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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials


The San Pedro Sun

H.E. Alexis Rosado Presents Credentials to the President of the Republic of Costa Rica
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pleased to announce that his Excellency Luis Guillermo Solis Rivera, President of the Republic of Costa Rica, received H.E. Alexis Rosado in a solemn ceremony on Wednesday, 8th July 2015, on the occasion of the presentation of credentials accrediting Mr. Rosado as Belize's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Costa Rica.

Frank "Papa" Mena takes Dangriga Constituency By-election
On Wednesday, July 8th residents of Dangriga Town, Sarawee Village and Hope Creek Village exercised their right as Belizeans in the by-election process for a new Dangriga Constituency Area Representative. At the end of the day United Democratic Party's (UDP) Frank "Papa" Mena was elected as area representative over People's United Party's (PUP) Anthony Sabal and Independent (Indp) Candidate Llewelyn Lucas. The by-election was a result of the abrupt resignation of former PUP Area Representative, Ivan Ramos.

Ambergris Today

Marissa Kayleen Gonzalez Celebrates Quincea�os
Carlos Gonzalez and Alba White presented to the San Pedro society their beautiful daughter Marissa Kayleen Gonzalez on Saturday, July 4, 2015, as she turned 15 years old. A special mass celebration of her Quincea�os was held at the San Pedro Roman Catholic Church and a 'Sweet 15' party followed with friends and family. Kayleen's Godparents were Mr. Dennis & Mrs. Monica Alfaro.

Government of Belize Supports the Belize National Football Team
The Government of Belize through the Ministry of Finance officially handed over a BZ$125,000 grant to the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) today, July 13. The grant was approved by Cabinet from the Petrocaribe Fund to help them meet the national team's training and travel costs leading up to Round 3 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The grant was presented to the FFB by the Financial Secretary Mr. Joseph Waight, who on behalf of the Government extended well wishes to the National Team and assured future support from the Government as the team progresses in the games.

Belizean Beauty to Represent at Costa Maya Pageant
Samalia Vernon, 5'8" of Belize City, Belize District, is Miss Belize 2015 for the Reina de la Costa Maya 2015 international pageant, which is scheduled to take place in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize on August 6, 2015. Samalia, who is pursuing a degree in business and marketing, enjoys reading, painting, meditating, cooking, fashion, traveling and modeling. To stay fit she does yoga, dances, and plays tennis. Eight delegates representing Central America and Mexico are expected to compete in the beauty pageant. At the end of the night, Elisa Espinosa Gomez, of Mexico, will crown her successor.

Belize Ranks #5 on World Well-Being Rankings
Not all might be perfect in Belize and we all might complain here and there about a few things that bother us, but overall, we are a happy nation whose people live with much freedom. So it is not surprising to find out that a new global index has Belize standing strong at the No. 5 position in the World Well-Being Rankings. As a region, the Americas faired quite well in Gallup-Healthways Country Well-Being report, with Costa Rica (2), Belize (5) and Mexico in the top 10 positions and Panama at No. 1. Switzerland was the top European country, in fourth. At No. 23, the U.S. (dropping from No. 12) is one spot behind Israel and one ahead of Canada. No wonder Belize is such an amazing place to live in and has so much visitors flocking to its shores. We might think that we are No. 1 on that list, but if you are looking to boost your own well-being you might want to increase your leisure activities or even vacation more in Belize!!! The report indicates that the benefits can include "lower blood pressure, lower stress hormones and smaller waists."

Misc Belizean Sourcesmzz

BELIZE FISHING REPORT: Weeks of June 28th - July 4th, 2015
Lots of people enjoying Belize during of first week of summer 2 for 1 pricing. Even though he fishing peaks in the summer with the addition of Migratory tarpon to the mix, our attendance levels tend to be lower. Come enjoy the summer and fall with us. Even though it was windy we continue to light up the permit boards.

