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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

DOE charges American-Registered Vessel after grounding in Belize Waters
On September 3, 2016, the Belize Coast Guard (BCG) informed that a civilian vessel 'Rumba', which was registered in Delaware, USA, was grounded on the Belize Barrier Reef in the area of Hatchet Caye located east-northeast of Placencia. Following the incident, a formal Environmental Damage Assessment was made which resulted in the Department of the Environment (DOE) charging Rumba a fine of $31,500. According to a spokesperson for the DOE, Rumba damaged 3% of corals in the secured area, and the fine has been paid. This is the third vessel to be grounded in Belizeans waters this year. The DOE reminds the public that coral reefs are significant to the health of the ocean. The reef protects the shoreline from erosion, and humans from storm damage.

Rebecca Rath is Miss Belize Universe
After a ten year hiatus, the Miss Belize Universe pageant returned to seek its newest representative. A total of 10 lovely ladies: Neidy Rodriguez, Theotisha Hall, Shamra Palacio, Mariah Swaso, Marlaine Heron, Kimberly Price, Macia Moody, Rebecca Rath, Lyanne Reid, and Dianira Rivera, vied for the title of Miss Belize 2016 and the opportunity to represent at Miss Universe 2017 in Manila, Philippines. After competing at the Bliss Center for Performing Arts in Belize City on Saturday night, September 10th, 23 year-old Rebecca Rath of Dangriga earned the grand title, and was crowned 'Miss Belize 2016'. In an interview with Channel 5 News (Belize City), Rath expressed her love for her country, and her determination to represent Belize. She shared her pageant experience, which she believes was not stereotypical. "A lot of people think that a pageant is all about outer beauty, but you're choosing a representative for your country. You need to make sure that that person is well rounded, confident and believes in the things that they are advocating for, and so it's much more than what people think. It's not just looking pretty, wearing heels and smiling for all those pictures; you want to be able to be an example for everyone.

Belize joins the fight to save the White-Lipped Peccary from extinction
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) hosted a symposium at the XX Mesoamerican Society for Conservation Biology Congress that brought together the leading scientists in Mesoamerica for an emergency assessment of the rapidly declining white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), known locally as 'warree'. The main objectives of the symposium were to map the current known locations of the remaining populations of white-lipped peccary and to determine the extent of range loss for the species in the region. The white-lipped peccary has become endangered in Mesoamerica because of hunting pressure and the removal of forests for agriculture. This species is one of the wonders of the Americas, being the only large mammal that moves in large herds in forested environments. The home ranges of a herd of peccary can be up to 120 square kilometers, and the herds can number up to 200 individuals. Herd sizes like this are becoming more rare as hunting disrupts their social structure.

Island student injured in traffic accident
Five-year-old Alden Delgado, a student of San Pedro Roman Catholic Primary School, was knocked down by a taxi cab on Coconut Drive on Monday, September 12th, as he attempted to cross the street while on his way home for lunch. The taxi driver immediately picked up the boy and took him to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II, where he received prompt medical attention. The boy's family told The San Pedro Sun that they were glad that nothing serious happened to Alden. They were grateful that the taxi driver was responsible in bringing their child to the health centre, and that he made himself liable for any expenses as a result of the accident. The family was also satisfied with the service provided at the polyclinic by the nurses who quickly tended to their son. "The medical personnel at the polyclinic were very quick in taking care of my son. I want to thank them for such a great service," said the mother. After receiving medical treatment at the polyclinic, Delgado was released with just an abrasion to his right arm. According to the medical personnel at the health centre, no broken bones or internal injuries were found during the medical examination. They expect the boy to recover quickly and be back to school in a few days.

Misc Belizean Sourcesmzz

Splashers
Join us this week at Crazy Canucks Beach Bar! Thursday at 2p.m

SOAK'A WET FETE!
UP NEXT ON OUR CALENDAR....FOR THE TEENS! SOAK'A WET FETE! Please note that there will not be any liquor for sale. This is an Alcohol-free event.

