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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

Guatemalan Armed Forces Attempts to Block Belizean Vessel
The Government of Belize has received an initial report that a Belizean vessel with two media personnel was traversing the Sarstoon River this morning when they were approached by a Guatemalan Armed Forces (GAF) vessel, with nine (9) GAF persons on board. The GAF personnel attempted to stop the Belizean vessel, which, reportedly, was traveling along the north side of the Sarstoon Island. The Belizean vessel was able to speed away back to Punta Gorda. GOB is investigating this incident in an effort to verify all its particulars including that the media vessel was in Belize's waters. In the meantime, Guatemalan authorities have communicated that they attempted to stop the vessel to inquire as to the reason for the taking of pictures of their naval base.

BTB launches "Central America is Yours, Enjoy it" Digital Campaign
Technology has inspired the Belize Tourism Board (BTB), along with the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) to launch a new digital campaign "Central America is Yours, Enjoy It" on Thursday, June 8th. The campaign seeks to motivate half a million Central Americans from Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua to vacation in the region. Last year, tourism in Central America increased by 6.9%, earning roughly 17 billion US dollars. Executive Director at BTIA, John Burgos, said that Belize's tourism revenues could definitely benefit from this program. "The campaign will be focusing on promoting interregional tourism, whereby Belizeans will be encouraged to travel to Central America, and vice versa." The digital campaign will use social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to encourage internet users to promote tourism within Central America. According to the Central American Tourism Integration System (SITCA), 40% of tourists that travel within Central America are Central American. Nielsen Online (June 2015), states that on average, 31% engage using the internet.

2016 PSE Results are in; SPRCS tops the island
After two days of intense examinations, students in San Pedro were eager to find out their Primary School Examination (PSE) scores. On Friday, June 10th, results were revealed and once again, the San Pedro Roman Catholic Primary School (SPRCS) tops the list. San Pedro's top scorers are Rachel Alamilla, scored 94.3%, who placed 22nd overall in the country and Catherine Canul and Alyssa Martin who received the same score of 90.5%, while Stephanie Usher had a score of 87.8%. Kenly Young from St. Andrews Anglican School and Angelina Urbina from La Imaculada Roman Catholic School had the top scores in Belize with 391 points out of 400. This year, a total of 7,235 Standard Six students sat for the PSE countrywide. Tests were administrated in the four major subjects of Mathematics, English, Science, and Social Studies.

Where have all the TV channels gone?
On Thursday, June 9th, CCV informed their subscribers via text about the situation. "CCV is experiencing technical difficulties causing the loss of channels. We are working to re-instate them. We apologize for the inconvenience caused." "I'm trying to decide if I should pay $22 instead of $44. It's going on the second week that channels have been gone. If you order rice and beans with stew chicken to-go, and when you open your food, you only see rice and beans without the chicken, what would you think? I am not getting the answer I want from CCV," said the resident. Other theories have surfaced, including one from an anonymous consumer who alluded to copyright infringement, and piracy as the cause of the missing channels. However, those claims are not confirmed.

Large vessel runs into reef in front of Ambergris Caye
The American registered vessel was captained by 66-year-old Roger Day, who was heading to the United States of America from Guatemala. When approaching Ambergris Caye, the vessel's engine began giving trouble and the vessel started taking in water. Day then decided to head to shore, but with no knowledge of the waters near the island and his navigational equipment not adjusted to recognize the channels of the reef, he ended up grounding on the reef itself. Day then sent out a SOS call, which was answered by personnel from Amigos Del Mar, Tour Operator who brought him to shore. The corresponding authorities have been notified about the incident, primarily the Belize Port Authority (BPA), Belize Coast Guard, Department of Environment, and Hol Chan Marine Reserve. According to officials, the strong smell of fuel around the boat indicates that some gas may have leaked into the sea, which will add to the increasing damage to the reef. Also, during the investigations, the Belize Coast Guard apprehended four male individuals who were caught stealing inside the vessel while they were also attempting to make way with the engine. The culprits were immediately detained and handed over to the San Pedro Police Formation where they await charges.

Island honors Class of 2016 secondary graduates
The weekend of Saturday, June 11th and Sunday, June 12th was a celebration of two secondary institutions' graduation ceremonies on La Isla Bonita. The San Pedro High School held its 45th Graduation Commencement Exercise on Saturday, June 11th at the Angel Nu�ez Auditorium starting at 5PM when 96 students marched in to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance. Tanairi Arana and Jonathan Andino were the Mistress and Master of Ceremonies. After the graduates sang their school song, Elladira Garcia delivered the salutatory address. Principal Emil Vasquez and Chairman Aljemiro Paz Jr. distributed diplomas to the Class of 2016, after which outstanding students were awarded. Jonathan Andino was voted Senior of the Year, Louis Valdez won Best Athlete, and Bruce Garbutt was awarded Student of the Year.

