She enjoys reading, volleyball and going to the beach.

Local government show appreciation to PSE top students
Honorable Manuel Heredia, Area Representative and Minister of Tourism and Culture, along with Mayor Daniel Guerrero and Chairman of Caye Caulker Village, Waye Miller presented a check $500BZ to the three top-ranked Primary School Examination (PSE) students of the Cayes. The three students receiving the checks were Matthew Sandoval from Caye Caulker Roman Catholic School and Jennessa Sierra and Chelsea Zetina from San Pedro Roman Catholic School. Each student accompanied by their parents in whose names the checks were issued. According to Heredia, the checks are a form of appreciation from the local government, "Education is the most important thing in life, and it is the best thing your parents can give you. We would also like to show appreciation and thanks to the parents of these children for pushing their children to do the best. I congratulate both the parents and the school for a combined effort of excellence," said Heredia. According to Miller, "This is what happens when children receive good parenting." Miller also expressed sincere appreciation to the parents accompanying the student.

Misc Belizean Sources

Pasta Caye Caulker wants to Open July 6
Hey Friends, fans and Family Rasta Pasta Caye Caulker wants to Open July 6. To meet our deadline we need your help! Please stop by the SEAduced Office or Chuck and Robbies Dive Shop and purchase a gift certificate. The first 50 people to buy a $50 gift certificate get two free Rasta Rippers and the first 50 people to buy $100 gift certificate get 2 free Rasta Rippers and a free dessert when they redeem their gift certificates! Looking forward to seeing all of you when we open!

Kontiki Football Marathon
The Kontiki Neighborhood Watch is doing a football marathon today, Sunday, the 30th of June, as a fundraiser. Get some good food, have some fun, and support a great cause. "Kontiki Neighborhood Watch is having this Fundraising Sports event, this Sunday. It's our Summer Football Marathon and we welcome everyone to come out and be part of a really good and fun day. We will have Rice & Beans dinner, Chicken Bollos, Pastries, Chips n Dip, Juices, etc on Sale"

PC Jason Jones Receives Paul Harris Fellow Award
Congratulations to PC Jason Jones for being awarded the Paul Harris Fellow Award from the Rotary Club of San Ignacio! PC Jones has shown amazing dedication and service to Cayo, which is what the award signifies. "On 15th June 2013 Rotary San Ignacio awarded PC 495 Jason Jones with the Paul Harris Fellow Award, for his dedication and outstanding service to the community of San Ignacio and Santa Elena Towns. Photo: On 15th June 2013 Rotary San Ignacio awarded PC 495 Jason Jones with the Paul Harris Fellow Award, for his dedication and outstanding service to the community of San Ignacio and Santa Elena Towns."

CTV3

Witz Found Guilty Of Assaulting A Police Officer
On June 18th, Minister of State with Responsibility for Gangs, Mark King, walked out of the Corozal Magistrates Court a free man after he was acquitted of Aggravated Assault, Threatening Words and Disorderly Conduct. The three charges were levied against King back in February of this year after he became involved in a brawl with casino security and Corozal police while socializing at the Princess Casino located just outside the Corozal Commercial Free Zone in the early hours of February 5th 2013. The case against King fell apart after P.C Nelson Ramos withdrew his testimony and P.C Suazo and two security officers were unable to identify the Minister from the witness stand. P.C Nelson Ramirez has been placed on interdiction and is now facing disciplinary charges and will be tried by a jury of his peers.

DPP Lashed Out At The O/W Police Department For Incompentence
Although the Grijalva's, Nunez and Cruz are scheduled to return to court on August 20th 2013, there has been public criticism in relation to the amount of time it took for charges to be laid. Sharing the sentiments of hundreds of Belizeans is the Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl Lyn Vidal. In an email sent to various media houses late yesterday evening Vidal expressed her dissatisfaction with the manner in which quote unquote "A very simple investigation was handled by the Command of the Orange Walk Formation". According to the DPP, to date, there are outstanding matters to be addressed on the file and scope for further investigation and if it weren't for the assistance obtained from officers outside of the Orange Walk Police Formation, charges would still be pending.

