LOVE FM

Repairs of Sugar Roads to Commence
And with the date set for the start of the crop season, works will commence shortly on a number of sugar roads. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture Gaspar Vega told Love News, the assessment is underway. "As of Tuesday both engineer Bradley and engineer Calles came down to the north to start the assessment on the different sugar roads of course the most needy ones and we are going to be investing $1 million dollars in the Orange Walk district and $1 million dollars in the Corozal district but before the actual work starts getting done, they have to asses it because of course we have to ensure we get value for money. So that is what the engineer Bradley was here on Tuesday and I know that they continued yesterday and I know by today or tomorrow the work should have started and we are going to ensure that we get as many contractors as possible so that the work can be done as quick as it could ever have been done. The roads are not as bad as last year and we are investing the same amount of money so I do believe there are plenty roads that can be used as we speak without any work getting done on them."

Suspected Fugitive Involved in San Ignacio Robbery?
Police are looking for an escaped prisoner after it is believed he robbed a store in San Ignacio. Correspondent Elaine Berry has the story. "This morning at about 8 AM a Chinese grocery store located on Bella Vista Street here in San Ignacio was robbed by a single gun man. The person is believed to be Emanuel Willoughby also known as Mangar who escaped from the KOLBE foundation since December 2014. Police responded immediately and sighted him running. He managed to escape in the bushes in an open lot in the outskirts of town. Police are presently searching the area. The police are advising the public to be cautious and call the police hotline at 9-1-1 or 804-2022 as it is believed that he is in the Santiago Juan and Bishop Martin area. He is considered armed and dangerous."

BEL Awards Twenty Senior Citizens
The Belize Electricity Limited, through the collaborative efforts of B.E.L Customer Care Department and Social Care Community, awarded twenty senior citizens a year of free electricity. The Program, The Golden Citizens, Commenced at the BEL Corporate Headquarters, two and a half miles Philip Goldson Highway, Manager of Customer Care, Celina Gill, addressed the media and spoke of the program. CELINA GILL "This is the third consecutive year in which BEL is paying Golden Citizen's Electricity Bills for one year. As part of one of several initiatives through which the company fulfills its mission to provide reliable electricity at the lowest sustainable cost, stimulate national development and improve the quality of life in Belize. Inspired by the sincere drive of one of our employees to reach out and make a difference in the life of a senior citizen the company adapted the program and made it official in 2012.

PUP Says “NO!” To Offshore Drilling
Earlier in the week we began reporting on the 32-page draft document on the Petroleum Exploration Zones and Exploration Guidelines. After learning and reading the draft document, OCEANA's Vice President, Janelle Chanona, expressed discontent and concern over the content of the document. Chanona further expressed disapprovals of any type of offshore drilling. However, yesterday the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology and Public Utilities, Dr. Colin Young, told Love News that paper was sent to all environmental groups and agencies in order to received feedback. Today, PUP Leader, Francis Fonseca, told the media that his party is dead set against offshore drilling.

Details of San Pedro Murder Still Unraveling
Twenty-two-year-old Silva Benitez was found murdered on Ambergris Caye, three miles north of San Pedro Town. She was found partially nude, face down in small pond of mud off the Grand Belizean Estate Road. Benitez had been reported missing and friends and family had feared the worst. Her body was discovered on Saturday morning by two passersby. Police say that Benitez had bruises to the face, neck and back. A post mortem examination was conducted where it was found that the body had multiple blunt force injuries to the right side of face, to the neck and back and restraining type injuries to the shoulders and inner thigh. Up to news time, no one has been arrested for her murder. At the time the exact cause of them was not established. Today Deputy Coastal Officer, Inspector Henry Jemmott, told Love News that police believed that Benitez was strangled.

Man Detained For San Pedro Robbery
Caribbean Villas Resort, Sea Grape Drive in San Pedro Town, was robbed at gun point. It happened yesterday evening when a man barged into the receptionist's office, took out a .38 revolver and demanded the monies. A total of four thousand seven hundred and eighty five dollars and two iPhones were handed over to the robber. Quick police response led to the detention of one man. However, Deputy Coastal Officer, Inspector Henry Jemmott, told Love News that they believe that the man who they have detained may have been working with someone from the inside.

General Elections; Will Francis Become PM?
On Monday the House of Representatives met to introduce a bill to amend the Sugar Act but aside of the usual technical business, there was also the usual back and forth among the political opponents. Well on Monday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow made several remarks alluding that the current leader of the People's United Party, Francis Fonseca will not be leader anymore after the March Municipal Elections. Fonseca did not responds to Barrow's statements that day so he was asked about it today�. LEADER OF OPPOSITION, FRANCIS FONSECA "The only change of leader in the opposition will come when the general elections are called and he, Mr. Barrow, if he remains the leader of the UDP, he will then be the leader of the opposition. That is the only time the leader of the opposition will change so let him call the general elections and yes, we will have a new leader of the opposition; him or maybe it will be Gappy Vega who knows. That is the only time we will have a change in the leader of the opposition in this country."

