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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7 and Channel 5
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials


The San Pedro Sun

NEMO ADVISORY No. 1

Doctor Love: Grounded because of friends
When a youngster gets grounded, for fighting or because of friends fighting - who is the stupid one?

The Garifuna Collective live at Rojo Lounge
On Wednesday June 12th, many came out to hear the musical selections of The Garifuna Collective who performed live at Rojo Beach Bar just a few miles north of San Pedro Town. It was a great opportunity to witness the band's final show in the country before they set off on their international tour through the United States of America and Canada from June 20th-August 10th. As time drew nearer and the band was just about ready to play, guests were invited closer to be a part of the inspiring musical experience. The cultural Paranda rhythms of the Garifuna Collective were perfectly blended with Canadian Danny Michel's soulful indie sounds. The band played started off with songs such as Just the way I am, Love until you break your heart and a few more selections which were done in collaboration with Michel, then they were followed this by a jam session of classic Garifuna songs such as Pomona and Watina that certainly got the crowd moving. Between intermissions, band members greeted guests and new- found fans of their music.

Ambergris Today

Danny Michel and The Garifuna Collective Prepare for Tour, Perform at Rojo Lounge
It was their first performance before heading to the United States of America and Canada to kick off their tour together; Danny Michel and Belize's Garifuna Collective performed a free concert at Rojo Lounge, Azul Resort on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. The evening was a magical one filled with the unique blending of Danny Michel's rock n' roll influences with that of the Afro-Amerindian Garifuna Collective sounds. It was a once in a life time event at Rojo Lounge as the Garifuna Collective performed sets as themselves and along with Danny with new music from his album titled "Blackbirds are Dancing Over Me". Their performance was nothing short of spectacular as you can see that both artists have developed new musical styles and working together surely was one of the best decisions they have ever made.

Matachica Resort and Spa Partners Launch San Pedro Day Camp for Kids

Never Underestimate a Small Tropical Depression, Belize Drenched
Even if it is just a small tropical depression that is only forecasted to bring rain, one should never underestimate these storms during the Atlantic Hurricane Season. The second tropical depression of the 2013 season hit Belize today, June 17, 2013, and has been drenching the country with much rainfall and expected winds of up to 35mph. The effects on Ambergris Caye can be seen with much beach erosion as the large waves have been pounding the beaches, piers and seawalls. Some coconut trees along the beach are in danger of toppling over, while tons of sea grass has been piling up as well. Business is slow - dive boats cannot go out to sea. Classes have been canceled during the beginning of exam week, one cannot walk the beach and enjoy a sunny day and most boat owners have opted to tie up their vessels or haul them up to land to protect them. There have even been some flights cancelled to Belize City after the Municipal Airport there had to be closed down due to flooding of the runway.

Flashbacks: High Science Lobster Pats
Built with wood frames and covered with pimento or bamboo strips, these nasas provide shade which is what lobsters are looking for to hide. However, once inside, they just can't figure a way to come out and remain there until the dutiful fisherman takes them out. After securing them at the bottom of the sea with weights, nine to 15 feet deep, the fisherman will check once a week. On an unlucky day you might get anything from one to three lobsters but on a lucky day you might get anything from ten to twenty lobsters. The large ones will be kept and the undersized ones are thrown back into the sea. If a pat gives you 20 lobsters in a month you get 160 during the season or about fifty pounds for a total of one thousand dollars at today's selling price. A small producer works with some one hundred pats while a big producer operates with as many as three hundred during the eight month season. Now do you want to know who brought the idea of the lobster pats to Belize and San Pedro? Will tell you all about that in another issue.

Pic of the Week: Wave Hopping During Tropical Depression
While his friends are ducked under this large wave, we see this one boy jumping high to avoid being hit by it. Although they were having much fun, we understand that the Belize Coast Guard is conducting security patrols along the coast and has discouraged the young boys from this activity due to the high tide and strong rip currents. Safety First!

Check Out Belize Through My Lens
The ability to capture images and see them in motion to tell a story is what made me fall in love with videography. Recently I started venturing into the world of videos and informing people about the beautiful and exciting things happening in Belize through my eyes. Since then I have been documenting stories of my beautiful country through my eyes. The journey has been fun and it has made me love my job even more. What I like the most about my video blog is that people appreciate the work that I do and most importantly enjoy my adventures and experiences I go through. For example: exploring the popular ATM Caves, walking through the historical Maya ruins, documenting fun school events, interviews with lovely pageant contestants and much more.

Misc Belizean Sources

New Trend Spurs Belize's "Great Gatsby" Honeymoons
A growing trend towards luxurious honeymoons in exotic locales is behind a record number of couples taking advantage of the more affordable casual luxury of Belize, according the Lodge at Chaa Creek's wedding and honeymoon planner. The Belizean eco-resort's Denise Duran said the increase in the number of couples "looking for that extra something" has spurred greater interest in what she calls "adventure romance travel" in exotic locations such as Belize. Ms Duran said she believed that all-inclusive honeymoon vacation packages, which put the cost of an overseas honeymoon in reach of more people, are helping to fuel the trend towards more exotic honeymoons. "Honeymoons have always been important to people, but we're seeing a definite trend towards couples wanting to do something different, to share a more exotic and at the same time luxurious experience. Think The Great Gatsby in the bush. It seems as if more couples are looking to start their lives together by doing something extraordinary.

114 Photos of TROPICAL DEPRESSION 2 in San Pedro
Images showing damages done to the beach from Spindrift Hotel to the Sir Barry Bowen Bridge.

VIDEO: Diving Dardenellos Canyon, Ambergris Caye
Scuba Diving Belize with Trip, Janine and Don from Colorado. Lots of marine life encounters captured on film this week. Thanks for choosing Belize as your dive vacation destination. Belize Pro Dive Center, Ambergris Caye

The Jade Mask's Journey
The Jade Mask that was found at Cahal Pech and adopted by the SIRH is about to go on display at the Science Museum of Minnesota's Maya exhibit. Thanks, Shauniece Heusner, Research & Education Officer at the Museum of Belize, for the great history of the mask. "This mask was adopted by San Ignacio Resort Hotel from the Museum of Belize & House of Culture. This mask was found at Cahal Pech along with 3 large jade celts and is dated to the Terminal Classic period around A.D. 800-900. This amazing ancient Belize artifact is made of jade and shell and was used as a belt worn by a royal ruler along with the accompanying celts that were found. Currently, both the mask and the celts are being installed in the Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed exhibition at the Science Museum of Minnesota, along with other pieces from the Belize National Collection. The exhibition opens June 21st, 2013."

Catwalk in the Jungle Pictures
The Catwalk in the Jungle Fashion Show was great - the Cayo Welcome Center really is the perfect place for events of this type - and here are some more awesome pictures from the event, courtesy of D Russell Photography.

Massage Weekend Workshops
There are some massage workshops coming up at the end of the month, and the middle of July. The Vision Exchange will have workshops for Reiki and Cranial Sacral Therapy the weekend of the 29th, and deep tissue therapy for the shoulder and hips the weekend of July 12th. Contact Jude at 652-8595 or email at [email protected].

Sneak Peak of Miss Tourism Photoshoot
Jasmine Skeen, who won the Miss Tourism International pageant that was held in Cayo at the end of March, had a photoshoot with Jonathan Cariddi, and he's released a few pictures as a sneak peek. She'll be representing Belize in December in Malaysia. In related news, she'll also be at the Cayo session of the Belize Film Festival, which will be at Midas on July 13th. "Sneak Peak of Miss Tourism International 2013. Jasmine Monique Skeen, was crowned Miss Tourism Belize 2013. She will represent Belize at the Miss Tourism International Pageant to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in December."

Belize Travel and Trade
Belize comes to South Florida Saturday June 29th.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP LAB
Are you constantly thinking how to create and build new business ideas or how to improve it? If you answered yes to this question, then this workshop is designed for you. The session will provide you with: Skills and knowledge necessary to effectively assess yourself Ability to utilize the tools to develop innovative business ideas, Ability to develop marketing strategies, Provide you with tools to effectively generate a business model that will allow you're venture to be unique, structured, and focused; leading to profitability. Guest Speaker Mr. Michael Singh

Channel 7

Torrential Rain From TD Two!
At this hour, Tropical Depression #2 is over Southern Belize near Monkey River with winds of 35 miles an hour. Now that is over land, the weather system is weakening but it has dumped and continues to dump torrents of rain - particularly on Southern Belize. NEMO reports that Mullins river is three feet above the temporary bridge on the Coastal Road and that is closed to vehicular traffic. Further south, the North Stann Creek River is 3 ft above normal and rising in Middlesex, Pamona And Hope Creek. The South Stann Creek River is also 3 ft above normal and rising. Sittee River is 4 ft above normal and also rising. Water is across the Hummingbird Highway at miles 13, 18 and 20 while the Bowman housing area at mile 15 is under 6 inches of water. Today, the Chief Met Officer said they have been watching the system develop since Saturday.