Ten day Weather Outlook for Belize: July 13-22, 2015
Two tropical waves will approach Belize over the next ten days. The first will make its entry late Tuesday, and the second will cross the country on Friday-Saturday of this week. An upper level trough in the western Caribbean will shift westwards over the next three days, favoring outbreaks of showers and thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday. Conditions will become more stable on Saturday through Sunday, but significantly unstable on Monday through Thursday of next week, associated with the slow-moving low pressure system forming in the extreme NW Caribbean and Belize. Farmers can expect some good showers on Tuesday afternoon, on Thursday and Friday. It will be much drier over the weekend. Expect more showers with some thunderstorm outbreaks during most of the working week next week.

Prevention of Violence against Women
Public Presentation

BTB Tourism Industry Conference
Aug 1st

Four Caribbean countries identified as choice locations for business
St. Lucia, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti have been identified as countries outside the United States that companies will move to in five to 10 years. That's according to readers of Site Selection Magazine, an influential publication that highlights corporate real estate strategy and area economic development. "In a tie with Eastern Europe, 31.4 per cent of respondents selected the Central/South America and the Caribbean and cited an educated workforce, the economic expansion of the region aided by the anticipated increase in traffic due to the widening of the Panama Canal and a growing middle class as some of the reasons behind the decision to invest in the logistics, automotive and chemical clusters," explained Senior Editor of Site Selection Patty Rasmussen.

DYS Reading Summer Camp
The Department of Youth Services and the Belmopan Public Library held their first Reading and Expressive Arts Summer Camp. They have a really cool video of the experience. Worth a watch. Reading is the key. Thanks, DYS! "The Department of Youth Services in collaboration with The Belmopan Public Library had its 1st Reading and Expressive Arts Summer Camp from July 6th- 10th 2015 at the Belmopan Public Library. It was a huge success and we are most thankful for our guest readers that took time out to come and share the love of reading with our little campers. Mrs. Gwen Nunez -Gonzalez, Ms. Claudia Groutsche, Brother Fem and Mrs. Cruz, Mayor Khalid Belisle, Ileana Cruz, Ms.Desha Elijio,Ms. Mary and Althia Garcia. I am also thankful for my team as they were instrumental in making this camp a success. Finally and most importantly we are thankful to the parents who allowed us to share the joy of reading with their little ones."

SIPL Summer Program
The San Ignacio Public Library had their Summer Camp for local kids. The theme was all about technology. "Some snapshots of our Summer Program 2015 under the theme 'Technology in Libraries: Past and Present.'"

New franchises for National Elite Basketball League
The National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) is inviting any new franchise that would be interested in joining the league for our 2016 season, to submit your Letter of Intent to [email protected] Our next season is scheduled to commence on Friday, January 15, 2016. A new franchise cannot be from any of our 6 existing municipalities; which are Orange Walk Town, Belize City, San Pedro, Belmopan, San Ignacio and Dangriga. More than likely only one new franchise will be allowed to join the league next season, so submissions must be made by August 14, 2015.

Bowen & Bowen Job Opportunity
Join our Warehousing team as Dispatcher

Government of Belize Supports the Belize National Team
The Government of Belize through the Ministry of Finance officially handed over a BZ$125,000 grant to the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) today, July 13. The grant was approved by Cabinet from the Petrocaribe Fund to help them meet the national team's training and travel costs leading up to Round 3 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The grant was presented to the FFB by the Financial Secretary Mr. Joseph Waight, who on behalf of the Government extended well wishes to the National Team and assured future support from the Government as the team progresses in the games. Present at the ceremony were a few of the team players, Minister of National Security and National Team Coordinator Hon. John Saldivar, and the General Secretary of the FFB Mr. Michael Blease, who received the grant on behalf of the federation. Both Minister Saldivar and Mr. Blease expressed their gratitude to the Government and said that they look forward to the continued support.