Four Injured in Morning RTA
A traffic incident on the Boom Road, just a few miles from its junction with Hattieville Village, Belize District, has left four persons recovering from minor injuries and over four dozen residents shaken from the collision. The incident occurred between nine and ten o'clock this morning between a bus filled with employees of the Ready Call Centre and a dump truck. Love News was on the scene and spoke to both drivers who came out the incident unscathed. Claudio Moreira was the driver of the bus, which was transporting the over fifty one employees to the work sight. CLAUDIO MOREIRA "Well when we were coming on the Boom highway a dump truck was in front of me and to avoid an accident he swerved right into my right of way and as I said to avoid the accident I tried my best to avoid the accident. I hit him on the tail of the dump truck and that was the best I could do to avoid people getting hurt on the bus. As a matter of face we have two people that got hurt but just minor injuries for a pregnant girl and a young boy, they are not really critical."

Francis Rebuts to Barnett as a Sacrificial Lamb
Yesterday the United Democratic Party revealed that Dr. Carla Barnett has decided to contest the next general election. She is hoping to be the next Area representative for the Freetown Division. The present area representative for that division is the leader of the Opposition Francis Fonseca. While, Barnett has not been officially endorsed as the Standard Bearer for that division, Fonseca did respond to the possibility that Barnet, who he referred to as a sacrificial lamb, may be his political opponent. LEADER OF OPPOSITION, FRANCIS FONSECA "You know the problem for Dr.Barnett is that the people of Freetown want absolutely nothing to do with the UDP, the great majority of the people in Freetown, want nothing to do with Mr. Barrow.

PlusTV

BEL Honors 225 Golden Citizens with Electricity Bill Pay Awards
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) held a ceremony on Thursday morning at its Corporate Headquarters for its Golden Citizens. As a part of BEL's Electricity Bill Pay Awards Program, BEL will pay the monthly electricity bill for an entire year for 225 senior citizens. Some of the senior citizens received their award during Thursday morning's ceremony, and the remaining awardees will be visited and presented with certificates at their homes over the next few days.

San Lazaro to August Pine Ridge road officially opened
10.5 kilometres of rehabilitated roadway, between San Lazaro and August Pine Ridge in Orange Walk, was officially opened on Thursday by Head of the EU Delegation to Belize, Ambassador Paola Amadei and officials of the Ministry of Works. The rehabilitation was financed by the European Union and the Government of Belize through funds from the EU's vlcsnap-2015-01-23-06h14m47s90Accompanying Measures for Sugar (AMS) Programme and is being undertaken in four phases. The Rural Road Rehabilitation Project programme which began in 2008 and will end in 2016, supports the upgrade of 29 key roads in the sugar areas at a cost of over � 42.7 million (BZD 106.7million). The San Lazaro to August Pine Ridge was completed under phase three of the programme at a cost of BZ$4.4 million.

Duo await verdict in murder retrial
At news time a jury of 9 women and 3 men were deliberating the guilt or innocence of 26 year old Cordel Flores and 23 year old Warren Lewis, who are charged with the murder of Alberto Allen. The case is being tried before Justice Troadio Gonzalez in the Supreme Court. During the first trial in March of 2013 a juror made comments in the presence of a police officer in favour of the accused, which the prosecution said showed evidence of prejudgment and bias, which would deny the men a fair trial. A mistrial was declared and a trial before a new jury ordered. On August 18, 2009, Flores and Lewis are accused of driving Allen in Lewis's car to a feeder road off Mile 4 on the George Price Highway, then shooting him in the back after exiting the vehicle. Alberto Allen was also slashed in the throat and had a piece of stick pushed down his throat, as well as head injuries caused by a blunt instrument.

Caribbean Villas robbed of payroll
The receptionist for Caribbean Villas located on Seagrape Drive, San Pedro Town, reported that at about 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday January 21st, while at his workplace sitting in the company of his two co-workers, a man of dark with his face covered with a rag, entered the establishment armed with a black handgun. The armed man pointed the weapon at the receptionist's head and demanded money. He then took a small cash pan containing petty cash amounting to $785.00, several envelopes containing employees pay amounting to $4000.00 along a $ 700.00 cell phone and an $800.00 cell phone. The man escaped.

Fire at Grand Colony Resort in San Pedro
There was a fire in San Pedro early Wednesday morning. A Carpenter's workshop went up in a blaze at the Grand Colony Resort located on Sea Grape Drive, San Pedro Town. The structure, a wooden building, approximately 30' x 50', was on fire sometime after 2 o'clock that morning. The security guard for Grand Colony reported that while conducting routine patrols on the compound, he noticed smoke coming from inside the building. He then opened the door but the fire inside was already out of control so he immediately alerted the police. The building was completely gutted by flames and all its contents destroyed.

Ready Call Bus with employees slams into tail of a dump truck
There was an accident on Thursday morning on the Boom Hattieville Road, involving a Ready Call Bus and a dump truck. The Ready Call bus was transporting over 50 workers to its facility in Boom, when a truck turned right into a feeder road. The Ready Call bus slammed into the tail of the truck and smashed a portion of the front of the bus. Reports are that four Ready Call Employees were injured the accident which happened near the Belize Central Prison. None of the injuries were life threatening.