ACES Special Needs Classroom burglarized
Over the weekend of Saturday, June 11th and Sunday, June 12th, the Ambergris Caye Elementary School (ACES) was burglarized. ACES officials observed that the Special Education classroom was the only class that was broken into, and items were stolen from their supply closet. A black Dell 17 inch Inspiron laptop, along with its manufacturer charger, and a black HP Mini 1104 9 inch laptop was taken, totaling over $700 US in losses. ACES contacted the San Pedro Police Department, and three police officers visited scene. At this time, the investigation is still ongoing. Special Educator Sarah Jean Freudenberg is devastated that her classroom was burglarized. "I was very saddened to find that our classroom had been broken into when I arrived to school Monday morning. It looks as though someone broke in through the handicap bathroom window, then broke into the supply closet in the classroom. Other items of value were not removed from the classroom, and no other classrooms were tampered with," said Freudenberg.

Students from New Horizon receive GREAT certificates
As part of the Community Policing initiative, Police Constable (PC) Juan Choc has been active in schools across San Pedro in effort to introduce students to the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) Program. On Wednesday, June 8th, PC Choc, Deputy of the Coastal Executive Unit Henry Jemmott, and Councilor Ruben Gonzalez visited Yurelie Casanova's Standard Four class at the New Horizon Seventh-day Adventist School. A total of 21 students were awarded with certificates for successfully completing the program. The GREAT program began country-wide in 2010, and PC Choc traveled to San Salvador, El Salvador for a two-week training that integrates the program into the school's curriculum. Over the course of 13 lessons each week, children are educated on the consequences of gang violence and the benefits of developing positive relationships with law enforcement. They also learn how to refuse peer pressure, get help in communicating their problems and make concrete resolutions.

Ambergris Today

Michelle Nu�ez to Represent Belize at Miss America Latina del Mundo
Mr. Michael Arnold, National Director for Miss America Latina Del Mundo Belize 2016 hereby introduces Miss Michelle Estrella Nunez of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, who is the designated Contestant to represent Belize at this prestigious event. Presently, the Crown is held by Miss Karla Monje representing the United States of America. Miss Michelle Nunez is a graduate of St. John's College in Belize City with an Associate Degree in General Studies. She is also the title holder of Miss San Pedro (2014-2015). Miss Nunez earned a Leadership Award in 2015 as the Top Agent for San Pedro Branch. This is an Award of Excellence from the Insurance Corporation of Belize (ICB). Miss Nunez speaks fluently English and Spanish. She also enjoys cooking and dancing. She is a member and Secretary for the Rotaract Club of San Pedro. Miss Nunez is also the Founder and Director of SHINE Girls Club, a youth enrichment program designed for young girls to succeed in life. The SHINE Girls Club was launched in January 2015.

Solani Graniel Heads to Miss Caribbean Roots Pageant
Solani Graniel, of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, will be representing Belize at the Miss Caribbean Roots pageant which will be held from June 21 - 26, 2016 during the 43rd annual Folkloric, Sports and Culture Festival of the Providencia and Santa Catalina Islands in Colombia. "Well I set off to my first international pageant and what can I say, it has definitely been a roller coaster getting everything prepared and I want to thank everyone who has helped me and especially sponsored me!" stated Solani on her Facebook profile. "I take off to represent the most beautiful country in my eyes Belize. I'm super excited to see what awaits me and I hope to make Belize proud. I'll do my best to post pics on FB! Colombia get ready Belize is coming! Solani was crowned Miss San Pedro back in 2013 and currently holds the title of Miss San Pedro Lions Queen 2016-2017. She departs for Colombia today, Friday, June 17; let's all wish her luck.

Fishermen Arrested for Out of Season Lobster
While everyone else was following the law and enjoying their first day of Lobster fishing on the opening of the season, on Tuesday, June 14, 2016, the Conservation Compliance Unit - Punta Gorda branch of the Belize Fisheries Department arrested two fishermen for the possession of lobster tail out of season. The detainees were Lucito Armando Sosa, 52 years, and Elizardo Tut, 42 years, both of Independence Village, Stann Creek District. Based on information obtained, the Fisheries Officer, Mr. Victor Vasquez and his team searched the Coco Solo Caye, located directly East of Punta Negra Village on the southern barrier reef. After a thorough search of the island, the Fisheries personnel found one white ice cooler buried in the sand with 204 out of season spiny lobster tail.

Thirty-nine Foot Vessel Runs Into Reef Outside Ambergris Caye
The strong stench of diesel fuel fills the air as you approach the 39-foot Mainship Trawler that has run around into the coral reef just in front of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize. Damages to the vessel and the reef are significant but not fully known as investigations continue after the early evening shipwreck. Amigos del Mar personnel tell Ambergris Today that they responded to the distress call of Captain Roger Day, 66, who was the only person aboard the vessel 'Connie Sue' at about 7p.m. on Wednesday, June 15. He was brought ashore after which all the proper authorities were notified, including the Belize Coast Guard, Belize Port Authority, Department of Environment and Hol Chan Marine Reserve. A statement made by Day to the Port Authority indicates that the American registered vessel was enroute from Guatemala to the United States when it started to take in water in the area in front of San Pedro Town. Day was forced to immediately head to shore but his navigational equipment failed to direct him through the channel on the reef; he missed it by far and struck the reef.

