AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life News Daily news prior to today Today's Belize News: September 24, 2015

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Police Investigations Are Ongoing into Case Surrounding A US Registered Sex Offender
Yesterday we told you of the registered sex offender residing on Police Street in Belize City. The 42-year-old man has been convicted in the USA for the offense of copulating with a minor under the age of 14 by force or fear. He is a registered sex offender in California and residents want him out of the area. He has been detained and released without any charge. Neighbors are accusing him of sodomizing one of the boys in the neighborhood. But it goes deeper and while police are yet to establish when this alleged child predator entered the country, residents suspect that he has been abusing several children in the neighborhood for quite some time. Today the media asked Senior Superintendent Chester Williams how Police are handling the matter. "The allegation, if it is true, is a very very serious one and I will tell you that the police will not side idly by and see that being swept under the rug; that will not happen, if the allegations are true. Hence the reason why there must be an investigative process and I have directed my investigators along with the person in charge of Domestic Violence Unit; they have now teamed up with human development officers in the area canvasing to see if we could find any children or child who may had been victim of this alleged child molester. We have interviewed one child that child had given us certain information which again we are still probing...."

Labor Commissioner Says Provisions in the Law Will Protect FCIB Employees
Labour Commissioner, Ivan Williams, shared the different provisions within he law that protects employees who find themselves in a situation like this. "In the event an employer seeks to terminate the services of its employees then adequate notices must be given and for those employees who are there for more than five years the law requires an eight week notice so clearly the bank would have had to give its employees eight weeks' notice of their intention to terminate the contract. In addition to that in 2011 the Labor Amendment Act No. 3 of 2011, provisions were made in there for a thirty day notice with full data of those employees who will be affected, the proposed benefits of those persons and it also makes provisions for the Labor Department to intervene to try and mitigate the adverse effects that the redundancy would have on employees and so clearly that is the legal framework. So there are laws governing that the bank, and the bank, just in the event and I don't think that bank has any desire, because it wouldn't serve the bank any good to pack up and leave; they have a reputation and they have everything to lose, but I had to remind them of those legal provisions which in any event they have to follow and the legislation goes further to say in a transaction where there is buying and selling, if the seller doesn't ensure that their obligations are taken care of in regards to the employees then the buyer steps in and assumes those liabilities. We have provisions in the labor law for that."

CIBC First Caribbean and Christian Workers Union to Negotiate Exit Packages
After a three hour meeting, representatives from the Christian Workers' Union and First Caribbean Development Bank decided to finally enter into negotiations. The meeting was held at the Labour Department and was mediated by the Labour Commissioner, Ivan Williams at the invitation of both parties. As you may already know, FCIB struck a deal to sell its assets to Heritage Bank but the problem is that the employees were being left in limbo as they were uncertain as to what their exit package would be and if they would be collecting their outstanding salary increase. What compounded the fears of the workers was that there was no Collective Bargaining Agreement. While Prime Minister Dean Barrow has passed the Vesting Act into law, paving way for the sale, no date has been set as to when it will take effect until certain situations have been resolved, one of which is the one with the employees. But by what Audrey Matura Shepherd and Labor Commissioner told us last night, the bank is willing to give the employees an exit package seeing that they have decided to enter in negotiations to do so.

PlusTV

Verdes Makes Historical Win
Belize Verdes FC made history last night by defeating Panama's San Francisco 2 to 1 in the 2015 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. It was an exhilarating game that had fans on the edge of their seats. It wasn't broadcast locally, but our reporter Emanuel Pech was there and has a revie...

Labour Department breaks CWU/FCIB deadlock
Late on Monday evening there was a briefing of the press regarding the latest in the ongoing dispute between First Caribbean International Bank (FCIB) and the Christian Workers' Union (CWU) on behalf of the bank's soon-to-be former workers, who are agitating for their exit package after ...

Body and Soul Clinic in Roaring Creek
A missionary group is here in Belize having medical clinic at Body and Soul Ministries in Roaring Creek Village. The team has been in the country for about a week now, sharing their skills and offering free services. Tomorrow is their last day, but after this team leaves, another one will take its ...