NTUCB VP says union battling its own internal corruption and leadership issues
At Monday's cane farmer's protest in front of the National Assembly, a few representatives of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize joined the group to lend their support to the farmers. We asked why the NTUCB president Dylan Reneau was not there, and according to the Second Vice-President...

UDP aspirant confident in Orange Walk East victory
On Tuesday we reported on the results of the PUP convention in Orange Walk East, which selected incumbent town councilor Josue Carballo by 14 votes over former area representative Dave Burgos. Just 150 less voters came out for the PUP event than the number who came out to elect Elodio Aragon Jr...

CWU executive report on successful first year
The Christian Worker’s Union (CWU) elected a new executive in December of 2013, after months of turmoil surrounding the presidency of Antonio Gonzalez, who stood down after members accused him of poor performance on the job. A little over a year later, a union in ruins and on the outs with its paren...

Put Away; New release by Mervin Budram
The issue of crime has ravished Belize over the past few years. Unfortunately, though the major crimes seem to be concentrated mostly in one area of the nation, it has caused Belize to be listed as the 3rd most murderous nation. "Put Away" is a new musical release by well known Belizean musician Mer...

Former Youth Ambassador pleads guilty to forgery charges
25 year old Kenroy Young will learn next�Monday, January 26, what is his sentence to five admitted counts of uttering a forged document. Mr Young entered the plea On Wednesday before Justice Adolph Lucas, in the Supreme Court. Kenroy Young, formerly an employee of Youth for the Future and United Na...

Traffic Accident in Belmopan on Hummingbird Highway
There was a traffic accident at around 2:15 on Wednesday afternoon on the Humming bird Highway in Belmopan,� involving a white Forerunner and a grey Tracker. According to reports, Derek Gordon, the driver of the white Forerunner, was coming from Placencia, travelling in a northerly direction...

Sugar Industry Amendment Bill is now law
The Sugar Industry (Amendment) Bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives on Monday and by the Senate on Tuesday, has been assented to by the Governor General, Sir Colville Young. The Act was published in the Gazette on Wednesday, 21st January 2015, but is retroactive from the 14th of January, 2015. According to a press release from the Government Press Office, this Act is to secure to all cane farmers the freedom of association guaranteed by the Belize Constitution. It will no longer be compulsory for a cane farmer to belong to the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association or any other association. The Act also provides that there may exist more than one association of cane farmers, and the Sugar Industry Control Board shall have the power to register all associations.

Dr. Carla Barnett announces candidacy for Freetown Division
Former Chief Executive Officer and Financial Secretary in the Government of Belize and former Vice-President at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. Carla Barnett, is entering politics. On Wednesday she announced her candidacy in the Freetown Division, which is currently held by Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition and of the People's United Party (PUP) Francis Fonseca, and was last in the hands of the United Democratic Party (UDP) in 1992, when Derek Aikman was forced to resign due to bankruptcy. But how do you beat a three-term sitting area representative, who is also Leader of the Opposition, with precious little political experience of any kind? Dr. Barnett told reporters she believes she has the key.

The Guardian

Case cannot proceed against former teacher
In late 2009, then E. P. Yorke Teacher, Cordel Gonzalez, was charged with two counts of carnal knowledge of a female child, then 14. He ended up losing his position with the institution after a video tape with him having sex with the minor student surfaced and investigations led to him being charged. On Tuesday January 20, Gonzalez, saw two counts of carnal knowledge end in up in a nolle prosequi, the first such case to be entered by the DPP's officer for 2015. On Tuesday, before Justice Adolph Lucas in the Supreme Court, Gonzalez case ended in nolle prosequi and he was set free. The reason for today's nolle prosequi is becuase the victim, then 14, now 19 has been living abroad and has difficulties travelling back to Belize.

Football Federation of Belize hosting FIFA RAP 2015
The Football Federation of Belize (FFB) informs the general public that FIFA RAP (Referee Assistance Program) 2015 will begin on Tuesday 20 January, 2015 with an open ceremony starting at 9:00am at the FFB Training Facility. Participating in the seminar are twenty-two (22) referees, which includes one (1) female referee, six (6) referee assessors and two (2) referee instructors and one (1) physical trainer from across the country. On Wednesday 21 January, 2015 at the Marion Jones Sports Complex the Physical test will be conducted starting at 5:00am.

Respect the Association but Love the Farmers - Freedom for All Caneros
"It was the expressed interest of a substantial number of cane farmers to have the freedom to associate with the association of their choice where they will be able to openly and freely voice their opinions as is their constitutional Right." - Hon. Hugo Patt, Minister of State in the ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture and former Chairman of the Sugar Industry Control Board. The Government of Belize passed an amendment to the Sugar Industry Control Act on Monday, January 19, in order to properly align the law with the Constitution of Belize as ordered in 2010 by Justice Oswell Legall of the Supreme Court of Belize. Efrain Zetina and Wilfredo Magana championed the cause of hundreds in 2007 when they went to the Supreme Court of Belize to challenge the clause of the Sugar Industry Act which makes it mandatory for a canefarmer to belong and pay fees to the Belize Sugarcane Farmers Association in order to sell their crop to the factory.