Stann Creek Construction Worker Murdered At Jobsite
Tonight, the family and friends of 24 year-old Elias Santos a resident of Bella Vista Village in Stann Creek are trying to come to terms with the terrible news that he passed away sometime this weekend. But while Santos resides in Stann Creek, he was killed 8 miles outside of Belize City. That's a far away from his home, and so 7News went looking for answers today at his workplace. Daniel Ortiz has that story. Daniel Ortiz reporting This morning, police responded to the report that someone had been found dead in the Western Pines area at around 8:20. Inspector Calbert Flowers - Acting Rural Executive Officer "Acting upon information received, the hattieville police visited the house of which is under construction in the Western Pines area on the Western Highway. Where upon arrival they saw the apparent lifeless body of a male person lying face up in the bathroom area of the house. The body was examined where it was observed that it had several cut wounds to the head area. The body was later identified as Elias Santos, a 24 year old male who resides in Bella Vista village in the Stann Creek district."

NTUCB Supports GOB Takeover of IBC & Shipping Registries
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize has come out in favour of government's take-over of the IBC and Immarbe Registries. A release issued this afternoon calls it a "bold and necessary move." The release concedes that Government is opening itself to litigation - but adds quote "we are rightfully concerned about this cost but we deem it a necessary one�given the EU's blacklisting of Belize�the government's take back of the registries is undoubted necessary." End quote. The NTUCB demands form the Government transparency in the take-over process and form the opposition, they want them to, quote, "come clean to the Belizean people and release any and all other secret documents/agreements." End quote. The NTUCB is also asking for a Senate Select Inquiry into this secret agreement. It's a rare declaration of support for the government from the unions - but not completely unexpected as the Prime Minister has publicly committed to put 50% of any additional revenue from the Registries towards a raise for teachers and public officers. Last year, the Registries' Revenue was estimated at 13 million US dollars.

Gandhi Says Francis Fonseca Fibbed
And that is not the only interesting statement on the registries takeover tonight. The legal advisor in the Ministry of Finance, the enigmatic Gian Ghandi has made - to our knowledge - the first public statement of his career. Ghandi who has been legal advisor in the Ministry of Finance for the last 13 years came up last week because in 2003 he wrote a letter to Belize International Services Limited of behalf of the Musa Administration saying that the Registries contract could not be extended for a number of what appeared to be very valid reasons - reasons still valid today including the European Union's concern over the Ships Resgistry. But in 2005, the then Finance Minister Said Musa went against that advice and signed a 10 year renewal and a 7 year one after that, taking the life of the contract up to 2020. The leader of the Opposition Francis Fonseca who co - signed those agreements went on record last week to say that the legal Counsel in the Ministry of Finance was consulted before the letter granting the extension was signed. Well, in his statement today, Ghandi says that at no time was his advice sought on the validity of the extension and that the first time he saw it was last month when it was produced by BISL.

Man Gets Five Years For Gun
25 year-old Randy Wagner Jones, a resident of Mopan Street, is spending the first night of a 5 year sentence after he was convicted in Magistrate's Court today. 2 police officers testified in his trial before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith that on September 8, 2012, they saw when Jones pulled out a gun from his pants waist and threw it away at the corner of Mopan and Mahogany Streets. The officers detained him, retrieved the gun, and discovered that it was a 9mm pistol, loaded with 9 live rounds of ammunition. As a result, they charged him with keeping an unlicensed firearm, and keeping unlicensed ammunition. In his defence, he told the court that indeed, he was there as the police officers testified, but he didn't have any gun, and neither did he throw anything away. He also asked the court to consider that the scenes of crime personnel could not find any fingerprints on the gun which matched. This followed a testimony from a technician that the gun's materials proved difficult to lift fingerprints without special equipment.

FFB Telethon Fell Short of Financial Target
On Saturday, the Football Federation of Belize held its telethon to raise funds for the National Football Team, the Jaguars as they prepare for their historic appearance at the 2013 Gold Cup. The FFB set out to raise half a million dollars - but when the final tally was made, they had only raised a little less than $120,000 thousand dollars, leaving them $380,000 thousand dollars short of their target. That's a major let down - but there were still inspiring stories of members of the public going to the Princess to make five and ten dollar contributions. Still, it's corporate Belize that failed: they came through with only forty thousand dollars - only a third of what was raised. Today, FFB Executive Member Marlon Kuylen told us they are disappointed but still moving forward. Jules Vasquez "How much of an effect will this have on the plans going forward that you fell $380,000 short of your target?" Marlon Kuylen, FFB Executive Member "Well right now as it is, we owe the players $40,000 for stipends for the last game they played in Guatemala and for what we owe them for Costa Rica because I don't know if I had mentioned it to you but in Costa Rica for coming fourth we were supposed to collect $25,000usd which was promised to the players and when we collected the money we got a check for fifteen hundred and add dollars because the previous administration had owed UNICAF twenty three thousand and add dollars.

Another Tale Of The Talented Ms. Gillett
Violinist Courtney Gillett is back from a two week training programme at what's consider the finest music school in the USA, Julliard. And she's also getting ready to tour Central America with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas (YOA). And more than that, she's also a coach for the National Youth Orchestra and Choir of Belize comprising 30 youths and 13 Teachers. Today, this former winner of the open scholarship told us what the experience at Julliard was like and how she will translate it into useful instruction. Courtney Gillet - Belize Youth Orchestra Teacher "Really really fantastic and inspirational, so we learnt a lot about Violin teaching for upper level students and how to move beyond playing the notes to looking at sound production and that is what you're looking for as you advance in music, how to create different sounds to create different emotions. I hope to teach that to my students and as much as I can, I want to work with my other teachers - Cindy Burgos and that others at Pallotti and see if we can raise the level of awareness about what is needed to be professional musicians and to build a culture of professional musicianship in Belize."

Armed Xatero's Detained Deep Inside Belize
Two weeks ago the BDF shot Guatemalan Edgar Alexander Alveno in the Chiquibul but the incursions continue, and on Friday night at 7:30, a joint forces team of Belize law enforcement officers detained two armed Guatemalan men who were about to cross the main Caracol Road - which is well into Belizean territory, more than five miles in. They are 24 year old Adelmo Hernandez Mancia, of La Rejoya, Guatemala and 35 year old Rolando Ramirez of Dolores, Peten. The had two guns, a .38 revolver and a 16 gauge shot gun, both weapons loaded. They were found with 5 shotgun cartridges and 3 rounds of (.38) revolver ammunition, as well as 64.6 grams of cannabis, which is about two ounces. And even though they were deep into Belizean territory, the pair were heading further east into the Chiquibul interior seeking xate leaves and hunting for game species. They were detained and taken to the San Ignacio Police Station where they were formally charged for keeping a firearm without a gun license, keeping ammunition without a license and drug trafficking.

"The Good, The Bad, The Nobody Road" - A Southside Story
Since August of 2012, the Department of Youth Services has been operating a pilot program called the Southside Youth Success and Drop-in Center. The idea behind it is that GOB is providing another second-chance initiative which ensures that at-risk young men between the ages of 14-17, who are living on the Southside of Belize, are provided an opportunity to become productive citizens instead of turning to crime. Well in the 10 months that the facilitators have been working with the young men, they've learned a lot about their lives, and the challenges which they face daily. As a result, it is inspired them to publish those stories, most resembling a biography, in a collection called "The Good, The Bad, The Nobody Road". Sounds kind of like a southside spaghetti western but it is a compelling collage of stories of social fracture. That book was officially launched at the Port Loyola Library today, and 7News attended. Here's an excerpt of the tales these young men have decided to share.