VIP NOT a part of new third party amalgamation
Yesterday it was announced that a new "third" party is to be formed as part of the amalgamation of existing third parties, including the Vision Inspired by the People. However, we must make a correction to that story. Vision Inspired by the People is NOT a part of the new venture. Rather, according...

Teaching Services Commission denies Faith Nazarene Principal transfer
The Belize Teaching Services Commission's (BTSC) has denied the Nazarene Management's submission to have the principal of Faith Nazarene Primary School be given long leave and thereafter transferred out of the school. As has been reported, there have been tensions between parents and the management ...

Conman stole over $10,300.00 from lady
A conman robbed a lady of over $10,300.00 Belize Dollars. 50-year-old Dalila Osorio reported that on the 25th of February 2015, she gave a man by the name of Mark Anthony a cheque for $5000.00, and also $2000.00 in cash to purchase a vehicle in the U.S.A. The vehicle was to be delivered in the time...

Vehicle stolen in Orange Walk Town
A vehicle was stolen in Orange Walk Town. Alfonso Cho of Libertad Village, Corozal District reported that on Tuesday the 22nd of September at around 5:00 p.m., he visited Orange Walk Town and left his red 1990 Toyota Corolla car parked on Stadium Street. When he returned at 9:00 p.m. to get his veh...

Breaking Belize News

Ambergris Stadium to be renovated
The San Pedro Sun reports that a $2.3 million project to replace the old Ambergris Stadium broke ground on September 18. The Government of Belize plans a FIFA-approved international-level stadium. The completion of the sport complex is expected to take between eight to ten months at the most. The [�]

Heavyweight boxer Fres Oquendo to fight in Belize
He has fought many boxing champions and legends, but has never held a world title; however, contender Fres Oquendo is recognized as a durable and experienced challenger. The 42 year old from Chicago by way of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is in Belize for a tune-up fight to [�]

CWU says first meeting with Port amicable
The dispute at First Caribbean Bank is one of two major labour issues being dealt with by the Christian Workers' Union. The other, especially difficult issue is the plight of the stevedores working for Port of Belize Limited. Despite their internal might at the Union stevedores have been [�]

CWU says GOB "unfair" to BTL employees in settlement
There was an outpouring of support from sister unions for the Belize Communications Workers Union (BCWU) after their stinging press release attacking Government last week for failing to consult employees of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) before reaching a settlement with the former owners including the BTL Employees Trust [�]

Labour Department breaks CWU/FCIB deadlock
Late on Monday evening there was a briefing of the press regarding the latest in the ongoing dispute between First Caribbean International Bank (FCIB) and the Christian Workers' Union (CWU) on behalf of the bank's soon-to-be former workers, who are agitating for their exit package after being told [�]

Public invited to attend 'Perspective of Our Past' lecture
'The Perspectives of Our Past' is an annual lecture series in which teaches students and the general public learn about northern Belize's history through the words of elderly citizens. This event is organized by the Corozal House of Culture, which has partnered with the Corozal Junior College to host this [�]

Why Belmopan vendors had to leave Western Regional Hospital
The Ministry of Health's Public Health Department says it has gone "to the limit" by forcing vendors off the compound of the Western Regional Hospital in order to attend to its many problems. Forgoing a requested meeting on Friday, the vendors were served with notices of eviction signed [�]

Bankers' Association denies impropriety
There is a Bankers' Association of Belize and they have issued a statement on the permission granted in the U.S. courts for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to seek information on Americans with accounts in Belize who have not complied with home regulations to report on their income. [�]

Fisherman and minor caught with firearm at sea
A Belize City man and a minor from Orange Walk are charged with keeping firearm and ammunition without a license. Marcelino Kal and the minor, 17, have pleaded not guilty to charges that they kept a 9mm pistol with ten live rounds of ammunition off the island of [�]

Forward Operating Base to be built; politicians split on civilian defense role
In his Independence Day address Prime Minister Dean Barrow confirmed that a Forward Operating Base will be built on the north bank of the Sarstoon River, but gave no other details. This comes on the heels of the Belize Territorial Volunteers and other civil society supporters forcing the [�]