Misc Belizean Sourcesmzz

BELIZE FISHING REPORT: Weeks of June 5th - June 11th, 2016
A very quiet week here at the lodge meant the anglers had the water to themselves. Orvis' Bonefish Bonanza went off without a hitch with lots more than bonefish being caught. Russ got the first tarpon of the week and jumped 4 more that same day, John bested him with 1 to the hand and 6 in the air! Cody had a huge 100 pound plus fish right up to the boat that was pretty well whipped before it flipped off leaving everyone asking "did you touch the leader?" More fish were jumped and many more were cast to with results ranging from total spook, total ignore to a long follow without a bite.

"Chiquibul" the jaguar cub, The Belize Zoo
TBZ has some exciting news to share! We are pleased to introduce our latest and littlest member of the Zoo family, "Chiquibul" the jaguar cub. She was rescued from drowning by our amazing colleagues at Friends for Conservation and Development - FCD Belize in the Chiquibul Forest. The young cub was in need of urgent medical attention, and was quickly transferred the Belize Wildlife & Referral Clinic. The wonderful BWRC team provided little "Chiqui" with exceptional medical care, and lots of love, as she made a strong recovery. Now at her new home at TBZ, Chiquibul is gradually losing her shy character and becoming playful and affectionate towards her caregivers.

"The Alba"
The San Pedro House of Culture invites everyone to join us for "The Alba" (the first light before sunrise), starting at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, June 20th at the Catholic Church to enjoy a typical fisherman's breakfast. Be part of our Dia de San Pedro Celebrations and help us keep our traditions alive.

Recently consolidated site of Benque Viejo
While visiting the site of Xunantunich in San Jose Succotz, you can also go over to the town of Benque Viejo del Carmen and see the recently consolidated site of Benque Viejo. It offers beatiful views of the surrounding town and offers a glimpse into the past of the country of Belize and the ancient Maya.

Bishop Martin Primary School visits Xunantunich
About 45 kids and accompanied by parents and teachers from the Bishop Martin Primary School visited the site of Xunantunich. They learned about the history of Ancient Maya and the wildlife surrounding the site from Jorge de Leon and Bernane.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY: OAS - KDI School of Pubic Policy and Management, South Korea
The Organization of American States (OAS), through the Department of Human Development, Education and Employment (DHDEE) and KDI School of Public Policy and Management, through the OAS Partnerships Program for Education and Training (PAEC), are offering scholarships to qualified candidates of the Americas to participate in Master programs.

Guatemalan Armed Forces Attempts to Block Belizean Vessel
The Government of Belize has received an initial report that a Belizean vessel with two media personnel was traversing the Sarstoon River this morning when they were approached by a Guatemalan Armed Forces (GAF) vessel, with nine (9) GAF persons on board. The GAF personnel attempted to stop the Belizean vessel, which, reportedly, was traveling along the north side of the Sarstoon Island. The Belizean vessel was able to speed away back to Punta Gorda. GOB is investigating this incident in an effort to verify all its particulars including that the media vessel was in Belize's waters. In the meantime, Guatemalan authorities have communicated that they attempted to stop the vessel to inquire as to the reason for the taking of pictures of their naval base.

Summer Program for Youth in Corozal
The Department of Youth Services in Corozal District invites all youth to be a part of the summer program that they have prepared for young people. Lots of Learning and Lots of Fun!! Join us!! for more info contact us at 402 0440 or [email protected]" - See schedule of events!

Corozal: HUGE FATHER'S DAY SALE on June 17 and 18 at Quality Poultry Products
Corner of 4th Avenue and 3rd Street South - "Dis Da Fi Wi Chikin" - Regular and Whole Chicken only $1.95 per pound.

Belize Hotel Association (BHA) Annual General Meeting
The Belize Hotel Association (BHA) Annual General Meeting will be held on June 30, 2016. Come listen to our dynamic speaker Mr. Frank Comito, CEO of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. Election of officers! Grand Raffles and Chinese Auction in support of our scholarship fund. All are invited! Kindly RSVP your attendance. We look forward to seeing you there!

Fajina is a Maya word that means communal labor
Members of a community give their time for the good of the community to make sure that everyone can benefit from working together. Our Fajina is a community outreach organization run by archaeologists who feel a great responsibility to give back and support the communities in which they work. Three archaeologists, Leah McCurdy, Rebecca Freidel and Sylvia Batty have written an archaeologically accurate trilingual children's book that follows Little Moon and her journey to the great Clay Mountain (ancient Xunantunich). The books are being distributed to students from 5 schools in the historically Yucatec Maya villages of San Antonio, Succotz and Calla Creek in the Cayo district.

Channel 7

Street Justice Is Swift And Ruthless For Man Killed At Funeral
Gun violence in the city reached to a new low this afternoon when a man was killed at a funeral! It happened on Vernon Street just after 3:00, when Elroy Perdomo Jr., better known as "Chin", was in a funeral procession. He stepped out of the procession to stop at nearby shop. That gave his killers the right opportunity to ambush and shoot him 16 times. Daniel Ortiz reports: About an hour ago, we found the family of Elroy "Chin" Perdomo Jr., outside the emergency room of the KHMH. They had only just gotten the news that he was dead, his body riddled by 16 gunshots. He was gunned down here on Vernon Street, and according to witnesses the two gunmen ambushed him just after he had stopped at this shop to buy some snacks. We're told that he had been attending the funeral services for Pablo Roberto Sanchez Sr., and he was traveling along with the funeral procession as it headed toward the burial grounds. Police say that the shooters pulled up in a car, and one of them emptied a full clip on him. After the spray of gunfire, the shooter sped off.

