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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

37 Kids in Action complete Summer Camp
The Kids in Action Summer Camp organized by the San Pedro Tourist Guide Association (SPTGA) came to a successful closure on Thursday August 15th. A total of 37 people, mostly children, participated in the two week, summer camp. The camp was divided into two groups, 32 did scuba diving and 5 learned fly fishing. The purpose of the camp was to train the participants in key areas that are important to the economic development of the island. At the same time, it was intended to pass down skills from older professionals to the young generation so that they may be able to apply their knowledge in a sustainable way. According to Phillip “Billy” Leslie, President of the SPTGA, with over 2000 children out on vacation, the island lacks healthy activities for children to stay out of trouble. “In today’s world, we are failing in putting the right programs for our children when they are out of school. With the limited resources, and the help of our partners, we want to be able to help put programs in place that are practical and at the same time related to the island’s activities. It will help us look and take advantage of the good things that exist in our society. We don’t want our children to be exposed to the bad part of the island; we want them to be exposed to healthy diving and fishing and these types of activities so that in the future they can be productive citizens,” said Leslie in his remarks before handing out the certificates of completion. And while Leslie gave a sober reflection of the reality as it relates to the lack of activities, those fortunate to attend the two weeks camp had a blast.

Lizard Tales: La Llorona
“woe on him whom she seduced with her beauty and who having compassion on her weeping near to console her.” The story is told of a wealthy landowner who went on a business trip which kept him away from his wife for long periods. His wife often became restless and, during one of his absence, had an illicit affair. As a result, she bore a child. Knowing that she would not be able to convince her husband that the baby was his, she went to the river and drowned the child. The legend of LA LLORRONA, whose name is in Spanish for “the weeping woman,” tells that this woman has been cursed by God since then and now sits disconsolately on a rock by a river or creek combing her long, wavy black hair and crying pitifully, hoping to inspire the mercy of those who near her. Stories of LA LLORONA are popular in Belize, especially in the district of Orange Walk, and also in the neighbouring countries of Mexico and Guatemala. Although LA LLORONA and XTABAI have traditionally become merged into one legend and, as enchantresses, are said to be variation of the same lore, each possesses distinct characteristics and behaviors.

Ambergris Today

San Pedro Kids Become Certified Junior Open Water Divers
Kids in Action Summer Diving Program - Learning to scuba dive is a fulfilling, life-changing, and educational experience and PADI is thrilled to be supporting a kid’s dive program in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize! This summer, PADI, the largest diving organization, in collaboration with the San Pedro Tourist Guide Association (SPTGA), the Diver’s Alert Network (DAN) and the Hol Chan Marine Reserve gave local kids the opportunity to explore the underwater world. A total of 34 local students got the opportunity to explore the underwater world and learn of its wonders; joining the children were four police officers of the San Pedro Police Department. Students were presented with their manuals and introduced to their dive instructors on Monday, July 29, 2013, at the San Pedro High School.

Miss San Pedro Contestants Having Fun in the Sun
The Miss San Pedro Pageant 2013 is set for Saturday, August 31, and the six contestants have already commenced their participation in a whirlwind of activites before the main event. They have traveled and been hosted at various establishments in Chetumal, Mexico as they visited the city to purchase some of their clothing and accessories for the pageant, been touring the island going shopping, swimming, snorkeling and dining at various restaurants that are hosting the beautiful ladies. Ambergris Today caught up with the six ladies at Rojo Lounge over the weekend as they were being hosted by Findley Halliday. They enjoyed the relaxing amenities of Azul Resort and were treated with food and refreshments at Rojo Lounge. Here they are cooling off poolside on a beautiful day.

Pioneer Tourist Guides in San Pedro
Since Holiday Hotel was the first hotel to welcome tourists to San Pedro, the pioneer tourist guides have got to be Mr. Gabriel “Gaby” Perez, Mr. Abel Guerrero and Mr. Jose Gonzalez. Pictured here along with San Pedro High School benefactor, Mr. Al Felly, is Gaby Perez. Their main objective was to give their guests something to brag about- a large catch of fish and a fantastic day at sea. Our pioneer guides were very skillful at this. They made sure that their guests reeled in a large catch like this one- five barracudas and a huge grouper. The next trick in the trade was to catch one huge jewfish, sailfish, tarpon, or the like. And the final trick used by Gaby was to enable the guest fishermen to have a long battle in reeling in their catch. The longer the fighting period with the catch, the bigger the bragging rights! Not sure what the record is but there were guests who boasted fighting up to 90 minutes with their catch. Our pioneer guides must have done a very good job because tourists returned time and time again and brought others with them and the trade is still going strong up to this day. It is fishing and diving that attracts visitors to Ambergris Caye and of course their warm hospitality of the tourist guides. Hats off to all of them!