Clarencio Coc's Body Awaits A Post Mortem
The body of Clarencio Coc remains in Taiwan tonight. As we reported, the 26 year old was killed in a scooter accident near the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology where he had been on scholarship since 2010. Belize's Charge' d Affairs in Taiwan Cherie Nisbet tells us that the autopsy has not been done yet - and only after that is completed can arrangements be made to send his body home. Coc was on the back of a motor scooter driven by a Guatemalan student, Mervin Hernandez when it was hit by an out of control car. Hernandez was reportedly crushed under the car while Coc flew into a ditch.

UB Graduates 471On Saturday 471 students graduated from UB in the University's 17th Commencement exercises. The students received accreditation at the Associates, Bachelor, Certificate, and Diploma levels in Management & Social Sciences, the Education and Arts, Science and Technology, and Nursing, Allied Health & Social Work. Their guest speaker was Godwin Hulse, the Minister of Labour, Local Government, Rural Development and National Emergency Management. He spoke to the graduates in a 32 minute Keynote address about the importance of education. Here's an excerpt of that presentation: Hon. Godwin Hulse - Keynote Speaker "There's a theme I selected for my presentation today as you did not give me a theme and I think that was on purpose but it is one that I have cherished from I was a kid and that is 'education is the only forward for Belize' and I want you all to always remember it. When I was a young man, my dad never used the term 'education' - he said it was too elusive and to learn every thing you have an opportunity to learn, everything, if it's to cut the grass then he told me to learn to do it well, wash the dishes - learn to do it well, kill a mosquito - learn to do it well. So when you look at my seaming disconnected CV people said 'Lord man he couldn't make up his mind what to do' - I simply learned everything that came my way and learned to do it well. There's an Intel commercial that you may be seeing and it struck me and in addition to saying that education is the only way forward, this commercial says and it is a private sector inititave - it says 'education is our primary philantrophic endeavour' - what a wonderful thought coming from a private sector institution."

Channel 5

Tropical Depression #2 crosses the country
Forecasters predict an active hurricane season with eighteen storms of which nine are expected to develop into major hurricanes. And so it is that two weeks into June, the first [...]

Schools across country close in wake of Tropical Depression #2
The depression has affected schools in the southern, central and western districts while in Cayo District, students were sent home at three p.m. The northern districts, however, have been sparred [...]

Toledo in direct path of TD2
The path of tropical depression two takes it squarely over the Toledo District. The advisory from NEMO stated that the Boom Creek Road in Toledo was under four feet of [...]

Western Pines murder by axe
There is a murder to report tonight�it is the third for the month of June and it happened at the eight miles community of Western Pines off the George Price [...]

G.O.B. says "secret agreement," but Financial Secretary Joe Waight signature on document
Prime Minister Dean Barrow came out blazing last week, accusing former Prime Minister Said Musa and former Attorney-General Francis Fonseca of signing a secret agreement with Belize International Services Limited, [...]

Brother of Ministry's Secretary detained with Chinese Passports
A Belizean was detained in Cuba when he landed at the Jose Marti Airport in Havana with what we have been told are as many as five Chinese passports with [...]

Foreign Affairs will help lay student to rest
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with their Taiwanese counterparts and the family of Clarencio Coc to bring the body of the twenty-six year old student home from Taiwan [...]

Caught on camera: Cayo cops flip suspect on head in truck
Amateur video of a police apprehension in San Ignacio on Saturday at around four pm has made the rounds of Facebook and has resulted in somewhat mixed reactions. The video [...]

14 year old accuses teacher of carnal knowledge
There is a disturbing report coming out of the south. A fourteen year old student of the Toledo District is claiming that she had sex with her teacher. The minor [...]

Mike Menjivar's home shootout with GSU in court
The trial of attempted murder against Mike Menjivar continues in the Belmopan Supreme Court. Menjivar's house was raided in May 2011 by the Gang Suppression Unit; the raid started before [...]

Who shot Valley of Peace resident?
Belmopan Police are currently investigating two incidents which occurred over the weekend that have left several persons recovering at the Western Regional Hospital. The first incident happened at around eleven-thirty [...]

3 women argue; 2 women stabbed
And on Sunday, an altercation in Ontario Village in the Cayo District also landed three women and a minor in the Western Regional Hospital. Police are still trying to sort [...]

Pallotti School music teacher plays to higher heights
The National Institute of Culture and History and the National Youth Orchestra and Choir of Belize announce the international recognition of young Belizean violinist Courtney Gillett. Gillett, who lived her [...]

Football Telethon raises over $100 thousand�400 more needed
Jaguars have not been combing through the dense forests, but also on the playing field. The national football selection, also known as the Jaguars, has been working extremely hard to [...]

Road to the Gold Cup features Woodrow Wilson West
On the Road to the Gold Cup: The National Football team will be playing the United States, Cuba and Costa Rica in the upcoming Gold Cup games in July. Tonight [...]

Sports Monday highlights with Guru James Adderley
Good evening, I'm James Adderley and this is Sports.   The age old rivalry between Belize Telemedia and Mirage Lady Rebels produced another monster showdown Friday night inside Rogers Stadium [...]

LOVE FM

Belizean Violinist Returns From Intense Music Training At Julliard
Belizean Youth Musician Courtney Gillett a violinist and the principal violinist and coach in the National Youth Orchestra and Choir of Belize, began playing Suzuki violin at the age of ten. Now at the age of 26, she has a vast amount of achievements, especially in music. Gillett has ...

Venezuelan Embassy Meets With Leaders For Solidarity
On Saturday the Venezuelan Embassy hosted a meeting with several representatives of Belize's sector including leaders of the opposition party, Mayors from across the country and other social leaders. Love News was present at the function and we spoke to Venezuela Ambassador to Belize, His E...

Activist Says He Was Replaced At University Without Notice
While the country slowly floods because of a passing tropical depression, the University of Belize also slowly floods with controversy and in the center of it is UB Lecturer, Patrick Menzies, or in this case, former lecturer, since he says he headed to UB's Central Campus in Belmopan to tea...

Orange Walk Police Nabs Armed Robber
One man has been charged for a robbery at a business establishment in Orange Walk Town on Saturday. Reporter Dalila Ical has the story. DALILA ICAL "Orange Walk Police has charged one man for the robbery of the Insurance Corporation of Belize, ICB office in Orange Walk Town.&n...

Committee For September Celebrations Gears Up For Activities
September is less than three months away and that means that the September Celebrations Committee is already gearing up the preparations. Love News today spoke with the President of NICH, Diane Haylock who told us more about what's in the making DIANE HAYLOCK, President, NICH ...

Police In Southern Belize Seeks Teacher For Carnal Knowledge Investigation
Police are looking for a teacher from the Toledo District. This follows a report by a 14-year-olkd student who told police that on May 29 she went to the teacher's house in Santa Teresa Village where he had sexual intercourse with her. Medical examination was conducted on the mi...

Russian Ambassador To Belize Presents Credentials
This morning, His Excellency Eduard R. Malayan, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Belize, presented his credentials to the Governor General of Belize His Excellency, Sir Colville Young. In his speech, Ambassador Malayan extended warm greetings from His Excellency Vladimir Putin, President o...

Belize's Trade Union Congress Supports GOB Move On International Registries
Last week the Government took control of the shipping registries, IMMARBE and IBC. Today the National Trade Union Congress of Belize says it supports the government's move to do so. The NTUCB calls the move bold and necessary. According to the Unions while it is concerned ...

Tropical Depression #2 Brings Heavy Rains and Winds To Belize
Marion Ali, Reporting The second Tropical Depression for the 2013 Atlantic Hurricane season slammed into Belize this afternoon at around 13 MPH with wind gusts of up to 41knots. The storm formed at around nine this morning, some 98 miles ENE of Punta Gorda Town and 60 miles E of Monkey ...

World Bank and SIF Raise Questions On Incomplete Construction In Dangriga
Residents of Dangriga are become uneasy because of the slack an important project in that municipality has taken, since it is a means of revenue for the municipality. Correspondent Harry Arzu has more on the issue. HARRY ARZU "The delayed work on the existing Dangriga Market i...

Residents In Southern Belize Cautioned on Possibility of Flash Floods
The Stann Creek NEMO met this afternoon to discuss the current weather situation. Correspondent Harry Arzu has more details on the meeting. HARRY ARZU "The incessant rains continue to affect the Stann Creek District as a result of the tropical depression that is passing over B...

Planned Countrywide Activities Lead Up To UN Public Service Day
Sunday will be observed as the United Nations Public Service Day and Belize will join in on observing the day. But for the entire week starting today, the Ministry of the Public Service will engage in a series of activities to celebrate those public officers who have delivered sterling serv...