Cops Say Victim Should Have Stayed Home
So, while the investigators on the scene weren't ready to call Perdomo's murder street justice, Eastern Division South Commander Chester Williams wasn't so shy. He's been on Facebook for the past two days asking eyewitnesses to come forward with information about the main suspect in Marlon Bonner's murder, Elroy Perdomo. And now, Perdomo is dead - hours after police released him. Williams said that Perdomo should have stayed home to avoid street justice: ACP Chester Williams - OC, Eastern Division South: "I must say it's a sad state of affair to see what we have come to and yes Mr. Perdomo was in custody in respect to the murder of Mr. Bonner which took place on Sunday. As I have said on my Facebook page, there were several persons out there who said that they saw him do the shooting. According to those persons who were out there, he had nothing on his face so everyone was sure that it was him. While many of the witnesses spoke to us and gave us full detail as to what took place, none of them were willing to give us a statement, because of that we had to release him at 11 this morning because his 48 hours period was up and he was released from custody."

Sayonara Mr. Monima!
Audibaldo Monima has been at the center of a raging controversy for a week now. The newly hired northern region health manager has been exposed by the media as thoroughly unqualified for the job. Well, the news tonight is that Monima has resigned, or more accurately, he was forced to resign. This morning, the CEO in the Ministry of Health, Ramon Figueroa told us that Monima was given the option to resign or be terminated, and he chose to resign. He said the ministry made the decision after a full review of Monima's qualifications where it was agreed that he does not meet the requirements for the job. Seems they were last to get the memo on what was public knowledge a week ago. Today the CEO apologized for the wrong information he gave us when he said that Monima had a master's degree in naval command - he now says that's just what he had been told. When he saw the news which said that he only had a certificate from the Mexican Navy Juniour Staff College, Figueroa said he checked Monima's file and learned of his error. Monima has resigned but under the terms of his contract, he has to give three months notice, so the Ministry can now either to choose to send him home and pay him for those three months, or keep him around for three months and find something for him to do.

Guats Goad Press On Sarstoon
For the past two days, we've been reporting on the leaked diplomatic note from the Guatemalan Government which refutes the Belize Government's assertion that they agreed to allow Belizeans to freely travel the Sarstoon. As you've been seeing since the Istanbul Bilateral talks concluded a month ago, Prime Minister Dean Barrrow, Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington, and even PUP Representative Eamon Courtenay all told 7News that the Guatemalans did in fact enter informal agreement for "untrammeled access" to the Sarstoon by Belizeans. A few days later, Channel 5 and KREM went to test this agreement for "untrammeled access", and they exposed that the Guatemalan military was still blockading Belizean vessels from traveling freely through the River. A week later, the PUP went on their own familiarization trip, and they encountered no such harassment, which the Foreign Minister confidently asserted as proof that though the Guatemalans simply hadn't relayed the arrangement down the chain of command during the media trip, but had since done so.

Killer Canuck On the Lam?
Police in San Pedro are now playing catch up in the Melvin Almendarez murder investigation. That's because the main suspect Canadian National Jordan Bacchus can't be found. In May when Almendarez was murdered, Bacchus was detained as the prime person of interest since he was the last person seen with Almendarez before he was found dead on a feeder road in Southern San Pedro. At the time, Bacchus was charged for possession of controlled drugs but was granted bail and released shortly after. A month has passed, and now police are turning to the public for assistance because Bacchus, now officially wanted by police for the murder of 31 year old Melvin Almendarez, is at large. The San Pedro Sun reports that there was overwhelming evidence against Bacchus: we are talking about a bloody clothes at his residence, blood at the bottom of his golf cart, hair specimens from the victim on his belongings, and a positive test result for gun powder on his hands�seems like the only thing left was the smoking gun! But just why wasn't held by police pending further investigations? Well, it seems there was no objection to bail after he was charged for possession of controlled drugs. It's the common practice in the court room where the prosecutor would object to bail pending the investigation of another more serious offense.

US Vessel Rakes Reef
Last night at around 7 o'clock, A 40-foot Vessel ran aground on the Barrier Reef just in front of the eastern side of San Pedro Town, right in plain view of persons who were on the beachfront of island town. The vessel, seen here in a photo form the San Pedro Sun, is named "Connie Sue", and is registered in Florida, and according to reports, her captain, 66 year-old Roger Day, , was heading to the United States from Guatemala. While the vessel was approaching Ambergris Caye, it allegedly started to have engine problems, and took on water. The captain then sent out a distress call which was answered by the employees of Amigos Del Mar, which was nearby. By that time, the vessel ran aground on the reef, and there is evidence of significant damage. Personnel from Coast Guard told us that they and the Belize Port Authority were immediately informed, and they dispatched a team to investigate. The Sun reports that the investigators suspect that some of the engine's fuel may have leaked into the sea, which compounds the damage.