25 Years Ago: What Was Summer Vacations Like for Teens Back Then
Well you are all aware of the various choices children and teenagers have during the summer vacations here in San Pedro. They include summer classes for those who failed, summer programs like music and sports etc., vacation trips and even working for pocket money for other more disciplined teens. It is two months long and of course one has to find constructive things to do. So what did children and teenagers do Years Ago in San Pedro? I am going to assure you that it included first and foremost swimming all afternoon, as opposed to swimming after classes on regular days. However in the morning kids were expected to get some firewood for the fire hearth and mom’s cooking. No firewood, no swimming! Summer vacations were during the months of May and June. This was the season of sea grapes and coco plums and kids spent a lot of time in the bush along the coast in search of these juicy, delicious fruits.

Misc Belizean Sources

Code of Ethics
This is a copy of a brief letter that was sent to the 5 political parties,( PNP, PUP, UDP, VIP, BGIP) calling them to a code of ethics, one we deserve and one that is professionally required. Please be advised that The Belize People's Front, via this letter, hereby challenge you to adhere to a strict code of ethics. Please find attached a press release stating the same, and one in which we plan to hold to a high standard. It's time the Belizean Populace gets the respect and disciplined level of governance we all seek, which is enshrined in our constitution.

No Hands Album Launch
Bethany Ann will be having an CD release party for her 'No Hands' album this Saturday, August 24th, at the George Price Centre starting at 6:00pm. Get a signed copy of her CD. The after party will be at the YMAM Destiny House.

Makita Motocross Championship
The Belize Motocross Association had their first event of the season at the Peter August Stadium yesterday: the Makita Motocross Championship. "Thanks to all the Riders and Fans that came to the race,And a BIG thanks to all our Great sponsors with out them the race would not be possible."

BNDC Performs at Carifesta
The Belize National Dance Company and the Galen Eagles Band performed together at Carifesta. Joris Hendrik was there to record some of the performance. They looked and sounded great. There's another week of festivities to come. The opening ceremony was spectacular, and are definitely worth a watch. The light show and the music, with some dub step in there, was awesome.

Channel 7

CWU Pres “Pancho” Gets 2 Months
On Friday, we showed you the meeting which the Stevedores held on Thursday night to discuss the performance of the leaders of the Christian Workers Union, Antonio Gonzalez and James McFoy. They stevedores have been calling for the immediate resignation of Gonzalez and McFoy, which was supposed to take effect last week Friday. Well, all indications were that this call for resignation was ignored, and both men would continue to run to CWU until March 2014, when a general meeting would be called to elect a new executive. Well, Gonzalez and McFoy called a meeting today at the Labour Office in Belize City, where the stevedores were invited along with members from the organizations under the CWU. After almost 3 hours in that meeting; McFoy and Gonzalez granted the media an interview in which they finally responded to some of the criticisms from their membership. Here’s what they told us:

Construction Workers Badly Burned By High Tension Wire, San Pedro
A construction worker in San Pedro is in the KHMH tonight after surviving a massive electrical shock and the fall from a four-storey building. It happened this afternoon at 4:20 pm in the downtown area of the island town. 42 year old Artemio Tamai was on top of Sunbreeze Suites working on a roof when a sheet of zinc he was holding came in contact with what we are told is a BEL high tension wire. Due to the power of the jolt, witnesses say he fell from roof unto Barrier Reef Drive. He was taken to a town doctor and then, due to the seriousness of his injuries, airlifted to Belize City. San Pedro Police say his injuries are not life threatening – and his major injury is second degree burns to his stomach.

Baby Dies Suddenly
This evening, a post mortem was held to determine what caused the death of a three month old child in Belize City. Over the weekend police were called to the home of 36 year old Warren Roches Senior – where his 3 month old baby Warren Roches Jr was seen lying motionless on a bed. Roches told police that he was first alerted by his sister-in-law Tyra Wade that his son was not moving on his bed. 3 month old Warren Roches Jr was not suffering from any health problems and was last medically attended to at the University Clinic by Dr Reyes only 3 weeks ago.

FCD Finding Common Ground In Guatemala
On Friday we told you about a significant agreement signed in Guatemala between The Friends for Conservation and Development, which co-manages the Chiquibul National Park and Balam, a Guatemalan NGO That works in Peten. The agreement seeks to reduce illegal logging in both countries. And while that sounds simple enough, really, it’s not; behind every problem in the Chiquibul is a deeper one – in this case, it’s scarcity of resources and limited government involvement in Southern Peten. Those complex issues were thrashed out on Friday at a round table meeting on Friday morning in Poptun. 7news was there:.. Jules Vasquez reporting Our journey took us from Belize City to Poptun, Guatemala, about a five hour drive southwest. There, at the Finca Ixobel, Rafael Manzanero of the Friends for Conservation and Development was the only Belizean face. The meeting was the Intersectorial Roundtable On Lands And The Environment in South Peten. Government leaders, Alcaldes, community Representatives, Human Rights Officers, the military and government and non government conservation groups gathered to talk about what is known as the Commonwealth of South Peten which comprises 4 municipalities: Melchor de Mencos, Dolores, Poptun and San Luis.