Power interruption 6:00am to 2:00pm, Sunday, September 18 Corozal area
Power interruption 6:00am to 2:00pm, Sunday, September 18: entire Corozal Town, Altamira, San Antonio, Santa Rita Heights, Vivas Layout, Paraiso, Chula Vista, and Consejo, Ranchito, San Andres, Xaibe, Canlum, Patchakan, Carolina, Calcutta, San Joaquin, Pueblo Viejo, Saltillos, Copper Bank, Chunox, Orchid Bay & Sarteneja. BEL to conduct critical maintenance & testing of equipment at Corozal Substation & replace arrestors & power transformer at Free Zone Substation.

Cayo September Celebration Concert
Lord Rhaburn and Lord Laro, along with the New Sensation Band, will be playing at the Sacred Heart Auditorium this Saturday, September 17th, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Jewel.

National Day of Service
Reminder! Monday is Belize's National Day of Service, observed in honor of the late Hon. George Price. Do you have plans to give back on September 19?

Vendors for Independence Countdown show
Want to sell food or drinks at the Independence Countdown show? Visit us at the San Pedro Town Council or Call us at 226-2936 for more information!

Sign up your Group or Float now at the San Pedro Town Council!
You can visit us on Barrier Reef Drive or call us at 226-2936.

BATTLE OF ST. GEORGE'S CAYE DAY UNIFORM PARADE
On Saturday, the 10th of September of 2016, the town celebrated the Battle of St. George's Caye anniversary by hosting its traditional uniform parade with all the school and businesses. During the ceremony, Pastor Clive Welsh offered his blessings upon those that attended after the National Anthem was beautifully sung by belizean artists Missy B Herrera and Ernestine Carballo. Following the invocation was the welcome address by Mayor Daniel Guerrero where he expressed his gratitude to the Lord for blessing San Pedro Town with spectacular weather to carry out the parade and shared with everyeone a brief history on the Battle of St. George's Caye. Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Tourism and Civil aviation was next where he also delivered some remarks in regards to the celebration with he believes is of great importance in the history of our country. As tradition, the winner of the Miss San Pedro pageant is officially coronated during this ceremony where she is presented with her cape, crown and ceptre. The parade through town followed immediately after the official coronation of Miss San Pedro and ended back at the Hon. Louis Sylvestre Sporting Complex where the children were treated to refreshing ideals. On behalf of Mayor Daniel Guerrero, the San Pedro Town Council and Staff, we would like to congratulate Marisha Thompson on her new role as Miss San Pedro 2016-2017!

I've been on Smart's new home service for a week now...
Good news first... it's fast. I bought the 25mbps down / 12mbps up service. I've been dying for faster upstream ever since moving to Belize 6 years ago, and even long before on my many extended visits before. I can honestly say, I'm getting the speeds I'm paying for and probably will not be able to get anything better until BTL wires the island with fiber. Skype has been clear and solid. Netflix has never been clearer. File transfers don't drop before completion. And my VPN connection is much more stable. Now for the not so good news... I've had a few problems. The first thing I've noticed is that while I get a great 15ms ping to Belize City, I'm getting 100ms to 160ms pings to the USA and Mexico. For those who don't really know what that means, connections being made to servers outside of Belize will be slow. Once a connection has been made, the data will transfer across that connection blazingly fast. Depending on the application, it will be barely noticeable or it will be frustratingly slow. If your app is making one connection and using it consistently, you will barely notice. If it makes connections, disconnects and then reconnects, you will probably get frustrated quickly.

Miss Belize at Stann Creek Ecumenical Junior College
Miss Belize Rebecca Rath returned to her alma mater Stann Creek Ecumenical Junior College for a homecoming event like no other! "Then, the most wonderful homecoming party I could imagine! At Stann Creek Ecumenical High school at 2:00 pm with the Mayor, Delille Academy and EJC students, Dangriga BTIA plus friends and family!"