IDB And The City
The Yabra Area Renovators are back in Belize for the second phase of project planning. As we told you in February, a team from the IDB's American Planning Association came to do an evaluation and inspection of the area and also to connect with the community. The vision behind this project is to revitalize Yabra and restore its historical value and beauty. Well today at City Hall, Mayor Darrell Bradley and the planning team gave us a more comprehensive overview of that project. Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor: "City Council is working on a series of activities in partnership again with the Inter-American Development Bank and the American Planning Association to really emphasize the sustainable development goals. One of the real points of the sustainable development goals is to make cities more livable. We've spoken a lot about the idea of urban planning, there have been a lot of interest in terms of zoning and capacity building. One of the things that we recognize is that the City council is very limited in terms of its capacity, hence the partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank and the American Planning Association, so that we have a group of planners from the APA who are in country. This is not the first time that they are in the country and focusing on particularly on an intervention in the Yabra area."

The Belize City Brand Is Not Violence
But apart from the Land Use Plan, the team is also developing a brand that will represent what Belize City has to offer. Today at the press conference both the Mayor and the City Council's Director of Finance showed us the draft city brand and explained how it will enhance civic pride and boost tourism. Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor: "We also have a team of individuals who are developing a city brand for Belize City and this is something again, that's build up from some of the work that has been done by the Belize Tourism Board and other entities who have worked on city branding. They have released to us a preliminary brand for the city and you will notice in relation to some of the ideas they have come up with, some of the colour choices, it is reflective of our history, our culture and what we have to offer as Belize City. The icon and the imagery is something that we wanted to define or be a statement about Belize City itself and the idea is that we would want to build a whole degree of pride around the brand."

City Can't Afford To Zone
Now with all these big plans, can the City Council afford it? Although the council has secured finances from the government and has support from the IDB through a grant, the council's finances can't carry the cost - that's because most of what the city earns is spent on sanitation, not on city planning or development. Director of Finance Marilyn Ordonez gave us the financial outline. Marilyn Ordonez, Director of Finance: "What the city has done was to secure its funding from the government and have that bond secured with funding that is earmarked and secured. That bond is then managed by the Central Bank so that the residents don't have to worry about that. Bond holders know that their funds are secured. When we look at the financials, what was very striking was that the huge cost that we have is reflected in payroll and sanitation. When we look at the financials, the sanitation costs exceeds payroll, so that's telling us that when we collect our property tax or trade license and all our revenue we are working to deal with garbage. Our cost, revenue, is going to garbage and is that what we want as a city? We need to perhaps revisit that because it means that something is wrong."

Dredging, Sometime Soon
Funding from Government for the dredging in the Belize Harbour has been approved and works are to start very soon. As you heard yesterday, Minister of Tourism Manuel Heredia and State Minister in Investment Tracey Panton both said that GOB is committed to assisting financially with this major siltation problem, one that has been plaguing the harbor since late last year. Today Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley told us that it's definitely a go and that these works fall somewhat under one aspect of the Flood Mitigation Project. Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor: "I think the Minister of Tourism, if I'm not mistaken, and Minister Tracy Panton had indicated in relationship to the government's contribution, I think a lot of it has to do with, and I mentioned this before in terms of just finding the finances, that's an amount of money that various government entities don't necessarily have in their budget. I think one of the points that I would want to emphasize is that this is the reason why, in terms of the flood mitigation project, there's a tremendous amount of emphasis on sustainability and maintenance. We are focusing now in the flood mitigation project, part of it is a study of the river maintenance. In terms of insuring that there's a regular budgeted amount for the maintenance of assets that have been emerged. I'm very sad that this is only now coming unfolding because that has been a problem for some time but my understanding is that the Ministry of Finance has already approved the money. There was a dredge out there for 2 days so we are understanding that the project will start very shortly."

Nurses For The Big Test
A panel of educators with different backgrounds in nursing gathered today at the Biltmore Plaza for a two day workshop. Their task is to come up with a list of questions which will be submitted to the CXC office in Barbados to design a nurse's entry exam using questions submitted from all CARICOM member countries. Now, nurses can already enroll in a Bachelor's level program at UB, but the idea is to have them sit a regional entrance exam facilitated by the Nurses Council in each country. Today's event was that first stage towards designing this year's exam. The Caribbean Examination Council has been managing the regional nurses' exam for the two years.

BELTRAIDE Cares For UB
Today Beltraide handed over a set of keys to the University of Belize for a brand new security and maintenance facility at the UB Faculty's Campus in Belize City. This is a much smaller structure than the one which will be housing the the Belize Enterprise and Innovation Institute, a Beltraide initiative to foster innovative business ideas in the country. Last year Beltraide and UB broke ground to mark the start of construction for this facility. But when the plan was being laid out, the contractors realized that the existing security maintenance facility was in the way. So to compensate Beltraide promised to construct a new building for this purpose. Today that promise was kept. We caught up with the stakeholders this morning as the keys were handed over and also got to speak to them about the construction of the larger facility in the pipeline. Alan Slusher, President - UB: "We are very happy for these new facilities. We are very happy that BELTRAIDE has it fit to construct a building on our premises and it was our good fortune that our facilities building was in the way, because we had been looking at it and recognizing that the space that we had in the facilities that we had for our staff weren't really up to par. But obviously the institution is cash strapped and we didn't have any resources to fix it. So we are very thankful that our minister for BELTRAIDE need or desire to build a building at a particular spot, which meant that we would get new and nice facilities. Part of the arrangements and BELTRAIDE can describe it much better than I can - they are creating and enterprise and innovation center which will also utilize our staff and our students as part of the process in building entrepreneurial and business capacity for Belize."