Hegar Back In Belmopan Race
Less than a month ago, former PUP Standard Bearer in Belmopan Amin Hegar could be seen giving the PUP’s New Golden Boy in the Capital, Jason Patrick Andrews a hearty handshake of endorsement. But, it turns out the old Amin is not going away so easily. He today confirmed that he is stepping back into the race to represent the PUP in Belmopan. Hegar told us today that he endorsed Andrews saying that if the PUP in Belmopan is divided, then he will come back. And according to Hegar, they are – and so he’s getting back into the fray. Ruth Logan is also seeking to contest the division for the PUP, so what Cayo South Candidate and PUP Deputy Leader Julius Espat had hopes would be an endorsement for Andrews now appears that it will be a hotly contested convention. No date has been set.

Life Spared In Cayo Collision
Four persons travelling n two vehicles were lucky on Friday night after a collisions on the Western Highway. It happened near Central Farm, just outside San Igancio. Two small pickups were travelling in opposite directions when, according to reports, one of them was getting back into his lane after overtaking another vehicle, and couldn’t get back in time, leading to the collision. We spoke to the sister of one of the men who was rushed to the hospital- Norma Ramirez - Sister of Accident Victim "It's a two car head on collision, I talked to my brother and he was fine but the police were already on site. I found out that the other people that head-on collision with my brother were coming from San Ignacio. The other passenger and my brother had gushes to their head so he was later transported to San Ignacio Hospital that's all I know."

Gun-toting Woman Remanded to Prison
39 year-old Carolee Jean Rhaburn is at prison tonight after she was taken to court for firearm, ammunitions, and drug offences. According to police, she was walking on George Street just before midday on Friday, when she was stopped and searched. The officers reported that they discovered 77 grams – or 2.7 – ounces of marijuana in her purse, and a .38 pistol with 3 live rounds of ammunition in a shoe box she was carrying. As a result, she was charged with drug trafficking, keeping an unlicensed firearm, and keeping unlicensed ammunition. She was arraigned today before Magistrate Hamilton who remanded her to prison due to the nature of the offences. She will be taken back to court on September 24, 2013, her next court date.

Norwegian Exec Censured By National Garifuna Council
They say that loose lips sink ships – well, for the sake of Norwegian Cruise Line, that had better not be true! That’s after Project Designer for NCL’s Harvest Caye Project Hugh Darley made what turns out to be an offensive comment about the sacred Garifuna Dugu Ceremony. Darley was trying to speak affectionately of the Garifuna Culture – but made a huge gaffe when he started talking about the Dugu, which is a closed ritual used to call up the ancestors. But, it seems Darley was told it was some kind of cool dance. Here’s what he said:… Hugh Darley "Garifuna - why Garifuna? It's the only place in the world that we could tell that story and it would be real. We would not create a fantasy, we're telling the real story from the real people. We want to train and have people tell their own stories. In the afternoon there will be a big drum circle on the beach and at 3 o'clock we're going to tell the guests 'guess what - we're going to do a big drum circles out on the beach doing a dance called [dugu].' Why? Because nobody ever gets the chance to see that."

Guatemala Has Rosewood Smuggling Problems Too
We all know about Rosewood in Belize and all the contortions and controversy it has put the government through. But, it’s a problem all over the world, and all over this region wherever the precious hardwood grows. Just so in Guatemala where on Friday we found out from the CEO in their Ministry of environment that they had seized 25 containers of illegal rosewood at the Santo Tomas Port. Here’s what he told us:.. César Vinicio Montero Suárez - Guatemalan CEO in the Ministry of the Environment "The department of Peten, especially southeastern Peten, in the case of Poptún has areas where there are ecosystems conducive to the development of rosewood. From that account, five years ago, the price of rosewood explodes internationally; we are talking about 12 to 13 dollars per foot, and that makes extreme pillaging of the specie in areas of southern Petén. A couple of years ago we started activating the mechanisms and we have seen the results. The illegal extraction of rosewood is part of a purely large-scale organized crime that extracts the wood, even with the involvement of some authorities. However, after the government of Guatemala seized more than 25 containers with time at the port of Santo Tomas de Castilla, headed to international markets, it triggered a series of illegal activities carried out by organized crime and we began to dismantle these groups. To date, the pillaging of rosewood is quite controlled, there are mills that have closed down, there are people in the courts, a network even involving people of other nationalities has been dismantled and I think we are on the way to preserving this unique species. "