CTV3

Tropical Depression Number 2 Batters Belize With Heavy Rains
This year's Hurricane forecast calls for a total of 16 named storms, 9 of which are expected to become hurricanes, including 5 major hurricanes between Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Tropical Storm Andrea was the first named storm of the Atlantic season which developed on the 5th of June 2013. It didn't raise flags for Belize since it made landfall along the Florida Big Bend region, slamming with heavy rain and wind. Andrea did not develop into a hurricane but did cause flooding and storm surge on the areas affected. And today Tropical Depression number two formed in the Caribbean just off the coast of north-western Honduras, close to Belize causing heavy rainfall across the country. According to Chief Meteorologist at the National Meteorology Service, Dennis Gonguez, the system is expected to move west into parts of Belize and the Yucat�n Peninsula over the next 24 hours, most likely as a tropical depression. Heavy rain will be the greatest threat over these areas along with portions of Guatemala and Honduras.

ICB Orange Walk Robbed At Gunpoint
Belize Corozal Road in Orange Walk Town turned into a crime scene on Saturday as a female employee of the Insurance Corporation of Belize Orange Walk Branch was robbed at gunpoint while inside the business. The perpetrator, disguised as a customer, gained entrance to the establishment and demanded that the employee, who was alone at the time, hand over all the cash. Luckily for the victim, her colleagues in Corozal became suspicions when they called her on the company's line and her cell phone and she did not answer. Instead her cell phone was answered by the robber as he made a wrong move. CTV3 News' Reporter Victor Castillo arrived at the scene minutes after the incident and filed the following report. Victor Castillo - Reporting It was a busy Saturday morning but that did not stop a lone gunman from making his way into the Insurance Corporation of Belize Orange Walk Branch, located on Belize Corozal Road and robbing Customer Service Officer Ruth Martinez, who was alone at the time, at gunpoint. At around 9:00am, a male person appearing to be an ordinary customer, showed up at the entrance door with documents in hand. The door, which can only be opened from inside was unlocked by Martinez. That is when her worst nightmare began. CTV3 News understands that as the robber entered the business, he pulled out a gun, pointed the weapon at Martinez, took away her cell phone, and demanded that she open the cash vault. Fearing for her life Martinez did as she was told.

Faber Chastises Teachers For The Second Time
In his press conference last week Thursday, the Minister of Education made a daring move as he trashed the Belize National Teacher's Union. But it's not the first that Minister of Education, Hon. Patrick Faber, uses strong language when referring to teachers. We'll get to that part of the story in a while. Faber's latest attack was due to a number of issues storming the education sector including the disappointing PSE results. In his statement the Minister categorically stated that while teachers are asking for a salary adjustment of 30% they are doing nothing to improve the PSE results. For context here are his remarks. Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education "It is absolutely amazing and I'll go on a limb that teachers are saying that we want a salary adjustment of 30% when the government is saying we can't afford it but then we have the same old results and there is no denying that teachers have a tremendous effect on what these results are and correct me if I am wrong, but I don't hear the Union talking about how we can improve professionalization in the teaching service at all and I challenge them it is not a quarrel but a challenge I said before and I will do it again we want you to insist that teachers get more professional training. It is the ministry that provides the continuous professional development training in the summer time, is it not, the unions collect dues from teachers $20 dollars a month I paid for ten years, what out of that do they invest back in making sure that our teachers are trained, the ministry provided the certificate of education program paid for 95% by the ministry the other 5% by the teachers what do the Union do, but we have a Union in this country and I will get into trouble again for it that fights for teachers who are incompetent, some of them who are molesters, some of them who don't do their job in the classrooms and the Union officials know it but we fight for them they are not functioning , they are not doing the best job but the minute the principal or the management or the ministry tries to bring them up there is a champion called the Union who fights against."

Gian Ghandi Says He Knew Nothing About 10 Year Extension Granted To BISL
Following the most recent back and forth between Prime Minister Barrow and former Prime Minister Musa and former Attorney General Francis Fonseca regarding the so called secret agreement which purported to extend the contract for the management of the IBC and Ships Registries by Belize International Services Limited, the Ministry of Finance issued a press release today. In his press conference on June 12th, the PM boasted that the takeover of the two companies was completely legal because the letter that granted the extension to BISL was indeed illegal. But former Prime Minister Said Musa and former Attorney General, Francis Fonseca, who signed the agreement back in 2005, have indicated that there was no secret agreement since the issue was brought to cabinet and that the legal counsel in the Ministry of Finance did know about the letter. The agreement, signed on March 24th 2005 between G.O.B. and BISL, states that in consideration of a payment of one point five million dollars U.S., the Government agrees and confirms the extension of the duration of the Agreement to eleventh June 2020. Six weeks after, on May thirteenth 2005, the Ministry of Finance issued a letter asking that one point five million dollars US, payable by Belize International Services Limited, be paid to the Central Bank's account at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. The purpose was explicitly stated as follows - "for the purchase of the option to manage and operate the International Business Companies Registry and the Shipping Registry from 2003 to 2020. The letter was signed by Joseph Waight as Financial Secretary and it was copied to the Hon. Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Governor of the Central Bank of Belize and the Legal Counsel in the Ministry of Finance, Gian Gandhi.

Ambassador of the Russian Federation Presents Credentials To Governor General
This morning, a new Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Belize presented his credentials Governor General Sir Colville Young at the Belize House. In his speech His Excellency Eduard R. Malayan, extended warm greetings from His Excellency Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, to the Governor General and people of Belize. He further expressed the possibility to deepen the relationship between the two countries not only in the political and diplomatic spheres, but also in trade, culture, education and technical cooperation.

Logging Season Closes
In the month of April 2013 the illegal harvesting and exportation of Rosewood, despite a moratorium set in place back in March of 2012, caused huge public outcry. This prompted the Government of Belize to declare a 19 days amnesty for those in possession of the precious hardwood and to approve the sale and export of rosewood with government splitting the profits from sales with exporters. While it seems that the illegal harvesting of Rosewood has died down on Saturday the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development and the Forest Department declared the logging season closed. This means that between June 15th and October 14th the harvesting of trees will not be permitted. According to the Ministry of Forestry the closure of logging activities coincides with the arrival of the rainy season which is not conducive to logging operations. Apart from an increased risk of loss of human life, logging during the rainy season often results in damage to forest soils and to public access roads. Of note is that there will be no consideration for extension of forest permits and licenses after the closure of the season. All forest produce not removed from the license areas prior to this date, automatically becomes the property of the Government of Belize. The logging season will re-open on the October 15th 2013. All applications for licenses for the next logging season should be submitted by November 30th, 2013 to the respective district office which will subsequently be forwarded to the Chief Forest Officer, Forest Department, Belmopan. Application forms are available at all district offices.

San Estevan Library Has A New Name And Logo
For well over 10 years, the San Estevan Library has been providing students with informative and educational literature free of cost. Students, without a doubt, have made good use of the service and most recently, now enjoy the facility of computers to further enhance their learning capacity. So as to attract more student attention, the former San Estevan Village Council along with librarian, Nancy Canche, launched a competition for students in order to find a name and a logo that will best describe the Library. Fidelmar Hernandez, Former Chairman of San Estevan Village "A few weeks ago we had a meeting with the librarian and the village council and we decided to give a prize to the standard II to standard XI classes whose over come up with the best logo and name for this library because for the moment we have it as San Estevan library." Irvin Aragon - Reporter "How many persons more or less have submitted entries for this competition?" Fidelmar Hernandez, Former Chairman of San Estevan Village "We have approximately about 12 to 14 logos and names."

And So Was Yummy Restaurant
Apart from ICB and Lucia's Guest House, another establishment was robbed at gunpoint but not over the weekend. This time the robbery played out on Thursday June 13th at around 6:30pm when three men entered Yummy Restaurant located on San Antonio Road Orange Walk and robbed the owner and one of the female employees at gunpoint. According to the employee, the first individual to enter the restaurant was armed with a firearm. After he made his demands, two other men entered the restaurant and assisted the first robber in the crime. Robbery Victim "Solo entro el primero y parece que se arrepintió y despu�s agarro la pistola y dijo que es un asalto y entraron dos m�s y agarraron un laptop y salieron y se fueron." Irvin Aragon - Reporter "A qu� horas paso?" Robbery Victim "A las seis y media de la tarde." Irvin Aragon - Reporter "Llamaron a la polic�a, que fue lo que paso despu�s?"