Mother seeking public help to find missing daughter
A desperate mother is seeking the assistance of the public in locating her missing 15-year-old daughter. Thirty-two-year-old Regina Bowen of Rivas Estate area in the Dangriga District visited the police station on September 22nd, and reported to police that her daughter Nezlie Shemar Alvarez left home on September 20th and [�]

Police on the lookout for stolen car
A resident from Libertad village in the Corozal District and Orange Walk Police are currently looking for a red 1990 Toyota Corolla Car. According to 45-year-old Alfonso Cho, on September 22nd he parked his vehicle on Stadium Street around 5p.m. and upon his return around 9 p.m. his vehicle was [�]

Disturbing allegations against US sex offender living in Belize
A man registered as a sex offender in the state of California is under suspicion of sodomizing young boys at his Lake Independence home in Belize City and was allegedly detained by police but released without charges, after an account of a disturbing incident by a young boy. One concerned [�]

BEL explains weekend blackouts
After two Independence weekend blackouts, one on Sunday night and the other on Monday, Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) released a statement explaining what is causing the recent string of power outages across the country. According to BEL, an "unidentified fault" is the cause of the Sunday night outage at 11:30 [�]

Blogs

Mimicking Nature for a Sustainable Economic Future
Having reached the limits of nature's tolerance, we are finally shopping for answers to the question: "How can we live on this home planet without destroying it?" Just as we are beginning to recognize all there is to learn from the natural world, our models are starting to blink out - not just a few scattered organisms, but entire ecosystems. A new survey by the National Biological Service found that one-half of all native ecosystems in the United States are degraded to the point of endangerment. That makes biomimicry more than just a new way of viewing and valuing nature. It's also a race to the rescue. Biomimicry (from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate) is an evolving discipline that studies nature's "best ideas" and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. Studying a leaf to invent a better solar cell is an example. Think of it as "innovation inspired by nature." The goal is to create products, processes, and policies - new ways of living - that are well-adapted to life on Earth over the long haul. The core idea is that nature, "imaginative" by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with. Animals, plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers. By natural selection, they have found what works, what is appropriate, and most important, what lasts here on Earth. Like the viceroy butterfly imitating the monarch, we humans are imitating the best adapted organisms in our habitat.

The Sun Was Out But Things are Far from Dry in San Pedro
Yesterday started cool and a little bit overcast but by mid-morning, the sun was out and things were heating up. The weather map has been looking a bit more�September. And this rain we have (almost all of it on September 21st - Independence Day) has made the plants extremely happy. Just a street or two back from the beach, my friend's house has become lake front property! And gorgeous birds are flocking in to enjoy.

What a difference a day makes on Ambergris Caye
Here is the view from our deck on Sunday morning as we were about to receive our first significant rain in months. It mostly poured on Monday, Belize's Independence Day, which was supposed to be celebrated here with a big, colorful, joyous parade. The Jump Up Parade been postponed until Saturday. This is around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015. The sky was gray-black until this little light hole opened ever so briefly. It has been overcast and raining since then, until Tuesday afternoon. This is the same sky this morning, Sept. 23, 2015, the first day of Fall on Ambergris Caye. It is true that our trees don't change color but our skies certainly do!

CIGARETTE TRAFFICKING AND BELIZE
Last week a story about two men arrested in Guatemala for smuggling cigarettes caught my eye so to speak, especially the name of one of the men whom I believe is also a Belizean. It brought back memories �. In 2011 I went to Melchor de Mencos to see for myself the phenomenon of cigarette trafficking across the Belize-Guatemalan border which my reports had said was creating an entirely new class of noveau riche there. I visited three businesses, two of which were operated by women, and spoke to the managers who showed me their beers and cigarettes mostly. The variety and price was incredible. The cigarettes were all knock-offs but that was hardly discernible to anyone who may not have had the experience of buying and smoking the genuine American-made article. In my conversations at the border I had learned that cigarettes were crossing the border by the container full, as was gasoline, trucked all the way apparently from the Corozal Free Zone.