BOLEDO DRAWING for Monday, July 13, 2015: 77. PICK 3: 5 6 5

Commentary: Am I a 'Carib' or 'Garifuna' and why would one want to be called a 'Carib' anyway?
By Wellington C. Ramos. The original names of our people are Kalinagu and Galinagu. These names were changed after Christopher Columbus attempted to take over the island of "Yurumein" now known as St Vincent and the Grenadines around 1502 to "Caribe"� Carib in English meaning cannibals. The reason why he labelled our people "Caribe" cannibal, the root word for "Carib", was because of the information he received from the "Taino" people when he met them and the resistance our people waged against his forces to take over our lands and enslave us. Then the French and the British came after using these labels: Carib, Yellow Caribs and Black Caribs. Other labels were also used by some other ethnic groups in the countries were we reside by the ethnic groups that were enslaved, brainwashed and subjugated by them. In Belize these labels were "Kerob" and "Kerobee". After years of protest against these derogatory labels being used to identify us, some Creoles in Belize and other ethnic groups still insist on calling us these names. This led to a movement by our people to bring this issue before the United Nations Human Rights Commission and other regional organizations to acknowledge our true names as Garifuna and Garinagu.

Paint N Splash "Garinagu Beauty"
Thursdayat 2:00pm - 4:00pm. Though commonly referred to as "Garifuna", the people are properly called "Garinagu" and the culture and language are "Garifuna". The Garinagu are recent arrivals to Belize, settling the southern coast of Belize in the early 19th century. This is my modern take on a Garinagu lady. I hope you guys like it.

Summer Art Wave's Corn Husk Art Program
The Summer Art Wave's Corn Husk Art program began today. Participants began the process of making coasters, place mats, baskets, and rugs. The week long program will also incorporate, flowers, dolls and more ... There are spaces still available for interested persons beginning at 1pm! - Courtesy Corozal House of Culture (NICH)

Sigourny Usher Wins Flor de la Feria
Congratulations, Sigourny Usher, for being crowned Miss Flor de la Feria 2015. Sigourny's title was Ms. Barrier Reef for the pageant. They have tons of pictures and videos from the event on their page. There's even some behind the scenes and bloopers.

King of the Hills 2015
The King of the Hills bike race was yesterday, and Kenny Lamb got some excellent shots of the event. Well done! More of his race pictures here. Congratulations to all the winners of the race. "Elite Men and Masters. Elite Men: Joel Borland Joslyn Chavarria Ron Vasquez Giovanni Choto Jesmar Guerra Masters Men: Liam Stewart Henry Moreira Kenroy Gladden"

Fledgling Keel-Billed Toucan
This little fledgling Keel-Billed Toucan was surrendered to us after suffering an accident that fractured his humerus bone which required surgery to fix. Thanks to the amazing work of Dr. Phillip De Shields at the Animal Medical Centre, the toucan is now on the road to recovery. The little guy also showed signs that he'd been possibly kept as a pet. Toucans are the national bird of Belize and it is illegal to keep them as pets, as are all wild birds of Belize. Please remember they are wild animals and deserve to stay in their natural habitats. If you find a baby or injured bird that needs help please contact us! We work to get these birds back to health and back home in the wild where they belong!

Caye Caulker Lobster Fest - The Ultimate Island Festival
The 21st Annual Caye Caulker Lobster Fest took place this past weekend (June 26 - 28), and definitely proved to be an eventful 3 days. Although the high season for travel to Belize runs from November through March, when the weather is commonly dry and cool, summer is also a great time to visit Belize. Summer in Belize typically means cheaper accommodations and tour packages, discounts on airfare and fewer crowds; what it also means and probably most importantly, is an increase in local events and cultural festivals for the entire family to enjoy. The original idea for the Caye Caulker Lobster Fest came from the traditional fishermen on the island, who thought it would be fitting to hold a celebration to honour the crustacean which has nurtured, fed and educated families for generations. Now, every year around the latter part of June, international travellers and locals alike make their way to the island for 3 days of pageantry, DJs, outdoor food booths and beach parties. Of course, the highlight of the festival is the devouring of succulent lobster prepared fresh in just about every imaginable way. Selections include lobster ceviche, stewed lobster, grilled lobster, lobster kebabs, whole lobster and lobster tails. Just about anything lobster was available.