"Belize In You, Belize In Me, Land Of The Free" September Celebrations Theme
September is a little over two months away and already the soca music can be heard playing at the distance as Carnival groups prepare for the annual road march. The patriotic month is held every year under a theme and this year is of no exception. The National Celebrations Committee held a competition for the 215th Anniversary of the Battle of Saint George's Caye and the 32nd anniversary of Belize's Independence and this year's winner is Jeanelle Mencias from the City of Belmopan. Mencias' submission was among 125 entries received by the National Celebrations Committee which was selected as the winner. Mencia's theme is, "Belize in you, Belize in me, Land of the Free." According to an official release by the National Celebrations Committee, the theme was selected because, and we quote, "it engenders a spirit of personal pride and nationalism about being Belize and Belizean." Jeanelle Mencias will receive a cash prize of $1,000.

Man Marries Twice, He Now Has The Law To Face
A man from the Toledo District is tonight under investigation for the crime of Bigamy. Bigamy is when one is legally married with more than one person at the same time. Yesterday morning, sixty-seven year old Faustina Coc of Punta Gorda Town reported to police that her husband, whom she had been married to for the past twenty years, was married to another woman. According to Bol, she and Ambrocio Bol were married in April of 1997 and have lived in the Cayo district since. Last month, May of this year, her husband married Magdalena Chiquin of San Felipe Village in the Toledo District. As a result of this second marriage, we all know that Hell has no fury like a woman scorned, and scorned was the sixty-seven year old first wife.

Association Of Churches And Evangelical Ministries Oppose Gender Policy
One of the main topics on the Barrow administration's agenda is the gender policy. The Prime Minister has gone on record to say that he believes the National Revised Gender Policy 2013 is a good policy and as a result, he will not withdraw the policy as some organizations have requested. The Evangelical Church has stood against the terminologies used in the policy and believes that they are left open for wrong interpretation. The church has stated that the gender policy is a very dangerous document and puts in jeopardy the freedom of speech Belizeans on a whole enjoy today. During his press conference on Wednesday, the Prime Minister stated that he has met with leaders of the churches but his position has not changed, however, he is open for dialogue so as to rephrase certain sections of the policy that may be subject to misinterpretation. As for withdrawing in entirety the policy, the PM says absolutely not. The Association of Churches and Evangelical Ministries is formed by approximately 75 churches country wide with each district having their own executive. Yesterday, the executive issued a press release in which it condemned the National Revised Gender Policy 2013 and urged the Prime Minister to withdraw the policy. We spoke to the president of the association, Oscar Barrera, who told us more.

New Exhibit Opens At he BHOC
52 years ago, on Tuesday, October 30th, 1961, Belize was rocked by Hurricane Hattie which caused major destruction having spent only three and a half hours over Belize. With recorded winds of 160 mph and gusts of up to 200 mph, the storm surge reached between 13 to 15 feet above sea level. Taking the brunt of the storm were the Turneffe Islands, Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye, followed by Belize City and the Stann Creek District. In commemoration of the aftermath of the storm, a new exhibit is on display at the Banquitas House of Culture and reporter Irvin Aragon along with Cameraman Kenric Simpson visited today and relived that historic event; here's their story. Irvin Aragon- Reporting "Eye of the Storm - Fifty Years since Hurricane Hattie" is the name of a new exhibit that is on display at the Banquitas House of Culture. Hurricane at Halloween, refers to a devastating hurricane which struck British Honduras some 52 years ago, just as the residents of British Honduras were starting to breathe a sigh of relief because the 1961 hurricane season would soon be ending, however, unexpectedly, a powerful Category 5 hurricane named Hattie hit Central America on Hollow's Eve.


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Armed Robber Holds Up Insurance Office In Northern Belize
One man has been charged for a robbery at a business establishment in Orange Walk Town on Saturday. Reporter Dalila Ical has the story. DALILA ICAL "Orange Walk Police has charged one man for the robbery of the Insurance Corporation of Belize, ICB office in Orange Walk Town. The incident played out on Saturday morning around 9. Reports indicate that the man identified as Stanley Tillett of an Orange Walk Town address entered the ICB office and immediately pulled out a .22 pistol and pointed it at the female employee who was alone in the building at the time. Reports are that Tillett ripped out the phone line, tied the woman and placed her behind the counter; he then searched the cash register taking an undisclosed amount of cash but before he could finish his heist, an employee from a nearby business who says he normally check on the woman at the ICB office stopped by to make his routine check." WITNESS "That was when my superior told me to go and check and see what happened and what is going on and if everything safe, if everything is alright. When I reached and I looked through the glass I saw a male person standing but I never saw the girl; so, I said maybe she is at the back with the papers; so, I knocked on the door and the man came and opened it. As I was looking to go inside he pulled out the gun and aimed it at me. The man said, 'you come in wrong time now it's you who is going to get it and who sent you; the man says I feel like killing you right now; you have spoiled my day and messed up my move; so, with that in mind the man hit me in my head and then he said I have to tie you."

Plans for September Celebrations Underway
September is less than three months away and that means that the September Celebrations Committee is already gearing up the preparations. Love News today spoke with the President of NICH, Diane Haylock who told us more about what's in the making DIANE HAYLOCK, President, NICH "We have recently selected the theme for this year's celebration which is. "Belize in you, Belize in me, land of the free" - short and sweet. We have sent out that information so people can now begin to use that theme in promoting their own events, whether at the national or local levels. I think there were 145 entries; we have a subcommittee of the celebration commission that goes through the entries and then they short list and the commission itself makes the decision. So, we had a short list at our last meeting of 7 entries that was selected and the back and forth among us and you know finally choosing this one, I think it sort of resonated with us; BELIZE IN YOU, a play on BELIEVE IN YOU and it's a play on the word, Belize. "Belize in you, Belize in me, land of the free" - it was short, it was sweet. Sometimes people write these long sentences for themes and then they don't role off the tongue very, very easily and that for us ended up being catchy and as short as it was it had a lot of significance." The winning theme for this year was contributed by Jeanelle Mencias from the City of Belmopan. Haylock says they hope to encourage young people to devise creative pieces centered on the theme to artistically express what it means to them. And of course one of the highlights of the September Celebrations is the Carnival which Haylock says is getting along despite shortcomings.

Teacher Incriminated In Carnal Knowledge Report
Police are looking for a teacher from the Toledo District. This follows a report by a 14-year-olkd student who told police that on May 29 she went to the teacher's house in Santa Teresa Village where he had sexual intercourse with her. Medical examination was conducted on the minor which revealed that she was carnally known.

Belize Welcomes Russian Ambassador to Belize
This morning, His Excellency Eduard R. Malayan, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Belize, presented his credentials to the Governor General of Belize His Excellency, Sir Colville Young. In his speech, Ambassador Malayan extended warm greetings from His Excellency Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, to the GG and the Belizean people. Ambassador Malayan further expressed the possibility to deepen the relationship between Belize and the Russian Federation in several forms including political, diplomatic, trade, culture, education and technical cooperation. During his visit Ambassador Malayan presented his Letters of Credence to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wilfred Elrington and CEO, Alexis Rosado.

Belize Gets Rains and Wind From Tropical Depression #2
The second Tropical Depression for the 2013 Atlantic Hurricane season slammed into Belize this afternoon at around 13 MPH with wind gusts of up to 41knots. The storm formed at around nine this morning, some 98 miles ENE of Punta Gorda Town and 60 miles E of Monkey River and made landfall somewhere between Dangriga Town and Independence Village at around three this afternoon. Dennis Gonguez, Chief Meteorologist "As the system moves across here all this will be swinging in that direction over the northern part because the circulation is counter clock wise so this will be swinging up towards the northern part of the country." Gonguez said that the roughly two inches of rainfall that inundated some of Belize City streets on Sunday and Sunday night were associated with the Depression. By the time the depression passes over Belize over tonight, it would have dumped another three inches of rainfall over the country, and that is cause for concern. Dennis Gonguez, Chief Meteorologist "We're looking at, in the north this afternoon and this evening up to about 3 - 3 � inches up in the north and that could cause some issues then the activities switches to the south tonight where we could be getting 2 - 2 � inches between tonight and tomorrow morning. We are looking at the rains being the bigger threat than the winds." While the greatest part of the storm has passed, the system will continue to deposit rain over the country and Gonguez advises people in low-lying areas to make the necessary adjustments. Dennis Gonguez, Chief Meteorologist "You should take the necessary precautions to safeguard life and property if you see the waters are rising in your vicinity." Even when the system leaves our area that will not be the last of it. Dennis Gonguez, Chief Meteorologist "It appears that when the system goes into the Bay of Campeche, it could regenerate into a depression once it maintains its status across the Yucatan Peninsula."