The coming Pupusa war: A tongue in cheek story by Bill McMichael
Pupusas in San Pedro are prepared on gas fires, flat-top griddles located in front of the restaurants by expert pupusa chefs at two very similar restaurants directly across the street from each other. Waruguma and Pupusaria El Salvador have very similar ambiance, menus and pricing. When we started going to San Pedro, Waruguma was the one that was praised on Tripadvisor.com so on the trip when we finally ventured off the beach, we dined there. The food was fabulous at a price point that was so low it almost made us uncomfortable. This past visit, we noticed that something had changed along that stretch of Middle Street. Whatever it was, it was not obvious. Even though we were welcomed back with literally opened arms at Pupusaria Salvadore�o, I could tell there was tension in the air. There seemed to be a flash of aggression in the eyes of the formerly cheerful dueling pupusa makers. They stared over their flat tops in silence at each other like the gunfighters at the OK Corral waiting for someone to make a move. Nothing was overt, but a certain passive-aggressiveness could be sensed. We did not realize what was going on. Both restaurants had always seemed symbiotic in the past in drawing Salvadoran food enthusiasts to their stretch of Middle Street. We returned to our condo puzzled.

A Day of Sailing??? “I Do!”
So, when our friends David and Linda (the owners of Coral Tours, aka Catamaran Belize) invited us to take part in a day of sailing for David's last day before leaving the island, we quickly replied with a great big "YES"! You see, David and Linda would soon be getting married in Colombia - David's home - and this would be his last day with us in San Pedro for approximately 5 weeks. Linda wouldn't be heading out for a few more days, although, it was also her last day to fully enjoy their time together in San Pedro before reuniting with him in Colombia. Our journey started dockside at 11:00 am with all of us anticipating the day's festivities and what was in store. With David and Linda, you know it will be exciting and anything but dull! The voyage began and we were slowly advancing north of San Pedro Town to Mexico Rocks. There will be snorkeling in our near futures! I can feel it! As we lounge on the comfy cushions on the bow of the boat, the rum punches and beers are being served by the attentive crew with quick haste! We could get used to this!

International Sources

How Belize celebrated its Independence day
Although a tourist off-season, September is a great time to be in Belize when they celebrate their Independence Day with absolute fervor and zeal. A British Crown Colony since 1862, Belize was declared an independent nation from on September 21, 1981. On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, John Kerry, Secretary of State congratulated the people of Belize as they celebrated the 34th anniversary of independence this year. In early Belize history, the country was under Spanish rule, but Spain did not actually control the area due to a belief that it did not have sufficient resources to gain the country's full attention. However, the Independence Day celebrations are certainly testament to the Belizeans' love of a good party, with flags proudly flying, vibrant parades, lively dancing, and a multitude of food stalls serving up delicious local foods.

Belize taps local lawyer as its ambassador to Austria
US developer, has Grand Baymen on Ambergris. Fron Pittsburgh. But he must love those Sacher torts.... The Belize Foreign Ministry has appointed a Sewickley-based lawyer and developer as its official ambassador to the Republic of Austria, as well as permanent representative to its United Nations offices in Vienna. Joel Nagel, of the firm Nagel & Associates, was formally appointed in a ceremony at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna earlier in September, where he was received by Austrian President Heinz Fischer. Nagel expects to focus on his activities in Vienna on trade investment, development assistance and culture and tourism promotion of Belize. Nagel & Associates launched in 1992 and focuses on international commercial transactions and immigration. Nagel is also co-founder of ECI Development Ltd., a beachfront resort developer with properties in Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama.

International exchange: Jacksonville partnership model expands to Belize
Some techniques used to prepare education majors for life in Duval County Public Schools will soon cross international borders. A $90,000 grant awarded to professors at University of North Florida's College of Education and Human Services will allow it to expand its long-standing university-school partnership program into Belize in Central America. A delegation of six teachers and administrators from the country visited Woodland Acres Elementary, one of the four Duval schools involved in the program, titled the Urban Professional Development School. In the classrooms of the poor, low-performing elementary school, teams of UNF education students work in small groups and one on one with students on the areas they struggle with most. "These are schools that have high needs," said UNF's John Kemppainen, who heads the initiative. "For instance, this school has a very high transient population with students who come in and out, but the kids still need an education. It's working with the kids where they're at."