PAHO, EU And Ministry Of Health Launch Neonatal Care Project
The Pan American Health Organization's 26 page report which reveals the findings on an investigation carried out at the KHMH after the deaths of 13 infants, has brought shame to the hospital. Seven of the babies lost their life when they became infected with a bacteria called Enterobacter Cloacae inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The investigation brought to light numerous inefficiencies at the hospital and presently the Ministry of Heath is taking corrective measures. With the assistance of the European Union and the Pan American Health Organization, today the Government of Belize launched the "Strengthening of critical maternal and neonatal services in Belize" project. The project comes at a cost of more than six million dollars with 4.2 million financed by the European Union. The project's goal is to reduce stillbirth and neonatal mortality by one third and increase antenatal coverage to over 95% of the population. With the implementation of the project neonates will have access to better conditions during transfer from district hospitals to the national referral hospital in both public and private organizations providing ambulance services.

Jaime Cardenas Sentenced To Four Years Imprisonment
On June 5th 2013, a jury of nine members convicted Jaime Cardenas for the offence of dangerous harm in the Orange Walk Supreme Court. Cardenas was tried before Honorable Justice Herbert Lord and sentencing was reserved for yesterday, June 27th. As per scheduled Cardenas was brought back to the supreme where Justice Herbert Lord sentenced him to 4 years imprisonment. In May of 2009, Cardenas stabbed Rene Escarraga in his upper abdomen at a bus stop in Orange Walk Town. Escarraga would have lost his life without medical intervention. During the case the Crown was represented by Counsels Shanice Lovell and Sabita Maharaj and the accused was represented by attorney Dickie Bradley.

Isabel Mendez Sentenced To Spend 19 Years In Prison
Isabel Mendez accused of having sexual intercourse with his daughter from May 6th 2006 to April 12th 2009 was also sentenced yesterday at the Northern Session of the Supreme Court. On June 19th Mendez was convicted by a nine member jury of ten counts of incest after evidence proved that he sexually abused of his daughter who was 12 at the time when the crime was first committed.

Saint Peters School, A Whole New Look
Yesterday we told you about the huge success of St. Peter's Anglican School in this year's PSE and today, the students and faculty of the school, were compensated for a job well done. High School and College students of the state of New Jersey, USA, are in Belize for the third time and this year, they decided to come to Orange Walk. The young boys and girls form part of a yearly mission's trip that visit countries that are in need such as China and of course Belize. The team dropped by Saint Peters Anglican School today and gave a whole new look to one of the buildings. Leader of the group, Courtney Pearson, told us more about the initiative.

Alternative Methods For Corporal Punishment Is Necessary
There is no doubt that in this day an era some parents find it difficult to discipline their children. If you are one of those parents then imagine what your child's teacher must go through since Corporal Punishment has been abolished. In his press conference held a few weeks ago Minister of Education Patrick Faber clearly stated that that he is serious about the removal of corporal punishment and will make an example of any teacher who violates the rules. While the Belize National Teachers Union agrees that teachers must comply with the rules, they want to be trained in alternative methods of discipline. While the Ministry and the union don't always see eye to eye, in this case they share the same sentiment. Christopher Aird, Chief Education Officer, MOE "I don't think that corporal punishment or any kind of physical punishment worked anyway, I don't know that it made a difference whether it was while it was allowed I don't know it made a difference in any case. Effective classroom management and a healthy and safe school environment and things that encourage and motivated children are certain things that have worked and yes if we do have many school have been involved in pilot and positive disciplines and sometime ago and we intent to share that information. Pedagogical training on classroom management is standard in teaching programs in any case so I am not sure that one has to replace corporal punishment with anything other than better teaching. Better teaching and a better way of structuring the schools and their activities."