Incomplete Construction In Southern Belize Causes Revenue Loss
Residents of Dangriga are become uneasy because of the slack an important project in that municipality has taken, since it is a means of revenue for the municipality. Correspondent Harry Arzu has more on the issue. HARRY ARZU "The delayed work on the existing Dangriga Market is becoming more of a concern for the residents of this municipality and more so for Mayor Gilbert Swazo." MAYOR SWAZO "On Wednesday, June 12, 2013, Representative of the World Bank accompanied by their counterparts from the Belize Social Investment Fund was in Dangriga to conduct their midyear review after the phase one component of the Belize Municipality Development Project which consists of the construction of the extension to and the refurbishment of the existing Dangriga Municipal Market. The review included a meeting and a site visit to the market project. During the meeting, I as the Mayor and on behalf of the people of Dangriga explicitly expressed concern on the snail pace speed of the project and its token employment of the residents of Dangriga. I also, as a consequence demanded forcefully yet respectfully that the contractor increase the number of Dangriga residents on the project and to speed up the construction of the project without compromising the quality. The World Bank Representative also expresses their concern on the present state of the project and their disappointment with the contractor for having completed only about 40% of the project.

Flash Floods Are Likely In Southern Belize
The Stann Creek NEMO met this afternoon to discuss the current weather situation. Correspondent Harry Arzu has more details on the meeting. HARRY ARZU "The incessant rains continue to affect the Stann Creek District as a result of the tropical depression that is passing over Belize. A number of primary schools were given permission to close their doors today despite the fact that primary school students were scheduled to start their third term promotional examination here in the municipality. However, NEMO Stann Creek says they are on alert and is monitoring the weather. Mayor Gilbert Swazo is the Chairperson for NEMO Stann Creek." MAYOR SWAZO "We continue to monitor the tropical depression and along with the Regional Coordinator and the District Coordinator we continue to issue advisory in relation to the likely impacts of the rainy condition. We are giving advisory to all those flood prone areas within Dangriga and within Stann Creek District to be vigilant and to be on the lookout for flash floods. We continue to monitor and at this time we have given advisory to residents within the Stann Creek District and Dangriga in general."

Belize Joins In UN Public Service Day Observation
Sunday will be observed as the United Nations Public Service Day and Belize will join in on observing the day. But for the entire week starting today, the Ministry of the Public Service will engage in a series of activities to celebrate those public officers who have delivered sterling service over the years. Chairperson of the Public Service National Committee, Freya Parham August, told Love News that the public officers even have a chance to get free check-ups as well. FREYA PARHAM AUGUST "What we will be having on Friday in lieu of the 23rd is an award ceremony and the ceremony is going to be held in Punta Gorda. We have been rotating the ceremony in the different municipalities just to interact with the citizens from different parts of the country. On that day we will be recognizing public officers who have done outstanding work, who have committed their lives, so to speak, for the last 25 years, to the government and people of Belize. So, that is what we will be having on Friday that is the highlight in Belize for our Public Service Day. This week we will be having a week of activities across the country; today in Belize City they will be having a Health Day where public officers can come in and get free tests.

Violin Teacher Attends Julliard 2013 Starling Symposium
Belizean Youth Musician Courtenay Gillett a violinist and the principal violinist and coach in the National Youth Orchestra and Choir of Belize, began playing Suzuki violin at the age of ten. Now at the age of 26, she has a vast amount of achievements, especially in music. Gillett has recently returned from Julliard's 2013 Starling De-Lay Symposium for Violin studies, which provided intense music training her. She says she applied for the program as a teacher and became a participant. COURTENAY GILLETT "It was to explore how to use violin technique and to help your students get better sound; in this case they focus on the Bach, Partitas and Sonatas and also some other technical studies such as Kreutzer and what it was - it was master classes; so, they had student artists who performed for us and while there, they had professional teachers who came up and they gave their critique on how you can change the sound; it's all about sound production. As musicians, we can't allow ourselves to stay the same; when we perform, if I sing today in one way, I don't expect that ten years down the road for it to sound the same way. It has to evolve even better; so it's how to get your students to produce even better sounds; not to concentrate on playing notes but creating music." Now Gillett is getting prepared to join the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, YOA, in touring Central America. She told us what she looks forward to in that venture.

PlusTV

Body found in Western Paradise area
Police have confirmed the discovery of the body of a man inside a house at mile 8 on the George Price Highway. Complete details are not known at this time but police have announced that the body showed apparent chop wounds to the head and have classified the incident...

Two Guatemalan xateros arrested in Belize's Forest
Two Guatemalan xateros found in Belize's forest were arrested and charged in San Ignacio. Acording to reports, on Friday the 14th June, the Joint Forces Team on patrol in the Chiquibul base at Tapir Camp detained two male Hispanic persons who were maneuvering to cross the main Caracol Road....

NEMO issues Advisory on Tropical Depression
Belizeans spent a very wet Father's Day weekend as a result of severe rains affecting the country. The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) this morning confirmed that the rains are a result of Tropical Depression No. 2 which formed several hours ago from an area of disturbed weather right...

Dangriga family's home destroyed by fire
A Dangriga family is tonight asking the public's assistance after their home was completely destroyed by fire. It happened over the weekend and our Dangriga correspondent Harry Arzu spoke to the owner of the home. He filed the following report. Harry Arzu - Dangriga Correspondent: A two-story wooden structure...

University of Belize Fires Professor Patrick Menzies
University of Belize Fires Professor Patrick Menzies. Mr Menzies is well known within the media circle as a social activist and the UB Lecturer, whose students recently conducted a research which shows that the University of Belize is overcharging students for some courses. This afternoon, Menzies showed up to...

PUP gearing up to lead national demonstration
Earlier this year the People's United Party (PUP) had plans for a national demonstration to highlight alleged abuses and inefficiencies of the ruling United Democratic Party (UDP). But there has been nothing heard of it since and members of the press asked Opposition Leader Francis Fonseca about it on...

NTUCB declares support for Government's move to recover registries
Last week we aired the Opposition Leader's response to allegations that he and former Prime Minister Musa signed a secret agreement to extend Management Services Agreement for the International Business Companies Registry and the Shipping Registry for another seven years from 2013 to 2020. In a press release issued...

Life sentences in prison for two men still stand
They were accused of cold-blooded murders in 2002 -after robbing bottling giants Bowen and Bowen, then fleeing the country. First tried and convicted in 2004, the cases of Leslie Pipersburgh and Patrick Robateau have gone as far as London, England and the Privy Council to be decided. But after...

Stabbing and shooting in Belize City
There was both a stabbing and a shooting incident in Belize City over the weekend. On Friday June, 14th, at 9:30pm police visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where they saw RUSHELL LOPEZ, Belizean Domestic of a Fabers Road address, suffering from (2) stab wounds to the left side...

Belmopan Police investigates shooting and incidents
Belmopan Police investigates shooting incident. On Sunday June 16th shortly after 1pm. Police visited the emergency ward at that Western Regional Hospital where they observe Edwardo Antonio GARCIA, a Salvadoran Farmer of Valley of Peace Village, suffering from a single gunshot wound to the upper rib cage area. Garcia...

Local Musician returns from two-week training at Juilliard Music School
Burrell Boom native and musician and teacher Courtney Gillett has scored a pair of major accomplishments. She has just returned from a two-week training for music teachers at the world-renowned Juilliard Music School in New York City, and soon leaves for Panama as Belize's first and sole representative in...

Toledo Police investigate Carnal Knowledge accusation
Police in the Toledo District is looking for a teacher after a carnal knowledge report by one of his students. Over the weekend a 14yr, old student visited the Police Station in the company of her father and reported that on May 29th around 7:45pm she went to her...

Police investigate firearms offence and robbery
On Saturday June 15th, Police conducted a searched at the residence of 31yr old Omar CALDERON, of Orange Walk Town. Present at time of the search was CALDERON and a 16year old minor. As a result of the search police recovered a black plastic bag containing (12) rounds of...