Megalomaniacs Dance While Cane Farmers Lose Millions
The confederacy of anti-Barrow crusaders could not muster a crowd for Audrey Matura Shepherd's protest on Monday, January 19. Representatives from the loudest rat-pack reached out to supporters of their organizations for a protest against the Government of Belize at the National Assembly on Monday. The organizations that participated in the protest were the Christian Workers Union (CWU), the Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA), Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association (BGYEA), the Commoners Association, Soloist Ya-Ya Marin-Coleman, National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), the Rod of Correction (ROC), Vision Inspired by the People (VIP) and the Peoples United Party (PUP).

IICA, OAS and MNRA host consultative workshop linking farmers to tourism
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in collaboration with the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture (MNRA) steadfast in its continued commitment to the development of the agro-productive sector in Belize will host a discussion forum with stakeholders and private sector partners with a focus on women and youth at 9:00 a.m. on January 22, 2015 at the Best Western Biltmore Hotel, Belize City. At the forum, both stakeholders and beneficiaries will discuss the critical importance of "value added products" in relation to the development of the sector and in this regard how the sector can effectively target the local and tourism markets and potentially even the international markets in Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean.

Sugar Crop set to start
As soon as the Governor General signs the Amendment to the Sugar Industry Act, the crop will start and include all cane farmers, much to the relief of the cane farmers, civil society, and the Government. The stand off finally ended on Monday, January 19, when the factory owners, the Belize Sugar Industries Limited (BSI), with their majority shareholder, American Sugar Refinery (ASR), signed with the biggest association, the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA). This was a huge step forward because, as readers may recall, radicals from the BSCFA worked very hard to prevent the compromise deal being signed between these two entities. There is nothing wrong with taking strong positions on behalf of those you represent, but cane farmers Lucilo Teck, Alfredo Ortega, Javier Keme, and others poorly advised their fellow cane farming brethren to soundly reject the deal that they had accepted a few weeks before. Of course, the brilliant attorney, Audrey Matura, who wears hats of unionist and firebrand agitator, had a lot to do with the misguided steps taken which drove the wedge further between the cane farming community and the millers.

Tough Week for the PUP Party Leader - Chronicle of a Death Foretold
It has been a rough week for the leader of the People's United Party. Sunday, January 18, to Wednesday, January 21, were the worst four days of his political career. The nightmare for the lame duck leader started in Orange Walk on Sunday, January 18, when his porty held a convention for the Orange Walk East Constituency. Fonseca and his loyalists were backing David Burgos, East Area Representative from 1998 to 2008. Burgos is an agent of Fonseca's beloved "Old Guard" PUP. However, the Old Guard is the most stained, reviled and condemned group of politicians of the country. Burgos was challenged by Johnny Bricenos' candidate, Josue Carballo, who is relatively unknown in the North. The porty leader sent out his soldiers and flexed the maximum muscle of the Secretariat in an effort to secure victory for the former two term Area Representative. Unfortunately for the Old Guard, when the ballots were counted the new comer was ahead on the score card. That forced the porty officials to recheck and scrutinize every ballot but Bricenos' camp stood vigilant to ensure that no ballot found its way down the Chairman or Secretary General's throat. In the end, the porty had no choice but to announce that the novice had defeated their veteran in the convention - Johnny Briceno victorious over Francis Fonseca and his Secretariat.

We need the East to Win
The convention to elect a PUP standard bearer for the East Constituency was held on Sunday, January 18 at the Louisiana Government School here in OW. This was declared necessary so as to select a replacement for the present PUP representative, Hon. Mendez, who has announced that he will not seek re-election in the next General Elections. Many have opined that Mendez should simply resign and get it over with, but that is a topic for another day. However, the situation for the PUP in this division draws parallel with the recent past, when, prior to the 2008 General Elections, Dave Burgos announced that he would not seek re-election in the East. Se�or Cardona went on to win that division for the UDP, an episode, I must say, which ended up in complete disaster; with Cardona serving as a UDP for half his term and as Opposition for the other half.

Two poultry farms in Spanish Lookout placed under quarantine
Two poultry farms in the Spanish Lookout area have been placed under precautionary quarantine by the Belize Agriculture Health Authority BAHA, following the confirmation of the presence of the Avian Influenza. The detection was first made on December 30th 2014, followed by other tests on January 8th and 12th, which have all resulted positive for the Avian Influenza A Virus. Additional samples were taken from one of the farms on Wednesday of last week and sent to a reference laboratory in the United States, and by the time confirmation came in at 5:00 pm from a Belizean laboratory technician this past Friday, BAHA had gone into full gear to prevent an additional spread of the virus. Dr. Miguel Depaz, Chief Veterinarian Officer and Director of the Animal Health Department under BAHA, immediately called the local command level within the Belize Poultry Association and poultry farmers in Spanish Lookout this past Friday, where a meeting was held and instructions went out for the affected farms to be isolated. With that order for a heightened bio-security in place, no birds or poultry products can leave those two specific farms. A tape has been placed around those two farms to notify others that they are under quarantine. Specific vehicles have been identified at BAHA that can now go into those farms, where the professionals use protective gear and carry with them disinfectants to prevent further viral contamination.