TONIGHT: The Tribute to Belizean Patriots
The Tribute to Belizean Patriots at Bliss Center for Performing Arts! This free event begins at 7 p.m. Among the honorees are men and women who have made contributions in the areas of health, the arts, sports, education, religion and community service. Danny Conorquie will be posthumously honored for public security safety.

September Celebrations 2016
Will Moreno Photography

Channel 7

Teachers Give GOB List of 7 Demands; PM Responds
The teachers are ready to rumble, and today they put their teachers on notice. The union says it has a mandate of industrial action from its members and sent out a memo today urging them to wear their green t-shirts as part of an event called "Stand Up for Belize: Solidarity Stand". And that's only a warm up for Monday when there will be a National Demonstration and Rally in Belmopan. Now all this stems from a letter the Union has written to the Prime Minister demanding good governance. It contains 8 demands which the union, quote, "believes will ensure at the very least, that systems will be put in place to cultivate this good governance." The union has given the PM until Friday to respond favourably to their letter and, quote, "in the absence of this response the Union intends to proceed with�industrial action." But even if the PM does respond favourably, the union is going ahead with the protest on Monday. And if they don't get the response they want, the union says it has, quote, "planned a schedule of further Industrial Actions that our Union will not hesitate to engage in, post Monday but we await the PM's response to signal activation."

DPM Says GOB Didn't Cave in On Select Committee
We also got a chance to ask the Deputy Prime Minister about the Government backpedalling on the House Committee that will look into the Auditor General's reports. Up until yesterday, the Government was pushing for a Joint Special Select Committee, comprising of members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, to investigate the findings of the Auditor General on immigration practices between 2011 and 2013. Yesterday, the Government, in a dramatic reversal, decided to support a Senate Select Committee as the means of the investigation into the reports. When the topic came up, the DPM disagreed that for the government to cave on this issue is a sign of weakness. Here's how he explained it: Hon. Patrick Faber - Deputy Prime Minister: "It is testimony to the kind of leadership offered by the prime minister and by our cabinet that we would yield to the better judgement of these entities that have said prime minister and cabinet and Mr. Government that listen this we believe is a better way; we no see anything wrong with this mechanism. These are the reasons, we respect that you had another way but we believe even if you want to make it an argument that constitutionally - the way it is expected to go for whatever reason the government has now realised and agreed that this is what people want."

Beloved Bus Boy Blasted by Bullets
A well-known city bus conductor was shot and killed last night around 10:00. 29 year old Raul Medina also known as DJ Fusion was walking along Central American Boulevard when a swarm of gunmen shot him. Was Medina the intended target or was he at the wrong place at the wrong time? Well, the family is puzzled and nobody seems to have the answers. Courtney Weatherburne went out to find out more about Medina murder. The Lemoth and Sons bus was on its regular rounds this morning in the Port Loyola Area. While the bus route and stops were the same, the ride wasn't. That's because everyone's favourite bus conductor Raul Medina wasn't on it. Voice of Wendell Lemoth - Employer & Friend: "He always comes on the bus you know, always be friendly with the passengers and help the ladies with their bags. S lot of the customers really love Raul because sometimes the ladies come home from a long day of work and we play some music on the bus and Raul would dance for the ladies to give them a little entertainment you know."

Police Clarify Details in Medina Murder, Case Promising
Now while the street reports are that Medina was shot to the head, the police have a different account. We spoke to Southside Commander Chester Williams today and he told us that Medina was shot to the neck and stomach. Williams gave us more details about the investigation so far. ACP Chester Williams - Regional Commander, Eastern Division South: "He was approached by 4 male persons in a Mitsubishi Montero Sport and from that vehicle someone fired multiple shots at him which caught him to the neck and abdomen and he was transported to the hospital and he succumbed to his injuries." Daniel Ortiz: "Do police have any ideas at this time, any leads as to why this gentleman was murdered in this fashion?" ACP Chester Williams - Regional Commander, Eastern Division South: "Well I don't really want to go into the character of the deceased but the persons who are suspect at this time; we are pursuing them, they are the same persons who were the suspects in the stabbing at the ITVET during the Soca Fest or whatever they had at ITVET. So we are pursuing them at this time, we have one of them in custody already. The vehicle we know who the vehicle belong to, there are certain things found inside the vehicle that will lead us to other person who may have been involved and we are pursuing them at this time."