IRS Targets Secret Offshore Bank Accounts
US taxpayers with secret bank accounts in Belize are about to feel the full force of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). A federal court in Miami has issued summonses against Belize Bank International and Belize Bank aiming to identify accounts controlled by US taxpayers from 2006 until 2014. Belize banks are subject to the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) from 2015, but the US tax authorities want to uncover accounts where they believed millions of undeclared dollars were stashed away in secret during the previous decade. In the lead up to FATCA, one Belize Bank lost correspondent status with the Bank of America, although this is now restored and another bank closed. The closed bank suffered from allegations of laundering cash used to buy counterfeit goods such as alcohol, cigarettes, designer clothing and jewellery.

McCaulay brace powers Verdes FC past San Francisco
Deon McCaulay scored both goals to power Verdes FC (1W-1D-1L, 4 points, -7 GD) to a 2-1 win over San Francisco (1W-0D-2L, 3 points) in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League on Tuesday night at FFB Stadium. The result eliminated the Panamanian visitor from Group C contention, but revitalized Verdes' very slim hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals. In order to overcome first-place Queretaro (2W-1D-1L, 7 points, +9GD), the Belizean power must close out group play with an 17-goal win at San Francisco on October 22. Things appeared to be going the Monjes' way, when Daniel Moran gave them a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute with a curling right-footed effort from the upper-left edge of the 18-yard box. Five minutes later, though, the Central American rivals were on level terms. A right-sided cross by Yoras Silva found McCaulay unmarked 10 yards from the net. The Belize international did well to direct his header past outstretched goalkeeper Alex Rodriguez and inside the left post. It was Verdes' first-ever SCCL goal after being shutout in its previous four matches, all losses. In the 39th minute, Verdes was awarded a penalty, when Jesus Pati�o was taken down from behind in the box by Erick Rodriguez. McCaulay missed an opportunity to get on the scoresheet again, firing the subsequent kick from the spot off the crossbar.

Flats wading shoes: how to choose
Arriving in Mexico's Yucatan on my first ever tropical saltwater fly fishing trip, I was loaded with newly minted gear. Lightweight, sun-protective wading shirts, quick-dry pants with zip off legs, buffs, gloves, flats boots and a host of other gear that I'd just ripped the tags off before packing. Even though my getup clearly hadn't seen any time on the water, I must have chosen relatively wisely, given the lack of stares and giggles our first morning as I hopped into our Palometa Club panga which headed off across Ascension Bay in search of a welcoming permit flat. Having learned my lesson in Mexico, I stashed my Simms Flats Sneakers and tossed a pair of flats booties into my bag the morning before I headed out on my next flats trip - this time to Belize's Turneffe Atoll. We arrived at the dock on our first morning and after introductions were advised to ditch our flip flops and put on our wading boots even before our skiff had left its slip. Feeling more seasoned in my gear selection, I confidently pulled my booties from my bag only to be greeted with Fabian's same puzzled inquiry, this time from my Belizean guide Daniel. "Those the only shoes you brought?" Daniel asked. Dejected and confused, I informed him that they were. Daniel suggested that we head back up to the small fly shop at the Turneffe Flats lodge and grab me a pair of loaners but I decided to soldier on with my choice of the booties.

Mt. Pleasant Township native studies in Central, South America
Mt. Pleasant Township native Ashley Funk recently expanded her horizons far into the Earth's Southern Hemisphere. A senior enrolled at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass., Funk was one of 50 American college students to earn a Greater Research Opportunities Fellowship for undergraduate environmental study from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The two-year fellowship program provides up to $50,000 to recipients to finance travel to conferences and academic expenses, money Funk used earlier this year to study in the Central American countries of Costa Rica and Belize, along with the Republic of Peru in western South America.

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