Community Groups in Cayo voice their concerns to Liquor Licensing Board
Some three community based security groups, in an unprecedented show of force, voiced their concerns on Tuesday of this week at the Center for Employment Training in San Ignacio, during a second day of a review and approval of liquor licenses by the Cayo Liquor Licensing Board. The groups are incensed that bars are opening into the late night hours with loud music and are violating the laws that require them to have sound proofing. Police Special Constable Dr. Gregory Strophshire was first to speak on Tuesday. He reported that when he goes on patrols on Friday and Saturday nights, he is seeing too much public drinking, with the source of the liquor coming from "package stores." Eduardo 'Dito' Juan, Chairman of the People's Coalition of Cayo PCC was the second to speak, where he expressed, among other concerns, that no license should be given for a bar to operate at the Cayo Welcome Center, which is an area where families gather. His statements were followed by Bart Mickler, who was deputizing for Ernie Braun from the Cayo Neighborhood Watch Association CNWA. Bart Mickler said that bars cannot be a nuisance to the community and they must be sound proofed. Community member Landy Espat also voiced his concerns that there were some churches with loud music going beyond 2:00 am and causing a disturbance to the neighborhoods.

C - Ray Cycling Club warm up series continue this Saturday
The C-Ray Cycling Club Warm up series leading up to the Annual Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic continued on Saturday 17 January, 2015. The warm up races commenced on Saturday 10 January and will conclude on Saturday 28 March, 2015. The race is open to all cyclists of the Junior, Female, Weekend Warriors and Elite categories. The winners of the 2nd race are as follows in the various categories: In the Junior category, 1st place went to Darien Anderson, 2nd place went to Yan Cattouse and 3rd place went to Michael Grajalez.

Accused of sexual assault of a 13 year old girl
On Friday January 16, a security guard of 18 Douglas Jones Street was before the court to answer to a charge of sexual assault of a 13 year old girl. Allegations are that 55 year old Adrian Cruz, on January 13, inappropriately touched a 13 year old girl on her vagina. Cruz appeared before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stewart where he was read a single charge of sexual assault upon a minor. In court, Cruz who was unrepresented, pleaded not guilty to the charge but the court prosecutor, Inspector Pablo Pikney objected to bail being granted to him on the grounds of the serious nature of the offense which is on the rise against minors. He added that the court or police are not certain of Cruz's immigration status since he is not a Belizean and that he is a flight risk and may flee the country and not appear at his court adjournments.

Freed after being remanded for pulling gun
A San Pedro man was freed on Thursday January 15 after spending 6 nights behind bars at the Belize Central Prison. Obed Figueroa was accused of assaulting Christian Cadieux with a deadly instrument, a black 9 mm Beretta brand pistol with serial number PX149223. The alleged incident occurred in San Pedro on Thursday, January 8, 2015 in which Figueroa, who is a Security Guard on the island, allegedly pulled a 9 mm and assaulted Cadieux.

Charged for possession of firearm
On Monday January 19, two young Belize City men were remanded to the Belize Central Prison after they were busted with what police say are components of a firearm - a shot gun. 21-year-old Akeem Requena, along with 19 year old student, David Mas, were charged for keeping a firearm withou a license. They appeared before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer where they pleaded not guilty to the offence. They were then remanded to the Belize Central Prison.

Roaring Creek resident shot in the face
Roaring Creek Resident, Emerson Daly Jr., the well-known handy man and event planner from Roaring Creek Village in Cayo, was found in the river in his home village early on Wednesday, January 21. The 24 year-old went missing 3 days before, and an on-site post mortem has found that he was fatally shot in the face. The investigators believe that his killer or killers then dumped his body into the river. He was last seen by his family on Sunday, January 18, at around 8 p.m. That's when he left the house to head to an unknown location on his uncle's blue Nissan Pathfinder, a vehicle which he borrowed. When he didn't come home the next day, his family and friends started getting worried, and that caused them to start checking around to see if anyone had seen him.

Johnny's Candidate vs Francis' Candidate
It was outright war in the PUP Orange Walk East political camps as Johnny Briceno's pick to be the PUP Standard Bearer in that constituency, Josue Carballo, went up against Dave Burgos who was Francis Fonseca's pick for the division. In the end it was Carballo who emerged victorious by a narrow margin, but as Johnny's wife expressed on Facebook, a W is a W. And indeed it was a W for Carballo and more so for Briceno who is now solidifying himself to reclaim the position as party leader of the PUP. In this contest he gave it his all, and when we say he gave it his all we mean so. The Facebook social media erupted into back and forth quarrels as the game of one-up-manship was in full swing. At the height of the election the contenders had become very freehanded with the dishing out of money. One Facebook post notes that "Dave Burgos d back!! We de ahead, dem fifty dollar handouts no weh help Josua." Well if we were to hazard a guess, those $50 dollars actually did help after all he came on top.