Channel 7

Man Shot Up And Killed By Cops In The Place Called Hope
Police shot and killed a Hope Creek resident on Saturday night. Leopold Myvett was hanging out with his friends in front of a bar at around 9 on Saturday night when the police pulled up. Police say that Myvett pulled out a gun and pointed it at them - which is when they opened fire -killing him with four shots. Now the family is enraged - not only because they lost a family member but because they lost him to the hands of the law. Today we traveled to Hope Creek to get both sides of the story. Courtney Weatherburne reports. Courtney Weatherburne reporting On most days, these wooden benches are occupied. Friends would hang out for hours beneath the shade of this Almond Tree and then move over to the Billar Fuentes bar right in front. But today these seats were empty and have been since Saturday night, when one member of the crew was shot and killed by police. He is 28 year old Leopold Myvette. His niece was in this small house nearby when the shots echoed. Jez Lizama, Niece "I was at a house close to the bar and then we heard gunshots. It sounded like when you burst a whole belt of pop-shot one after the other. We peeped out and in front of the bar we saw a Mahindra there. Then after that we locked up the house. My friend told me to let's have a look and so then we opened the door. Then she says 'let go there.' At the same time were going out, my little brother came and told me that my mom is calling me and I ask where was she and he said at Pedro in front of the bar. I ask him what happened and he said that my son got shot."

Teenager Shot By Brazen Killer
And while Leopold Myvette was fatally shot by police in Hope Creek Village, an 18 year-old was murdered 24 hours earlier in Belize City by a very brazen gunman. On Friday night at around 8:00, 18 year-old Anthony Smith was riding his bicycle near the intersection of Central American Boulevard and Freedom Street when he was shot several times by an assailant who hid in the bushes. Daniel Ortiz found out why the on-duty police officers were not a deterrent when the gunman struck on Friday night: Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division "Around 8:50 p.m. police personnel visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where they saw Anthony Smith, 18 years old, with multiple gunshots to the abdomen, to the chest and one gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead thereafter and an investigation was carried out. Information is that he was riding a bicycle on Central American Boulevard near the intersection with Freedom Street when he was approached by a male person who fired several shots at him."

Sr. Supt. Mediates Madness In Ghost Town
And while the violence continued this weekend - police say that the most dangerous zone of the city - which is territory controlled by the Ghost Town Gang has been cooled down because of a police led mediation session. It happened on Friday - and Chester Williams - the new boss of the Eastern Division southside is the one who brought it together. Today, he told how it will promote peace:.. Sr. Supt Chester Williams, Commander Eastern Division South "I met with the two groups from Mayflower. As we all know that the situation on Mayflower is an internal issue between one gang: the Ghost Town gang. I met with them and their parents. I also brought in two counselors, Mrs. Diane Finnegan and Mrs. Anne Palacio and I also have Mr. Douglas Hyde who himself is a mediator and we discussed with them. We had the parents speaking to them first, let the parents know how exactly they are feeling about tension that exists in the Mayflower area. After the session with the parents, I then had the counselors, each having a session with them or a talk with them, to try and see how best they could assist them in calming the situation that exists between them and after the two counselors, then Mr. Hyde spoke to them and I just basically give a closing as it relates to what the three presenters have done or have said." "At the end of the meeting I must say was successful. They all agreed that they will put aside their personal issues and they will try to live together in that small community. They agreed and as part of that agreement they hand in to us one AR15 brand new rifle and I think 15 live rounds of ammunition for this same rifle."

Was Kareem's Killer A Minor?
And one man who was killed in Ghost Town turf - but not because of any gang affiliation is Amandala journalist Kareem Clarke. He was killed over a week ago - and now police believe that a minor did it. They say that a teenager has been detained pending charges:.. Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division "At this time we have one minor in custody for that murder. We are doing follow up work right now and we will determine whether he will be charged. Our officers are working on that case right now. We have one minor detained at this time." Reporter "Has the motive been established?" Supt. Hilberto Romero "No, a motive has not been established."