Sovereign For September
The theme for this year's September Celebrations has been set, and it has a lot to do with what you hear about on the news almost every night - and we don't mean crime! We mean the Sarstoon river - and what it represents, which is Belizean sovereignty. In line with that, this year's theme is "Sovereign and Strong - Together as one!" Today, our colleagues at CTV-3 in Orange Walk spoke to the teacher and counselor who came up with it. She is Argelia Mendoza Ken, and she explained why she chose this theme:.. "Our country has been facing a lot of difficult times where our sovereignty and our status as Belizeans has been challenged. However, these challenges have only made us see a different face of Belize where we have united as Belizeans to defend and protect our patrimony, regardless of race, of culture, of religion. So beside all the bad stuff that has been happening, it had made us bring out the best in us and what better time to celebrate our accomplishments than during our patriotic holidays."

Municipal Airstrip, Finally
The date is finally set for the formal opening of the Belize municipal airstrip. In 2012 government broke ground for the expansion of the runway, and nearly four years later it seems that the long wait is finally over because according to the Minister of Tourism Hon. Manuel Heredia, works are expected to be completed by August. Hon. Manuel Heredia - Minister of Tourism: "Well let me say that the project was a very ambitious project, but everything will come in play. There were supposed to be finalized by no later than August, but according to the contractor, probably because if the weather have been so good to us, probably we will have it completed by the ending of July and hopefully we can inaugurate it early in August. Probably we might start using the runway before the inauguration. But if you look around, the apron which we are using as the airstrip now will also be hot mix. The parking area that you see on the other side, also that will be able to accommodate over 100 vehicles. That will be hot mix also and well fenced with security, nice lights and so forth. We are hoping that it will be a masterpiece when completed. I believe it is smaller than the International Airport, but I think it will be more modern."

The Other Way Of Raising Cane
When we think of the cane industry, you probably think of all those cane cutters and their machetes. It's backbreaking manual labour cutting down hundreds of acres cane and then loading all that unto trucks. And while that labour is the hallmark of the industry, there is a simpler way: mechanized harvesting. Now, it's not a popular idea, but the Sugar Industry Research & Development Institute along with the Depratment of Environment are encouraging farmers to adopt it. They say it is more cost efficient, and it also means the fields won't have to be burned, thereby saving the environment form pollutants. They held a demonstration today in Buena Vista Village and our colleagues ta CTV-3 were there to hear about this different approach:.. Three days of demonstrations are being held

Bold Briheda Challenges Sexual Stereotypes
Artist Bridheda Haylock is always challenging notions of conformity - and now she's taking on the prickly subject of sexuality. Sure, we may live in an oversexed society, but Briheda says the sexual roles assigned to women are oppressive. Her show boldly challenges those traditionalist notions. She told us about it today:... Haylock says she identifies as gender fluid. After this show she heads to Indonesia on an art exchange.

Channel 5

GAF Stops News Five from Traversing Our Side of the Sarstoon
Can Belizeans go into the Sarstoon - at least on our side of the river? That's been the million dollar question since our news team was stopped on May twenty-seventh. [...]

G.O.B. Investigates Incident on Sarstoon
Late this evening, the Government issued a release about this morning's incident in the Sarstoon. It reads in part: "G.O.B. is investigating this incident in an effort to verify all [...]

Mixed Interpretations on Agreement in the Sarstoon Following Istanbul Talks
As we've shown you, our news team traveled south to the Sarstoon River where they were turned back by the Guatemalan Armed Forces.� While that was taking place this morning, [...]

Is Guatemala Taking the Ongoing Bilateral Discussions Seriously?
Is Guatemala taking the ongoing bilateral discussions seriously?� It is a question that we've put to Foreign Minister Elrington in light of the recent happenings at the Sarstoon.� On May [...]

Prime Suspect in Marlon Bonner's Murder is Executed on Vernon Street
Today, there was further violence in the south side of Belize City. Elroy Perdomo Junior was executed on Vernon Street as he attended a funeral. Perdomo Junior was held for [...]

Amidst Controversy, Audibaldo Monima Resigns as North Region Health Manager
Last week Wednesday, News Five broke the story of the appointment of Audibaldo Monima Junior as Regional Health Manager for the north. The backlash over that appointment was fast and [...]

Keyren Tzib to Stand Trial for Attempted Murder of Coastguard Officer
Coastguard officer, Keyren Tzib has been back and forth at court for two cases; the manslaughter of her boyfriend for which she is out on bail. The other case against [...]

U.S. and Mexico Offer to Assist Guatemala with Investigation into Death of Minor in Chiquibul
Now back to the issue of the Guatemalan claim. Foreign Ministers Wilfred Elrington and Carlos Raul Morales are heading to Washington early next week where they hope to establish a [...]

It's Official: Belize's Referendum Act to be Amended
With all the talk on either side about resolving the territorial dispute at the International Court of Justice, government intends to amend the existing Referendum Act to lower the threshold [...]