The Methodist Church converges in Belize City for 154th District Conference
The Belize/Honduras District of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas (MCCA) is currently meeting at Ebenezer Church in the Ebenezer Circuit for the 154th District Conference under the theme "Claiming Each Generation for Jesus." The District Conference commenced on Monday 19 January with the Ministerial Session at the District Office and continued with the same on Tuesday 20 January. The Representative Session, which includes the Ministerial staff of the District and the lay representatives from the Circuits and Congregations' of the Methodist Church in the District Conference commenced on Wednesday 21 January and is scheduled to conclude on Friday 23 January, is currently in session at Ebenezer Church. The Representative Session will appoint the officers of the District Conference. It also appoints the ministerial and lay representatives to the Connexional Conference and it will also stations the ministers and probationers on behalf of the Connexional Conference in the District as best serves the mission of the Church.

Ministry of Energy, Science & Technology and Public Utilities Clarifies Press Release on Petroleum Exploration Zones and Guidelines
The Ministry of Energy, Science & Technology and Public Utilities (MESTPU) notes with regret a recent press release by Oceana criticizing the draft Petroleum Exploration Zones and Exploration Guidelines prepared by the Geology and Petroleum Department. Oceana incorrectly asserted that the zonation plan and framework were shared with the NGO community on January 19th, 2015, when in fact this was the Ministry's second attempt to solicit feedback from the NGO community on the revised zonation plan and exploration guidelines. In September 2014, the Geology and Petroleum Department (GPD) shared the zonation plan and framework with 13 stakeholder groups, inclusive of Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage, APAMO and other public and private sector entities. Subsequently, the GPD received feedback only from APAMO, the CZMAI, the Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage and one petroleum company.

Sugar Industry (amendment) bill signed by the Governor General
The Sugar Industry (Amendment) Bill which was passed by the House of Representatives on the 19th January 2015 and by the Senate on the 20th January, 2015, has been assented to by the Governor General, Sir Colville Young. The Act was published in the Gazette today, 21st January 2015, and copies are available at Print Belize, Belmopan. The main object of this Act is to secure to all cane farmers the freedom of association guaranteed by the Belize Constitution. It will no longer be compulsory for a cane farmer to belong to the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association or any other association. The membership of an association shall be entirely voluntary. The Act also provides that there may exist more than one association of cane farmers and the Sugar Industry Control Board shall have the power to register all associations. After registration by the Board, an association shall automatically become a legal entity and may hold property, open bank accounts in its own name, and do all other things which a corporate body may do.

BDF volunteer stabbed to death after fight
Police have 3 men detained who they believe had some involvement in the stabbing murder of Denver Villafranco, a BDF Volunteer with a stellar record. Brothers, Orlando, 38, and 41-year-old Phil Tyrone Staine, appeared in magistrate's court on Tuesday January 20 where they were arraigned for the weekend murder of Denver Villafranco. CIB personnel escorted the two of the brothers, where they were read a single charge of murder for the Saturday, January 17, 2015 murder of BDF volunteer Soldier, Denver Villafranco.

Single mother murdered in San Pedro
The decomposing body of a woman was discovered on Ambergris Caye on Saturday, January 17, at around 3:30 p.m. She has since been identified as 22 year-old Honduran, Silvia Carmen Benitez, and due to certain observations, San Pedro Police officers made, they believe that she may have been raped, murdered and then dumped at that location. Benitez was last seen alive on Monday, January 12, by a group of persons who described that she appeared to be heavily intoxicated. When she wasn't heard from the following day, her family and friends became concerned, and that's when they started checking around for her. She was officially reported missing on Friday, January 15, and that's when police started taking an active interest in trying to locate her.

Mark Vega acquitted of sensational 2002 murder of Mennonite couple
On Friday past, the murder trial of a well known figure, Mark Vega ended in an acquittal when a jury of 12 persons found the 31-year-old not guilty of the June 13, 2002 robbery that turned into murder of a Mennonitte family in Trinidad village in the Orange Walk district. At that time Susan and Enrique Pethkau were flagged down by three men and robbed at gunpoint. Both were shot and left to die, only Susan succumbed to her injuries. On Friday, a jury of 12, went into the deliberating room at 3.45 p.m., and within 5 hours, at 8.45 p.m., arrived at a not guilty verdict, setting Vega free of the murder. On Monday January 19, Vega's attorney, Bryan Neal told us that the prosecution's only witness, who was the deceased's husband who is now also dead and was unable to make it to the trial to testify. While the DPP's prosecution did get his statement admitted into evidence for the jurors to consider, at the end of the 5 hours deliberation, they were unsure of Vega's guilt and ended up acquitting him. The jurors were privileged to an identification parade statement that Pethkau had participated in where he positively identified Vega as one of the three men who robbed them leading to the murder of his wife. That too, it appears, did not budge the jurors and he is now free of murder.