Getting To Zero Know Your Status
Health Education and Community Participation Bureau. HECOPAB continued the campaign of "getting to zero" and "know your status", as free testing for HIV/AIDS was provided today at the Orange Walk Central Park. Those who voluntarily took advantage of today's activity received free glucose and body weight testing. Recent figures released by the National Aids Commission show that more males have been infected by the virus than females. Today's health fair was organized in commemoration of "Regional HIV Testing Day" celebrated across the globe. Veronica Ortega, Psychiatric Nurse, Voluntary Council and Testing "Today we are celebrating what is original HIV testing day whereby we are offering free HIV tests long with other testing for example the glucose, information and condom distribution." Irving Aragon - Reporter "How has the day looked so far in terms of people participating or forming part of this event?" Veronica Ortega, Psychiatric Nurse, Voluntary Council and Testing "Actually we are having a good turnout, people are showing up and they are coming to do their HIV test and we are aiming to do at least 200 or more test today."

New Horizons 2013 Benefits Belize And The U.S
Over the past years Belize has partnered with the US Southern Command through the Belize Defence Force as well as the Ministries of Health and Education, to conduct combined humanitarian exercises that equip members of the task force of both countries with the necessary capabilities and experiences to respond to humanitarian relief scenarios in other countries including Central America. New Horizon 2013 was scheduled for approximately 90 days and saw the construction of new classrooms for schools in four different communities and free medical services for Belizeans. But as the good old saying goes, "every good story must come to an end" and today the closing ceremony for the New Horizons 2013 took place inside the newly constructed building at the Trial Farm Government School. Irvin Aragon- Reporting After approximately three months of arduous work in several communities across the jewel, today the U.S. and Canadian Military personnel packed their bags to return to their country. New Horizons is a training exercise led by the U.S Southern Command that provided free medical treatment to Belizeans. At the same time, the project saw the construction of new classroom buildings for four schools, Ladyville Technical High School, Crooked Tree Primary School, Louisiana Government School, and Trial Farm Government School.

Blogs

June First Aid at Class Exotic Caye Beach Resort
Today Ambergris Caye is a little bit safer. We currently are in process of our June First Aid course from 10:30am- 3:00pm upstairs in the Yoga room at Exotic Caye. Staff from Caye Casa Resort, La Perla Del Caribe, Playa Blanca Island Villas, Consolidated Water, San Pedro Fire department and San Pedro Police department receiving training, right now they doing hands on part of the course. They just finished practicing chest compressions and learning how to tie bandages and do splints. Jermaine is teaching the class how to use a belt or a persons t-shirt if you do not have a proper bandage. Thanks to Exotic Caye Resort for hosting us.

"Do It Again" in Ambergris Caye, Belize.
Up around 4 am yesterday morning and really did not do much more until around 10.30 am than just sit on the veranda with my friend the iPad. I know it's sick but I still like it. One day we all get old and slow and can't do the things we once did so easily ! Just sorry that it has happened to my iPad a lot sooner than I expected. Could be the way I have treated it because Rose's operates perfectly? At 10.30 am we drove our friend Dave (he is serving as a member of BATSUB), his wife Wendy and daughter to the Maya Island Air terminal so that they could catch the 11am flight to Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport. After dropping them off Rose and I headed to Estel's. Me for a late breakfast and Rose for an early lunch. Following our meal we did a spot of shopping to buy some vegetables ((we much prefer to buy them on the day we ( don't know why I used "we") are going to cook them)) for our dinner and then headed back to the condo we are renting during our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize.

International Sources

Protestors block new international bridge
More than one hundred angry villagers of the border town of Subteniente Lopez, better known as Santa Elena, symbolically closed down the new international bridge connecting Mexico with Belize, because since its opening the small town economy went down and many local merchants have been forced to close their businesses. The international bridge, Chactemal, was inaugurated on May 15th, 2012 right before Felipe Calderon finished his term. Simultaneously, the old bridge located in the town of Santa Elena was closed down, putting local merchants in serious trouble. The majority of villagers are financially supported by the daily visitors to the free zone of Belize, as Santa Elena is a necessary stop to cross the border A few days before the opening of the bridge of Chactemal, local merchants began to protest demanding a solution from the authorities. Without any response from the customs authorities the villagers threatened to block the bridge, the only pass to the country of Belize, on Monday.