Belizean Artists First hosted Father's Day Song Competition and Concert
On Saturday night, the Association for Belizean Artists First (ABAF) hosted its fifth annual Father's Day Song Competition and Concert, which for the first time is being held among high school entrants only. Ahead of the concert, on Friday Promoter Tony Wright told us how his organization collaborated with...

Football legend maintains Hostel Field for 27 years
Last week, we met football legend and community activist Bernard "Dubu" Thomas, a star forward on the Coke Milpros teams of the late 1980's and later on the over-35 Ebony Lake football team. But for the past 27 years, he has been known for something else: a one-man effort...

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Ocean Academy graduates 10!
Ocean Academy High School held it's annual graduation ceremonies on Friday, June 14th. 10 students graduated with their high school diplomas. Canadian musician, Danny Michel, was the guest speaker. Congratulations to all the graduates on a job well done! May your future be as bright as the Caye Caulker sun. Congratulations to the staff, faculty and friends of Ocean Academy high school as well. You are an oasis of hope for the village.

Crazy Weather on Caye Caulker
Tropical Depression 2 which formed over Belize yesterday is blanketing the country with heavy rains and gusty conditions. Out on Caye Caulker, heavy breakers are rolling in from the reef. Locally, this heavy surf is referred to as "rekaladas", or rolling waves. The sea is at the level of some of the piers at this point, and there has been some erosion along the seashore.

Thank You from Tracie Young
Tracie Young ran for councilor and won with a total of 315 votes. Chairperson was won by Mr. Wayne Miller, other councilors are Enelda Rosado, Julian Rosado, Ilda Marin, Ralph Humes and Raul Young.

The June 16th, 2013 issue of The STAR (Cayo) is online HERE

This Week's Stories:

  • Jarod "Steel Bob" Lamb Finally Captured:
    Jarod "Steel Bob" Arthurs Lamb has been on the San Ignacio police's most wanted list since the January 2013 home invasion/murder of Belizean businessman Steven Valencia in his Loma Luz Boulevard home in Santa Elena, Cayo. Lamb, who had managed to evade the police for over five months while committing more crimes, was today caught off guard when Belmopan police was alerted of his location. San Ignacio police informed that Lamb, 25, Belizean laborer of Ontario village in the Cayo district was captured in neighboring Camalote village. He was escorted to the Belmopan police station where he is to face charges for crimes he is accused of committing in that area.
  • BECOL Warning System Failed:
    Reliable reports reaching us indicates that the Tuesday, June 4, 2013, planned testing of BECOL's early warning system, in the event of a dam break, failed. The rather embarrassing incident reportedly occurred in the presence of representatives from the National Emergency Management Organization and from the Department of the Environment both legally charged with overseeing such exercises. The system at San Ignacio fire station failed as well as the one located at Black Rock Resort. The siren was to have blasted seven times for three consecutive minutes at three minute intervals none of which reportedly occurred. The failure now begs the question: Is BECOL really prepared to issue the relevant warning in the event of a dam break, or will residences in the destructive path of the dam feel before they hear the warning?
  • Hon Rene Montero - Delivering On His Promises:
    2013: In fulfilling his manifesto promise to support young athletes in Cayo Central, Minister of Works and Transport, Hon Rene Montero, today handed over a thousand dollar check to the captain of the Georgeville football team. The donation explained the coach could not have come at a better time as the Georgeville football team is preparing to play, in Georgeville, a friendly match against a Guatemalan team. The coach is asking villagers from Georgeville and surrounding communities to come out and support their team. As works continue to progress in the village, with the upgrading of streets, refurbishing of the community center and support for the feeding program in the village primary school, Minister Montero pledged to continue supporting the community and the entire Cayo Central constituency.
  • St. Andrews Excels In PSE:
    Bernice York Institute of Learning is this year's top PSE student, the management and staff St. Andrews Anglican Primary School in San Ignacio are proud to have produced the next two top students in the Primary School Examination (PSE). St. Andrews Primary School's Vincent Hulse and Nelson Esteban tied for 2nd place both receiving perfect scores in Math and Science finishing the examinations with an astounding 386 points out of a possible 400. Other top PSE St. Andrews School students are Alain Morris and Zahara Zul who both tied in 6th place.
  • Evangelism In Politics:
    When televangelist Silas Malafaia gathered 40,000 followers outside Brazil's congress this week, it wasn't just to raise their arms to the sky and praise the Lord. The rally was a show of support for lawmakers who oppose abortion and same-sex marriage and a message to other politicians that they should not ignore Brazil's fast-growing evangelical churches if they want to stay in office. "Gay activism is moral garbage," Malafaia roared into the microphone to a cheering crowd on the grassy esplanade of the Brazilian capital. "Satan will not destroy our family values."
  • Belizeans In The United States And Abroad Agressively Demanding Full Citizenship Rights In Their Homeland:
    By: Wellington C. Ramos When the Government of Belize started the debate to educate Belizeans throughout the country on the Referendum Initiative to take the Belize-Guatemala territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice (I.C.J.), many Belizeans in the United States and Belize became insecure about their current citizenship status. Since the 1980's the Government of Belize has been granting citizenship status to many Guatemalans who entered the country illegally. These citizens now have the right to vote, run for political office and become the Prime Minister of Belize. While, the Belizeans who were born in Belize and became citizens of the United States and other countries, are not entitled to these same fundamental rights unless they renounce the citizenships of their new countries.
  • Response to Briceno's letter on behalf of Fortis:
    Contributed by: Candy Gonzalez Mr. Briceno penned a Letter to the Editor that Fortis, Inc. used in a full page ad as part of their attempt to quash any objections to their purchase of C.H. Energy, in upstate New York. One of the letters opposing the takeover was from Robert Kennedy, Jr., who spoke of Fortis' record in Belize. Briceno felt "compelled to correct the errors in the commentary and present your readers with an accurate account of the developments that took place under my watch". Unfortunately, his "accurate account" is about as accurate as his pronouncements back in 1999-2008. One has to wonder if Mr. Briceno even wrote this letter. The reason I say this is because he refers to the NEAC as the "National Environmental Assessment Committee." The NEAC reviews all Environmental Impact Assessments. The Department of Environment was part of Briceno's portfolio, Wouldn't he know the NEAC stands for the "National Environmental Appraisal Committee"?
  • Belize Embassy in Washington Raises funds for the Inspiration Center:
    The Embassy of Belize in Washington has raised US$60,000 for the Inspiration Center. His Excellency, Ambassador Nestor Mendez, who is visiting Belize, handed over the cheque to the Special Envoy for Women and Children, Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow on Tuesday. The donation is the proceeds of several fundraising events hosted in Washington between October 2011 and May 2013. The majority of the funds were raised at a hugely successful gala on February 16th, 2013, which brought in over US$40,000. Mrs. Barrow is extremely grateful to Ambassador Mendez and his team for their hard work and dedication as well as the Belizean diaspora in Washington for supporting the important cause of providing a safe, inclusive environment for children with disabilitiesto access much needed services.
  • Fuego Bar and Grill- At The New Cayo Welcome Center:
    After a barrage of photos and tempting advertisements promising the latest and greatest "elevated Belizean street cuisine" I was excited to attend the tasting preview for Fuego Bar and Grill this past Monday. Fuego made a great first impression as I stepped up the sidewalk of the new Welcome Center into the patio area with simple clean edges and clever little flairs of style making their appearance as drinks we served and dishes popped out of the kitchen. The interior of the restaurant continued to warm the taste buds with oversized photos of the local market and glowing lamps dangling over the bar illuminating Leo Arguelles and his team of Mixologists as they blended and twisted to keep up with thirsty tasters. Trays of tiny little treats began to make their way out of the kitchen window where I could see Chef Jesse Mas was in his element constantly smiling and making sure every morsel was up to his standard. Each dish that was served was unique and enticing and well prepared. The tastes were a brilliant mix of local flavor and international styling.
  • National Gender Policy Issue What's The Fuss? Part 1:
    On May 17th, news broke about the new Revised National Gender Policy developed by the National Women's Commission, and the INCLUSION OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION into the Gender Policy. Turns out that Caleb Orozco and UNIBAM were actively brought into the process of CREATING the new Gender Policy, and that this Policy was already APPROVED BY CABINET IN MARCH!! Now hold on a minute!! You trying to tell us that while Govt was fighting UNIBAM with one hand in Court, they had ALREADY APPROVED a Gender Policy months before, and UNIBAM helped draft it and it includes the homosexual agenda? How can this be?
  • Official Results of the June 9th Village Council Elections:
  • Santa Elena Primary School Receives Much Needed Assistance:
    The Infant one and two students of Santa Elena Primary School have been housed in two trailer home classrooms for the past ten years. The classrooms have since deteriorated considerably, with one of the major problems being the flooring of the buildings. We have echoed these sentiments to our community and other stakeholders at every opportunity we get, but to no avail. The cries of our teachers reached the ears of Mr. Richard Zul and Lucille Sosa who visited our school and saw the urgent need for the repairs of the floor and immediately contacted their partner, Mr. Robert Trausch who has been bringing teams to Belize for the past years to do voluntary services in various communities. Proactive, retired couple, Gary and Jerry Dennis, heard about the plans to renovate the floorings at SEPS and assisted Mr. Zul with the ground work before the arrival of the main team. Hence, the students from Nederland High School in Colorado have spent the last week under the guidance of their teacher Ms. Lorie Kinczel working on the flooring of three much needed classrooms.
  • STAR Humor
  • Your Weekly Horoscope and Lucky Numbers
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Public Notices