US Vessel Traveling From Guatemala Runs Aground on Reef in San Pedro
It's been one year since a Guatemalan gunboat ran aground in Belize's littoral waters near Glovers Reef; it was reportedly navigating international waters en route to Mexico, when it drifted [...]

City Planners Come Up with a Plan to Spruce Up the Yarborough
A team of urban designers, at the invitation of the Belize City Council, is back in the Old Capital where a project to rehabilitate the Yarborough community is set to [...]

American Planning Association Meets with Yarborough Residents
Team leader Justin Moore is an urban designer with the American Planning Association and his engagement with residents in Yarborough has been on an individual level.   Justin Moore, Urban [...]

Artist and Curator Briheda Haylock Launches Beautiful Tragedy
Belizean artist and curator Briheda Haylock is launching an exhibition at the Image Factory on Friday.� Beautiful Tragedy, as she dubs the photography display, addresses the issue of gender and [...]

Officers on San Pedro get Public Relations Training
In Belize City, police have been meeting and greeting with residents to establish better rapport as a way of curbing violence. While in San Pedro this morning, we found police [...]

Healthy Living: Healthier Skin for the Summer
Taking care of your skin, particularly in the summer months, is important. Exposure to the sun damages your skin extensively and you may not know that some routine practices are [...]

CTV3

Guatemalans Take Control Of The Sarstoon..Belizeans Confronted By GAF
Tonight all indications are that Guatemala is sticking to their word when they said that they never agreed to an unofficial agreement for Belizeans to have untrammeled access to the Sarstoon, during talks that took place last month in Istanbul. The reason we say this is because earlier today leader of the Belize Territorial Volunteers, Will Maheia and a crew from Channel Five News decided to test the waters at the Sarstoon to verify if Belizeans in fact have access to the river. So�.do we? No we don't. As the group made their way up the Sarstoon they were intercepted by Guatemalan Armed Forces who out rightly declared that the group was on Guatemalan waters. According to Will Maheia, the group made their way into the Sarstoon at about 6:30 this morning, with their main objective being to corroborate GOB's ratification that Belizeans are free to navigate the Sarstoon. Although the group made it past the Sarstoon Island, soon after they were approached by a Guatemalan boat consisting of 9 members of the Guatemalan Armed Forces who seemed particularly aggressive and keen at stopping them from navigating through the river even though they were clearly on the Northern Channel.

GOB To Investigate Recent Encounter At Sarstoon
So what does Government have to say about this latest breach of the so called Informal Agreement? In a release issued late this evening, GOB says that they are seeking to confirm the details of the Channel 5 version of events which as you know is that that a Belizean vessel with two media personnel was traversing the Sarstoon River this morning when they were approached by a Guatemalan Armed Force vessel, with nine military personnel on board who attempted to stop the Belizean vessel which was traveling along the north side of the Sarstoon Island. In the release GOB makes clear its firm position that if the report is accurate, meaning that if the investigations reveal that the media vessel was actually in Belize's waters, the incident would constitute a breach of the spirit of the Confidence Building Measures and will be rejected as prejudicial to the ongoing diplomatic efforts, including next week's meeting in Washington, to establish a bilateral Cooperation Mechanism for the Sarstoon.

Monima Gone..He Is Forced To Resign Following Public Pressure
CEO in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Ramon Figueroa, confirmed today the resignation of Belize's new regional Health Manager�former Coast Guard Audibaldo Monima, after having held the post for just over one month. According to Figueroa, the ministry made the decision after a full review of Monima's qualifications where it was agreed that he does not meet the requirements for the job. Information is that Monima chose to resign after being confronted with an option to be terminated or to leave voluntarily. This came after the mounting public outcry following his controversial appointment that raised indignation from several senior officials within the public health sector, who believed he was not qualified for the post. The contention of Monima's appointment came after senior officials within the Ministry of Health , who were reviewing Monima's file to determine his capability, felt that the former coast guard with an associate's degree in Business from the Corozal Junior College and a certificate from the Mexican Navy did not fit the criteria to hold the high ranking post which calls for a Master's Degree in Public health administration, Health systems management and a minimum of five years' experience in health administration, finance and human resource management, neither of which Monima possessed.

Department Of Environment Promotes Green Harvesting
In an effort to minimize the main sources of unintentional formation and release of dioxins and furans the Department of the Environment and the Belize Sugar Industry Research and Development Institute (SIRDI) today hosted one of three scheduled field days focused on green harvesting by using mechanical harvesting, and creating a seed bank of 10 acres with 4 to 5 varieties of sugar cane. These demonstrations will serve to encourage cane farmers to decrease burning of cane and to support a clean and healthy environment. According to Head of Project Evaluation for DEO, Jorge Franco, through the demonstrations the department seeks to reduce organic pollutants. "Our involvement in the project is sponsoring the activity which we will refer to as the Green Harvest Demonstration to cane farmers, this is an initiative under the Belize Chemicals and Waste Management project, this project has two major components. (1) is to dispose of the current inventory stock piles of persistent organic pollutants as well as to reduce the emissions from burning these are to reduce emissions dioxins and furans which we refer to as unintentional persistent organic pollutants from the burning of cane fields in the agriculture sector, what we did is to we entered in to an agreement with SIRDI to promote the reduction of burning so as to reduce the production of these unintentional persistent organic pollutants."