GSU Scraped The City Clean On The Weekend
He was on remand for almost 4 years for a double murder, but tonight, 27 year-old Jamie Smith is at home after he was acquitted in a Supreme Court trial before Justice Adolph Lucas. On May 20, 2011, the victims, 18 year old Eric Arana and 21 year old Dwayne Tillett, were leaning on an abandoned car on Antelope Street Extension. They were gambling with 1 man and 2 other women who included Khiry Haulze, Juvanna Gillett and Karen Rivers when a gunman rode up on a bicycle and opened fire on the group. Everyone was shot, and Arana and Tillett died from their injuries. Well, after 4 years, the accused, Smith, stood trial without a jury. The prosecution was allowed to present evidence against him directly to the judge. Still, at the conclusion of that case today, Justice Lucas ruled that the prosecution did not adequately prove the case against him, and so, he was obliged to acquit Smith. His defense attorney, Bryan Neal, explained to us this afternoon how he helped to convince the judge to find his client not guilty:

Murder Charge For Man Who Killed Customs Officer
Last week Friday, we told you how 25 year-old Customs Officer Keisha Buller was stabbed to death by her common-law husband, Ervin Wade. Well tonight, he's at the Belize Central Prison after being arraigned and remanded. He was formally charged with her murder, and he arraigned today in the San Ignacio Magistrate's Court. No plea was taken, and he was remanded until September 17. As we told you, the two had a quarrel on Friday afternoon at Buller's Benque Viejo home. Wade pulled a knife and stabbed her several times to the stomach, neck and shoulder. The fight, we are told, went from the house, all the way to street side, where she collapsed and died near her car. As soon after the fight ended, Wade grabbed their 4 year-old son and fled in his vehicle. Police caught him on the Western Highway near Galen University, in the Central Farm area.

Man Gets Off Double Murder
He was on remand for almost 4 years for a double murder, but tonight, 27 year-old Jamie Smith is at home after he was acquitted in a Supreme Court trial before Justice Adolph Lucas. On May 20, 2011, the victims, 18 year old Eric Arana and 21 year old Dwayne Tillett, were leaning on an abandoned car on Antelope Street Extension. They were gambling with 1 man and 2 other women who included Khiry Haulze, Juvanna Gillett and Karen Rivers when a gunman rode up on a bicycle and opened fire on the group. Everyone was shot, and Arana and Tillett died from their injuries. Well, after 4 years, the accused, Smith, stood trial without a jury. The prosecution was allowed to present evidence against him directly to the judge. Still, at the conclusion of that case today, Justice Lucas ruled that the prosecution did not adequately prove the case against him, and so, he was obliged to acquit Smith. His defense attorney, Bryan Neal, explained to us this afternoon how he helped to convince the judge to find his client not guilty:

Former Cop Knocked Down, Killed in Camalote
A former Inspector of police was knocked down in Camalote. 69 year old Miguel Cho left his home on Young Gyal road yesterday evening to pick up some money. But when he arrived in front of the Pattnet's Bar in Camalote a truck ran into the back wheel of his bicycle. Cho was flung into the air, and landed on his back on the pavement. He died from his injuries. We spoke to an eyewitness and Cho's grieving family today in Camalote. Voice of: Eyewitness "The man was by that hole there passing by. I don't know if he was going straight down, or if he was turning off. But I saw him get by the pool in front of the bar and to my idea, he was shunning that hole, not to go in it and he didn't look back and the truck was coming fast enough because he didn't brakes or anything. It happened so sudden that he didn't look back - just hit. And we ran and say oh my God. By the time he got hit, he got thrown off that bicycle and when we ran over there - I didn't even go close, but I saw bleeding from behind his head."

Longest Serving Death Row Prisoner Is Off Hangman's List
For almost 14 years, convicted murderer Glenford Baptist has been the only Belizean prisoner still on death row. That ended today when his death sentence was quashed by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. He was convicted along with co-defendants Gilroy Wade Jr., Oscar Mendez in November 2001 in a Supreme Court Trial before the then Justice Wilfred "Sedi" Elrington. The jury found them guilty of acting in joint enterprise to kill Azrin White on the night of July 24 in the year 2000. Coincidentally, to get the death sentence quashed, he sued Wilfred Elrington who is now the Attorney General of Belize. He contested that it is unjust to have him languishing on death row for 13 years and 8 months. His attorney, Priscilla Banner, argued the case before the Chief Justice, and she successfully convinced him to set it aside. She explained it to us this afternoon:

City Shooting Is Non Fatal
At the top of the news, we told you about how police have detained a minor for the investigation of the murder of Amandala Journalist Kareem Clarke. Well, they picked him up while following up on another shooting which happened on Friday night, just about 1 hour or so after Anthony Smith was killed on Central American Boulevard. Sometime after 10 p.m., 21 year-old Stevedore Glenn Murillo was standing in front of a Chinese shop on Vernon Street when a man walked up and fired 3 shots at him. Police told us today that he was only injured to their upper right arm: Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division "On Friday, police responded to a shooting incident where they found Glenn Murillo, 21 years, with a single gunshot wound to the right upper arm. He was taken to the K.H.M.H. and he was treated; he is in a stable condition. We have one person detained for questioning in regards to that shooting." Supt. Hilberto Romero "We have our investigators working. We are working with the complainant. I know he went to the store and he was approached by one person who fired shots at him."

Former Benque Mayor Locked Up In Flores
Edgar "Whitie" Contreras, a former Mayor of Benque Viejo Town, is currently locked up in Flores, Peten Guatemala while he awaits a Court arraignment for having an illegal firearm while in that country. Contreras, who is a legally registered firearms holder in Belize went over to Melchor De Menchos this weekend with his weapon. Our information is that Contreras was alone in a park near the central Market. Unfortunately, for him, that's the time when Guatemalan police officers passed by and decided to do a stop and search sweep of the area. They were looking for a suspect in an incident which happened at a nearby bar. Contreras was searched by the Guat Police officers and because he is not a registered firearm's holder in that jurisdiction, he was detained. We understand that he has told friends and family in Benque that he simply forgot that he had the weapon on him when he crossed the border.

GOB Gives Petro$$$ To FFB
The Belize Jaguars are preparing to play the third round of world cup qualifiers on September fourth and eighth. IT'S the furthest Belize has ever gone in the qualifiers - and the national team is playing its best football ever. But, it costs ten thousand a week just to keep them in camp, and hundreds of thousands of dollars to sponsor the team's travel and accommodations. The FFB can't just whisk that out of thin air, and Government chipped in today with 125 thousand dollars. We found out more at a handing over at FFB headquarters today:.. Joseph Waight, Financial Secretary "The government was called upon and willingly stepped up from the funds basically to support the national team and to wish you well in the next round and the round after that and I think we can say that should there be another round and we all expect there will, that the government can come again and to say more is on its way as we progress down the line." Michael Blease, FFB General Secretary "Mr. Waight, on behalf of the federation, we want to thank the Government of Belize, your office, the Minister as well, the national team program - its a wonderful contribution. We expect more as Mr. Waight said as we progressed."

Treasure Missing Money Probe Deepens
And while we had the financial secretary, we asked him about the ongoing investigation into mass theft from the public treasury. As we reported in April, hundreds of thousands of dollars set aside for schools in the south were mis-directed to private accounts. Today the Fin. Sec. said that that the deeper they look, the more missing money they find:.. Joseph Waight, Financial Secretary "The investigation continues and I believe there may be a little more from what we heard originally. I got a report last week that there could be another transaction in the tune of twenty-five thousand dollars or so, we are still looking into it. In that one, the police are doing the investigations; we have gotten bank records. One gentleman has been arrested and now the idea is to try to build a case strong enough so that when it gets to court, it does not fall apart." 28 year-old David Enriquez, a clerk at the Treasury Department has been charged for the theft of two hundred and twenty five thousand dollars.

Man Claims Brutality, Extortion
We report on police harassment often in our newscast and tonight one more report is added to the list - but this time it's comingled with extortion. Late this evening 7news spoke with Brian Armstrong - who was released from police custody only minutes before the interview. According to Armstrong, he and 3 other men were picked up on Saturday by police for a stick of marijuana. One of the men pleaded guilty to the charges and the other 3 including Armstrong were released. But shortly after, he was picked up by police again - and this time claimed he had to pay an officer fifty dollars for him to be released.