Former Immigration Director Vexed With Audit Assertions
Maria Marin was Acting Director of Immigration from early 2013 until mid-2016. That was a time of sweeping change in procedures at the Department - and it's also when the Auditor General's team was in there. When they left, they had no kind words for Marin, accusing her putting up resistance to the audit team, basically denying them the access needed. That single accusation is what drove Marin to our studio today to make it clear that she never denied anything to the audit team. We also used the opportunity to ask her to defend her reputation against the many alleged cases of irregularities at the Department while she was in charge. Here's her interview with Jules Vasquez:� Jules Vasquez: "In the nationality report in particular your name is in there 72 times. Just about maybe minus 4 so your name is in there 72 times involved in various irregular immigration procedures. Were you ever asked to answer well yes I can explain that or alright no comment." Maria Marin - Former Immigration Director: "At no time." Jules Vasquez: "You were never interviewed about these various�your name is mentioned 72 times in the nationality."

Handling Mason With Case With Care, Cops Cause Court Delay
For two months now, accused murderer, kidnapper, and conman William Danny Mason has been behind bars. He's waiting for his day in court, after being accused of the beheading murder Pastor Lucas, and kidnapping David Dodd. In the wake of that discovery, a scandal raged about his connections to members of the Barrow Government and the senior Police Officers. It eventually led to the Prime Minister removing the Police portfolio from John Saldivar and reassigning it to Godwin Hulse. Since then, the William Mason scandal has kind of died down, but he and his fellow defendants, Ashton Vanegas, Keron Fernandez, Terrence Fernandez, and Ernest Castillo, have been on remand at the prison. They were supposed to have been given disclosure from the police, which is basically the investigators outlining what sort of evidence they have to prove the criminal case against them.

Why Ministers Recommend...
Just a while ago you heard our conversation with former Immigration Director Maria Marin. She's disavowed any involvement in irregularities. So, what about the Ministers whose names are called? Well, the Senate inquiry will have to look into those instances, but we wondered today about Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber. He is also one of those Minister's whose name does not so how, and we asked him about his activities trying to intervene on behalf of residents of Collet. He told us that he has encountered voters who asked him to do unethical things to assist them, and but he tries his very best to stay away from that kind of service. Here's what he had to say about why Ministers have it hard walking the straight and narrow: Daniel Ortiz: "Have you encountered situations where you feel like your constituency are demanding too much of you to take steps which you are not comfortable with?" Hon. Patrick Faber - Deputy Prime Minister: "I believe that what is deemed to be corruption on the part of politicians often stem from in your constituency so by extension the entire nation that you serve; you took an oath to serve them comes from people pressing you. You have to really be strong in the business of politics to keep a clean nose you know. I'll give you some very common examples that all can relate to."

Despicable Dad Charged for Incest with Daughter
A man has been charged with 2 counts of incest after he had sex with his 15-year-old daughter. The girl reported to police that her father molested her in February 2015 and then again during this month. A medical examination certified that she was carnally known. The father will be taken to court tomorrow.

Future of Transport Service, Still Under Consultation
The meetings and negotiations on increased bus fares and improved transport service continues. As we told you last week, Minister of State for Transport Edmond Castro had met with bus operators from the west as well as taxi associations operating at the Western Border. Well, Castro has extended the discussions to operators from the south. Nothing has been confirmed or approved as yet but in a release sent today it re-iterates that "Hon. Castro is taking all the matters discussed to Cabinet and the Transport Board."