Blogs

Crazy Wet Weather
The one inch of rain that we got yesterday during Lobstermania pool party felt like 7, we could have had a great wet tee shirt contest The band got rained out and anyone who was not taking shelter under the tents or in the pool bar got drenched as well. At one point someone offered me a towel and I had to laugh there was no way I was staying dry until the rain stopped. Between floaty toy wrangling and trying to keep the taco cam streaming a good pool party view, I got soaked big time. It was pretty funny, every time I asked someone sitting in the bar if the webcam view looked ok they gave a few directions to reposition it and would say 'it looks great.' Then wen I got back to check it myself on the laptop, it looked all tilted like a drunken monkey had set it up

Why I would like to be an eco-kid
Hi! My name is Lillian Aguirre. I live in hope creek village on the Stann creek valley road. I am attending hope creek Methodist school. I am in the class of standard 4. My favorite sport is volleyball, my father is a diver at Marisol caye, and my mother goes to school at the junior college in Dangriga. She loves nature as well as I do; by the way I am 11years old! I want to be an eco-kid because I love nature and would like to help to protect the rainforest. When I visit the rainforest, the shade from the canopy of tree refreshes me. The smell of green trees relaxes me and the singing of the birds inspires me. I hope and pray that I might find and fallow a jaguar's paw prints on a trail or I may look up high above and see an owl staring at me. If I am lucky I hope to see soldier ants carrying leave to build their homes wild pigs grunting by howler monkeys hanging on trees branches like thunder.

"I Can't Stand the Rain" in Ambergris Caye, Belize.
I mentioned in the previous edition that it rained for the greater part of Sunday and right through the night. Well, it didn't abate and rained just as hard yesterday morning. A rainy and blustery view from the veranda around 8.30 am. I had intended to wash the golf cart because the dusty roads, (and especially on the road north of the Sir Barry Bowen Bridge to our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize) make it look very dirty. And very quickly. I then was going to spend some 'quality time' on the beach with my book. Well the rain put paid to that idea. I can't stand the rain when it stops me from doing things that I want to do. With my plan in tatters there was only one sensible form of recourse for me. No, not go back to bed, but to Estel's for breakfast. What would you have done in the same circumstances? Exactly. So. I got the raincoat out of the cupboard (haven't had to wear it for nearly a year) and went for my breakfast and found a nearly empty Estel's . Very unusual. Just as unusual was that I sat inside. It made sense to do do because even though they had the 'rain shades' down the rain was getting through them to hit the tables on the deck. In the afternoon I made the trip to visit our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize on my own because Rose wasn't feeling the greatest. The best place for her was in the dry at our rented condo.

Raggamuffin Tours Summer Promotions
Raggamuffin Tours offers a unique 2 night/ 3 day sailing, snorkeling and fishing adventure from Caye Caulker to Placencia. The tour is unrivaled in quality and value for money and is a must for all who enjoy the Caribbean and the magic it holds. The tour is devised to take passengers away from the high tourist traffic and population areas of San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Belize City by traveling South. Customers are offered the chance to access the more remote parts of the inner reef and therefore some of the world's most highly regarded snorkeling and even fishing opportunities.

The Cat Lady of Caye Caulker, Belize
Beyond the sounds of the waves and the beat of the reggae music on Caye Caulker, you might also hear a "meow," or maybe 86 of them. This side of the island is home to P.A.W.'s, run by Madi Collins. She started the animal sanctuary after returning home from the United States. One day in 2003, she was on the dock next to her home and saw a bag floating in the ocean. Four kittens were trapped inside. Madi jumped into the ocean to rescue the kittens and nurse them back to health. "My life changed forever �" Madi told me. "People out here don't want cats. They beat them or they throw them out in the ocean to die." Ten years have passed since then. As I visited her in November 2012, I saw the toll that working 12 hours every day has left on her. She said she feels pain, but the cats keep her going. "If I die, who's going to take care of them?" she said. "The culture here in Belize isn't like the United States. People won't think twice about abusing animals."

GMO Products to stay away from
Ensuring that your family is healthy is a huge priority and buying non-GMO foods should be part of that process. If you are health conscious and want to keep GMO's out of your diet, here is a list of products that contain GMO so you can avoid them. The list is not 100% guaranteed to list all GMO containing products but it's a good start. Mainly you should read the ingredients list and research them to see how they may impact you and your family. Baby Food ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients Nabisco (Phillip Morris) Arrowroot Teething Biscuits Infant formula Carnation Infant Formulas(Nestle) AlSoy Good Start Follow-Up Follow-Up Soy Enfamil Infant Formulas (Mead Johnson) Enfamil with Iron Enfamil Low Iron Enfamil A.R. Enfamil Nutramigen Enfamil Lacto Free Enfamil 22 Enfamil Next step (soy and milk-based varieties) Enfamil Pro-Soybee

International Sources

A 6-Month Escape to Belize
Life was good in the States. We had a big house, two cars, and a community of friends in our Pennsylvania hometown. We had meaningful work and our weeks rushed by in a whirlwind of activity for both us and our children. We espoused the American view of "work hard, play hard." But something was missing. The lifestyle we were living was too stressful, too busy, too unhealthy, and too expensive. We found ourselves accumulating-and worrying about-unnecessary stuff. We felt we were running on a work-and-spend treadmill that didn't get us anywhere and left us exhausted. In the name of living the good life, we felt we were actually losing ours. So last winter my husband Kevin and I decided we needed a break-a family escape-from what we knew to be "normal." We realized we couldn't stay where we were with our four kids and find the change we wanted. We focused on Central and South America because of their proximity to the U.S., their warm tropical climates, and their low cost of living. We spent many hours online researching and talking to expats who lived in the countries we were considering: Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, and Ecuador. We paid flying visits to several places to see in person if we would like it there. Ultimately, we decided on Belize, nestled between Mexico and Guatemala and facing the morning sunrise over the Caribbean Sea. A sparsely-populated country of around 300,000 people, Belize is English-speaking. It's also very affordable and would allow our family of six to live comfortably, even without selling off everything we owned in the States.

President Otto P�rez Molina: Guatemala Dry Canal Plan Well Underway
Guatemala's President Otto P�rez Molina, has said that his country's plans for a dry canal between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are more advanced than a similar project being undertaken by Nicaragua, The president made the statement in Taiwan, where he is on an official visit. In an article published in Guatemala's Prensa Libre newspaper today, Perez is quoted as saying that "there is a difference" between the Guatemalan dry inter-oceanic canal and Nicaragua's project made official in a concession given on June 13, to the Chinese company HK Nicaragua Canal Development. "Nicaragua's project is more akin to the Panama canal," while Guatemala's is "a project of 390 km, with oil and gas pipelines, a federal expressway and railway line," said the President.

Tropical depression heads towards Belize
Tropical depression number two formed on Monday in the far western Caribbean Sea and, at 5:00 pm EDT, was 10 miles northeast of Monkey River Town, Belize, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, with higher gusts. According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the depression was moving toward the west-northwest near 12 mph and this general motion, with a decrease in forward speed, is expected over the next couple of days. On the forecast track, the centre will move over Belize and northern Guatemala on Monday night and early Tuesday, and over eastern Mexico later on Tuesday. The depression could emerge into the southern Bay of Campeche by early Wednesday. Weakening will occur as the centre moves over land on Monday night and Tuesday. Some strengthening is possible by early Wednesday if the centre emerges into the Bay of Campeche.



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