What A Waste of Coast Guard Time And Resources
The Belize National Coast Guard is the main law enforcement agency in Belizean waters, and so, it has to respond to every distress call. So, this weekend, they made an urgent response to a report made by the Turneffe Island Resort. The information that the Island's Resort employees relayed to them was that a tour group with 2 international guests and their guide were robbed by pirates operating in the area. Well, it just happened to have been a great exaggeration, because as it turned out, a group of fishermen simply grabbed an ice box filled with food items that they left in their vessel when they went fly fishing. The Coast Guard told us this afternoon how they marshaled resources and manpower to investigate what turned out to be a frivolous complaint: The fishermen who grabbed the icebox were ordered by their captain to return it immediately. They say that they thought that the vessel was abandoned, and that's why they grabbed the food. They were in the process of returning it when the Coast Guard picked them up.

Channel 5

Hope Creek Cops Gun Down Running Man
A man was shot and killed by police officers in Hope Creek over the weekend. There a questions surrounding his death. Police say that the man pointed a gun at [...]

Youth Riddled With Bullets on Central American Blvd.
The relentless spate of gun violence in the Old Capital continued this weekend, leaving one person dead and another clinging to life in separate armed assaults.� On Friday night, an [...]

Minor Detained for Murder of Kareem Clarke
A Belize City minor is currently in custody for the murder of star reporter, Kareem Clarke. The minor was detained over the weekend by cops on patrol and the police [...]

Minor Also Main Suspect in Friday Night Shooting
But the minor, who has since been detained in connection with the murder of Kareem Clarke, is also the main suspect in a shooting that occurred on Friday night in [...]

Ghost Town Gang Truce in Effect
For quite some time now, the Ghost Town Gang has been splintered and rival factions have been waging war against each other in an internal squabble that has seen significant [...]

N.G.O.s Present Concerns on Protected Areas Bills
In June, two bills were presented to the House for a first reading - an amended PACT Bill and a brand new National Protected Areas System Bill. But while the [...]

APAMO/PfB Respond to Minister's Criticisms
This morning, the N.G.O. stakeholders asked the House sub-committee for more time, and they were granted that time, which means that there is room for much more consultation and input. [...]

Petrocaribe Drops a Quarter Million on the F.F.B.
The chronically cash strapped F.F.B. has received a much needed infusion of cash and, you guessed it…it's a gift from Mister Petrocaribe. The symbolic check was handed over this afternoon [...]

F.F.B. Needs $300,000 for Third Round
A quarter million dollars sounds like a lot of money - and it is…but set against the backdrop of a national team in training, and against the costs associated with [...]

Fin Sec Says Petrocaribe Money Being Spent Wisely
It's likely that nobody will be complaining much about Petrocaribe rolling onto the Jaguars' football pitch. The fact is that G.O.B. has been conspicuously absent in the national team's journey [...]

More Money Missing at Treasury Department
In April 2015 four persons were arrested for their involvement in a Treasury Department scam which allegedly netted them more than half-a-million dollars. Preliminary investigations indicated that money due as [...]

Smith Walks Free in Double Homicide Trial
Twenty-seven-year-old Jaimie Smith walked free from the double murder that claimed the lives of Eric Arana and Dwayne Tillett on Antelope Street Extension four years ago The acquittal took place [...]

Dawson Remanded for Sex With Minor
A construction worker from Bermudian Landing is tonight on remand for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse three times with a fourteen-year-old minor. Forty-year-old Orlando Dawson Junior appeared before Chief Magistrate [...]

CEBO Provides Training for Youth Entrepreneurs
The Department of Youth Services, in collaboration with the CARICOM Secretariat, is doing a follow-up training to Creativity for Employment and Business Opportunity. The regional initiative was piloted in five [...]

Training Continues for Local CEBO Reps
But the visit by the regional delegation is also to establish local CEBO trainers in an effort to sustain this youth and entrepreneurship effort locally.   Hilary Brown, Program Manager, [...]

Football, Basketball Cycling and Track Stats in Sports
Good evening, I'm James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.     We head immediately to Big Bird's Isle where Friday night, Atlantic Bank faced Generals in firms division basketball [...]