Belmopan Bandits 3 peat National Football Champions
The Premier League of Belize 2014 Opening Season Tournament came to an end on Saturday 17 January, 2015, at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan. The championship series was played between the number one seed into the playoffs, which included the championship series, the Police United and the defending champions the Belmopan Bandits. The outcome of the championship was determined in the first half of the game when the budding champions, the Belmopan Bandits, were the first to get onto the scoreboard when Woodrow West scored the 1st goal in the 23rd minute of play via a penalty kick for a 1-0 lead.

Belize Athletics Association to hold National Track and Field Championship
The Belize Athletics Association invites all athletes and track enthusiasts once again to be a part of a National Track and Field Championship event. The event had to be postponed and is now set to be hosted at the Marion Jones Sports Complex on the 24 and 25 January, 2015. All athletes 16 years and older can participate in the events. Registration forms can be obtained from and returned to the BAA via email ( [email protected]) or from our Facebook page (Belize Athletics Association). Registration forms can also be obtained from and returned to the National Sports Council's offices throughout the country.

Belize Elementary girls and St. John Vianney boys are Belize City Primary Schools Basketball Champions
The Belize City Primary Schools Basketball Competition came to an end on Wednesday 21 January, 2015, with the championship game in both the girls' and boys' competition. In the girls' championship game, Belize Elementary School defeated Holy Redeemer School by the score of 6-2. The top scorer for Belize Elementary School was Allyana Musa with 4 points and the top scorer for Holy Redeemer School was Aaliyah Tillett with 2 points. In the boys' championship game, St. John Vianney defeated St. Ignatius School by the score of 30-22. The top scorer for St. John Vianney was T-Dee Cattouse with 9 points, while the top scorers for St. Ignatius School were Tariq Pascascio and Delrick Sankey with 8 points each.

Patrick JonesPJ

BEL assists senior citizens with light bill
The Belize Electricity Limited is exercising its corporate citizenship by extending a helping hand to some senior citizens. As part of the state owned utility's Electricity Bill Pay Awards Program, BEL will pay the monthly electricity bill for an entire year for 225 senior citizens. A short ceremony was held [�]

Jury deliberates in murder trial
A jury of 9 women and 3 men was deliberating the guilt or innocence of 26 year old Cordel Flores and 23 year old Warren Lewis late this evening. Flores and Lewis are charged with the murder of Alberto Allen. The case is being tried before Justice Troadio Gonzalez [�]

Police question two men as part of murder investigation
The investigation into the murder of Roaring Creek businessman, twenty four year old Emerson Daly continues by Belmopan police. Daly's decomposed body was retrieved from the Belize River on Wednesday and initially police had said the body had what appeared to be stab wounds. Today, however, the police press office [�]

Bus and truck collide in Hattieville
There was a road traffic accident early this morning on the Boom/Hattieville road. It involved a truck and a bus carrying workers for Ready Call. It happened around nine o'clock this morning a short distance from the Belize Central Prison. Reports are that the bus crashed into the rear of [�]

Delayed sugar crop to start on Monday, January 26
After weeks of back and forth, Monday, January 26 has been named as the date for the start of the 2015 sugar crop. This morning the Sugar Industry Control Board, met with the leaders of the three associations that now legally able to deliver cane to the BSI/ASR factory [�]

Armed robbery in San Ignacio; police hunt suspect
There was an armed robbery this morning in San Ignacio town. According to reports, the incident happened around eight o'clock this morning when a lone gunman targeted a business establishment on Buena Vista Street. According to reports, the proprietor of New Yang Store, had just opened for business this morning [�]

Sports Council says no alternate plans for Norman Broaster Stadium
For some time now rumours have been circling about what some people thought were plans to turn the historic Norman Broaster Stadium in San Ignacio Town into a car park. Well, those rumours were put to rest today when the National Sports Council, sent out a short press release announcing [�]

Blogs

24 Hours at Belize's Famed Ramon's Village Resort: It Takes�Well�A Village
I moved to San Pedro, Belize about 8 years ago and have always lived south of town. So if you do the math (actually�let me do it for you), I have walked by Ramon's Village Resort a minimum of 10 times a week, for 8 years. A MINIMUM of about 4000 times. Along this beach. That's the thing about Ramon's - it is a FULL service resort. The staff of 76 (SEVENTY SIX!) is ready to greet you at every turn. When I woke up to see the sunrise, two guys were already raking the beach. They keep this stretch of beach immaculate.

International Sourcesizz

Sea cucumbers saving lives
Dr Alasdair Harris is a 35-year-old marine ecologist who is changing the way people think about conservation. In November 2013 he went to Washington, DC, to give a presentation at a World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) conference on 'the power of communities to protect the planet'. 'I've been told that I've been billed as an iconoclast,' he began, before going on to question one of the cornerstones of marine conservation: marine protected areas (MPAs). There are more than 6,500 MPAs - in most cases controlled by national governments - covering nearly three per cent of the world's oceans. And numbers are increasing rapidly. Dr Harris showed a slide of a marine reserve in Tanzania. 'An MPA,' he said, 'but really, it's just a paper park. A park in name only. Overfishing is rife. Dynamite fishing is widespread. Sadly, lamentably, this is not an isolated incident.' Then he called up a graphic from a recent study of marine conservation successes in the western Indian Ocean. It highlighted just one example of an effective MPA. 'Why,' he asked, looking at the audience of conservationists, 'do we so rarely get it right?'