LOVE FM

The Persistent Mixed Messages on the Belize Guatemala Issue
For some time now the Guatemalan Armed Forces has laid claim on the entire Sarstoon River. Their adamant and aggressive behavior has brought pressure on the Belizean Government as its citizens have been unaccepting of the actions of the Guatemalan military and have been demanding that the Government reciprocate in aggression. The Barrow administration, however, [�]

Another Attempt by the Guats to Block Belizeans at the Sarstoon; MFA Responds
As we told you at the top of our news, the Guatemalan Armed Forces attempted to block our media colleague as he along with Wil Maheia made their way to the Sarstoon this morning. Just before five o'clock this evening the Government of Belize sent out a release on the incident stating, quote, "The Government [�]

Death at a Funeral in Belize City
Today Elroy Perdomo attended a funeral at the St. Martins De Porres church located on Vernon Street in Belize City. Little did he know that today would be his last day alive as he was shot multiple times. The incident occurred after the funeral as the procession carried on to the cemetery. Love News spoke [�]

Vessel Crashes on Reef Near Ambergris Caye
Several local agencies have been called in to deal with a situation where a 39-foot trawler ran into the coral reef near Ambergris Caye. One of the agencies called in was the Belize Coast Guard. Love News spoke with the Vice Commander of the BCG, Elton Bennett for information on the incident. ELTON BENNETT: "Sometime [�]

Monima Resigns as Northern Regional Health Manager
Audibaldo Monima is perhaps the shortest serving Northern Regional Health Manager in the history of Belize's public service as today he tendered his resignation. Monima was awarded the position in May with the approval from the Minister of Health, Pablo Marin. The appointment raised questions as to his qualifications for the position and with that [�]

Keyren Tzib to Stand Trial for Attempted Murder
Twenty-nine year old Keyren Tzib, a former member of Belize Coast Guard charged with attempted murder and dangerous harm, was committed today to stand trial in the Supreme Court at a preliminary inquiry in the court of the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith. Tzib is to appear in court on October 4. The charges are [�]

Re-Shaping the Yarborough Area of the Old Capital
The American Planning Association is back in Belize to work on their intervention for the Yaborough area in Belize City. The last time the group was in Belize was in February to start a survey plan in order to re-develop neighborhoods in Belize. The survey project is in collaboration with the Belize City Council and [�]

A Brand for Belize City
You may be familiar with the Belize logo that has been made popular by the Belize Tourism Board. Two life size multicolored colored signs have been built in the city which is a representation of the Country of Belize. Now, the city council has developed a plan to have a city brand. The brand would [�]

PlusTV

Foreign Minister speaks at OAS assembly; back home, some want his head!
The General Assembly meeting of the Organization of American States comes to an end today in the Dominican Republic. Both the foreign minister of Belize and Guatemala made presentations during which they spoke of the role of the hemispheric organization in helping both countries to reach a permanent...

Canadian national wanted by San Pedro police for Murder
Ambergris Caye police are asking the public's assistance in locating Canadian National Jordan Bacchus Bacchus is wanted for the murder of 31-year-old Melvin Almendarez who was found dead on May 6th at a feeder road in Southern Ambergris Caye. A post mortem conducted on Almendarez's body revealed t...

Shane Gillett acquitted of murder of Samuel Price
30 year old Shane Gillett, Burrell Boom resident accused of and alleged to have confessed to the murder of 84 year old Samuel Price in 2011, could not have willingly given police a caution statement detailing his confession, Justice Adolph Lucas ruled today. And so, the judge concluded he could not ...

KHMH denies report of negligence during blackout
Yesterday PLUS News was told by a source that a female KHMH patient from the Jane Usher Boulevard area of Belize City died during a blackout Monday night because hospital staff did not turn on the hospital generator quick enough to get her ventilator going after it cut off. Today, the CEO of the KHM...

Fishers Arrested for Out of Season Lobster
52 year old Lucito Armando Sosa and 42 year old Elizardo Tut, both of Independence Village, Stann Creek District were both arrested for the possession of lobster tails out of season. On Tuesday June 14, 2016 the Conservation Compliance Unit - Punta Gorda branch of the Belize Fisheries Department ar...

Catholic Church to conduct mass at Belize Guatemala border
The Catholic church in Belize will be meeting with its counterpart from Guatemala for a Mass to be held at the border. The mass will be held under the theme," Neighbours seeking the way of peace". The event is scheduled for this coming Saturday June 18, 2016. The objective of the event is to pray...

National Tertiary Level Empowerment Symposium to address Belize sovereignty
On Friday, representatives of Belize's entire tertiary level education system - eight junior colleges, the University of Belize and Galen University as host - will gather in San Ignacio for a first-ever National Tertiary Level Empowerment Symposium on the topic "Defending Belize's Sovereignty." Thr...

4H center graduates 25 persons
25 persons graduated from the 4H Center in Belmopan this morning. We spoke to CEO for Youth, Sports, and Culture, Adele Catzim Sanchez. Adele Catzim Sanchez- CEO for youth, sports and culture: I am glad that this year we have 25 graduates who have completed the ten month program at the 4h youth deve...