The Symbolism of Sarstoon Island Eco Challenge
The Sarstoon Island Eco Challenge is planned for this Saturday. As we've told you - the event is for a canoe and kayaking race from Barranco around the Sarstoon island and back. Now, the BDF warns that the Wil Maheia and the Belize Territorial Volunteers are tempting fate and inviting a confrontation with the Guatemalans. Wil Maheia came by our studio today to say they are simply exercising their rights as Belizeans:� Wil Maheia - Sarstoon Island Eco Challenge: "Well I think it's a good opportunity to show the patriotism of Belizeans and the eco part of it. As you know 3 rivers empty into area the Moho, the Timash and the Sarstoon; so from an ecological perspective that area is very fragile and hence of the reasons why we as the territorial volunteers feel it is a very important area to highlight based on the exploitations that have been taking place in there." "I must say though within the last month I've been to the area no less than 6 times and everytime I've been there the BDF and coast guards have been on patrol and they have been on patrol and I haven't seen illegal fishing taken place."

Faber: Church State Commission Is Open Door To Many Matters
One other topic which Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber wanted to discuss is the Church State Commission. That's the working group that the Government agreed to with the different leaders of the churches last week. Well, since then, there have been concerns that this Commission is solely going to influence Government Policies on public morality. Well, Faber wanted to clear up today that the Commission will not have the mandate on decision-making. It is only a forum for the Government to be able to listen to the concerns of the church, on public morality issues, as well as anything else they may have an opinion on. Here's how he explained it: Hon. Patrick Faber - Deputy Prime Minister: "The church felt that it could play a greater role in advising the government in giving its views on certain things. Not limited to any one area but you'll understand that given the chief justice's ruling and given some of the noise that was in the air at the time that this had to be one of the issues that they saw to be needed first on the agenda of this entity that has been referred to as the morality commission that I choose to term in the interim as the church state commission..."

Police Need Witnesses For De-Andre's Murder
Police continue to investigate the September 10th murder of 17 year-old Deandre Nembhard, and the investigators may be making headway. They have identified a person of interest, but they need witnesses who are willing to come forward and give them solid evidence to lay charges. Today, Eastern Division South Commander Chester Williams explained the difficulty that they are having: Daniel Ortiz: "Sir we understand also the investigators may have some of interest for the murder of Deandre Nembhard; what details can you share with us?"

Major Volleyball Tournament In Belize
Today the Belize Volleyball Association held a press conference to introduce the team that will be representing Belize in the FIVB Men's World Championship Qualification Tournament. Belize will host six other teams who will face off in a round robin tournament. This tournament is the first stage in an international competition to earn a place in the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championships which, according to the BVA President, Allan Sharp, is the equivalent of the FIFA World Cup. As the host country there is a lot of pressure for the home team to do well, but the coaching staff is not too worried about the team's capabilities. The team has trained together since February 2016, under Cuban coach Delio Arruebarrena, who is no stranger to high level play. And when asked about what gives the Belize team the edge in a tournament with such high level players, President Allan Sharp had this to say: Allan Sharp - President: "I think the fan base will be important and that same fan base will be important in motivating our guys. We know in this tournament very few teams will beat up the next team, you will be catching a team on a bad night for somebody to just beat up the next side; it's going to be a battle."

Da-Da-Drum
Today 13 city kids graduated from the Larubeya Drum School in Belize City where they learned to play and make drums. We spotted by for the closing ceremony to find out how impactful this program was. If you are interested or want to send her kids to the drum school you can call 670-0590.

Pachuca Punished Police United FC For Historic Trouncing
And our final story tonight is one we wish we didn't have to report. It's the utterly embarrassing final of last night's Champion's League matchup between Mexico's Champion Pachuca and Belize's Police United FC. When we reported on it, the score was nine to nil; well at the end of 90 minutes it was 11 to nil - a Champions League record for the all time worst beating. Here's how the losing Coach and Goalkeeper summed it up:� Police United has been eliminated but must still go on to play Olimpia. Mexico's Hirving Lozano scored Champions League record four goals. The Mexican Coach tried hard not to rub it in our faces, but had to admit that they only used their players from their A selection:.. The previous record for an all time worse defeat in this tournament was 10 to 1.