Bain Wanted To Resign, Says UWI Vice-Chancellor
The claim that Professor Brendan Bain has not been paid by the University of West Indies, Mona (UWI), for the period October 2014 to January 2015 has been denied by Archibald Campbell, bursar of UWI. He was responding to questions by Professor Bain's lawyer Georgia Gibson Henlin. The bursar said that the professor had received an overpayment and that was the reason he was not paid for the period. He said he sent a letter to Professor Bain about the overpayment and also spoke to him personally about it.

Bain says UWI owes him, bursar says he was overpaid
Professor Brendan Bain is contending that the University of the West Indies (UWI) owes him moneys from salary as director of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Network (CHART) programme. This came out during cross-examination of UWI bursar Archibald Campbell on Thursday. Bain, through his lawyer Georgia Gibson-Henlin, is claiming that the university owes him for the period October 2014 to January 14, 2015. However, Campbell said that the UWI actually overpaid Bain. A new defence witness is to take the stand when the matter continues in the Supreme Court tomorrow.

International security leaders resume dialogue on Caribbean counterdrug efforts
Strengthening capabilities, interoperability and information sharing to effectively counter transnational organized crime in the Caribbean was the focus again for military and civilian leaders from 21 nations who met in Nassau Jan. 21-22 to discuss the threat and ways to effectively reduce its presence and impact. This was the fifth consecutive year the topic is the central theme of the Caribbean Nations Security Conference (CANSEC), underscoring the importance of the issue for regional leaders and their commitment to addressing it by working together. CANSEC XIII, co-hosted this year for the second time by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) and U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), included more than 90 participants representing defense, law enforcement, government and international organizations from the Caribbean, North America, South America, Central America and Europe.

The Golden Age of Black Ops: Special Ops Missions Already in 105 Countries in 2015
In March, members of Marine Special Operations Command and Naval Special Warfare Unit 1 took part in maneuvers aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens as part of Multi-Sail 2014, an annual exercise designed to support "security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region." That same month, elite soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines took part in a training exercise code-named Fused Response with members of the Belizean military. "Exercises like this build rapport and bonds between U.S. forces and Belize," said Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Heber Toro of Special Operations Command South afterward.

The Home Flat
The sun begins to shine through the two foot gap I've left in our cabana's curtains somewhere around 6 am. For the first time in months, sleeping in is an option. At least an option. Breakfast is at 7:00 and our guide, Daniel, will be ready by 7:30, but he's gone out of his way to let us know he's moving on our schedule -- and so the opportunity to catch another hour or two of rest before hitting the flats is there, even if it's one we're decidedly unlikely to seize. But the Turneffe Atoll's bonefish have other ideas. Still flat on my back, I squint towards the increasingly confident flood of sunlight, trying to catch a glimpse of the palm trees outside in an effort to determine whether last night's stiff wind has subsided. Light gleams sharply off the water that slaps against the seawall not more than 40 feet from the cabana's porch, forcing my still bleary eyes to recoil.

Videos

10 Most Beautiful Islands In Belize, 3.5min.
Ambergris Caye, Belize, 14min. some great diving sequences....
Air Belize Skydiving, 1min.
Rainforest Birds and Bird Songs in Belize Jan 1, 23min.
Guatemala - Belize Sept 2014 - 2, 6min.
Relaxing on Rendezvous Caye in Belize, 1min.
Human Impacts on Bottlenose Dolphins in Belize, 1.5min.
UB ISL Trip to Belize 2015 - Group 4, 15min. During this 2015 winter session twelve students, nine from University at Buffalo and three from Pace University, went on a service-learning trip to the country of Belize. The trip lasted from January 10th until January 18th. The program was constructed under the collaboration of UB Study Abroad, UB School of Nursing and International Service Learning (ISL). The students were lead by a UB professor and three representatives from ISL. The purpose of their trip was to contribute to global healthcare efforts in Belize.
Dobes Family Vacation Belize 1986, 80min. This is our family vacation to Belize in 1986. This is the first of our old movies I am uploading to the internet for posterity. It includes Chaa Creek, Xunantunich, and Ambergris Cay.
Scuba Diving in Belize & Youngblood's wedding in Mexico, 6min. A bunch of great people gathered in Playa del Carmen for Chase & Jolene's Wedding and then traveled to San Pedro & Caye Caulker, Belize to Scuba Dive. Filmed with Gopro4 and my iphone for the Chicken Drop in belize.
Pros of Living In Placencia Belize, 2.5min. Here's a video on the positive things about living here in Belize. I'll be talking about people laughing at you in the street, and vicious geckos! Just kidding.