Junior Jaguars Lose One
Last week, 7News told you about the Belize U-15 National Football Team, or the Junior Jaguars, who left to participate in the first ever CONCACAF Under 15 Championships. In their first game, they defeated St. Lucia, and on Friday, the team faced off against Jamaica. In that game, the Junior Jaguars managed to defeat Jamaica with a final score of 3-1, the first loss of the tournament for Jamaica, who won their first 2 games and didn’t give up any goals. The goal scorers for Belize were Mark Samuels, Alvin Sifontes, and Randy Augustine, who managed to score in the 5th and 7th minute respectively, securing an early and comfortable lead for team Belize. That’s the actual outcome of the game, but it would seem that Jamaican Football Federation got it wrong, causing outrage to Belizeans who saw this weekend. They posted on their website that they soundly defeated Belize with a score of 8-0. It would seem that they got a notification that their information was wrong because when we checked today, they had updated their website with the correct information.

Channel 5

National Garifuna Council upset about Norwegian Cruise Lines use of the Dügu
Norwegian Cruise Line’s fifty million U.S. dollar investment is facing one more objection, but it’s not because of the location of the project or the possible effects on overnight cruise [...]

All member organizations of CWU meet at Labour Office
An amicable solution to an ongoing crisis within the Christian Workers Union has been met, following a lengthy discussion this afternoon with representatives of the nine entities that comprise the [...]

Review of Christian workers Union finances ordered, but too late
Chief Shop Steward Basil Brannon, who represents employees of the Central Bank of Belize, also agrees that it is time for the Christian Workers Union to revamp its administration.  While [...]

Firebrand protester says time is now to shake up CWU
All institutions registered with the Christian Workers Union were present at the meeting at the Labour Department this evening. The most vocal participant is union firebrand Dion Pitter, who has [...]

Baby dies in home but no one sure of the circumstances
There is a disturbing report tonight that a three month old baby has died under suspicious circumstances following his death. While it was not reported in the police blotter, News [...]

Shocked by electricity then plunges to the ground
Sometime around four-fifteen, a crew of construction workers was on the rooftop of Sunset Suite located at the end of Barrier Reef Drive in downtown San Pedro. Apparently a zinc [...]

P.U.P. and Cordel Hyde set to negotiate a possible comeback
There are some major political rumblings that have already began to play out on the National House of Assembly floor. During last week’s meeting of parliament, Minister Michael Finnegan attempted [...]

Well known Senior Citizen violently beaten in Orange Walk
The murder rate may be down but instances senseless violence continues in some communities. A well known senior citizen of Orange Walk Town was viciously attacked by two persons, including [...]

Belize Can will protest in the Capital
There is also news of a political nature, rising in the capital. It doesn’t involve the politics of the two main parties, but instead body politics. If you’ve been following [...]

Belize Can will protest concept of Gender Studies Dept.
Belize Can marches on the National Assembly at eight-thirty Tuesday morning and at eleven, heads over to the University of Belize to send a similar message to the leaders of [...]

Gunman Shot at his wife’s bar then shoots at the cops
A domestic dispute in the village of Camalote in the Cayo District almost turned deadly on Saturday. At about six thirty that evening Police were called out to Sirenita’s Bar [...]

Cayo robber escapes with items worth thousands
Police reports are sketchy, but tonight there is information that an unidentified resident of San Ignacio Town was robbed over the weekend. The robbery allegedly occurred on Friday at around [...]

Man accused of assaulting a cop
The owner of a bar in Belize City is out on bail after he was charged for assaulting a special constable. Twenty-nine year old Lennox Stevens appeared before Magistrate Leslie [...]

Woman’s teary goodbye after being busted for drugs and ammo
The court was also the setting of an emotional farewell. A Belize City woman today made the public outcry after she was remanded on firearm charges. Thirty-nine year old Carolee [...]

Galen University awards two Jaguars with honorary degrees
They have been recognized internationally by CONCACAF and FIFA for integrity during the recent Gold Cup…and this past weekend Team Belize’s Ian Gaynair and Woodrow West also received the Eagle [...]

Galen Eagles sweeps basketball competition across the border
It was a big weekend for Galen, as on the heels of graduation the university also welcomed back its triumphant heroes, the Galen Eagles. The well regarded basketball team just [...]

U-15, baby Jaguars, fighting to keep second place in competition
While the Belize Jaguars’ inaugural trip to CONCACAF’s annual Gold Cup Competition in July was somewhat disappointing, the under-fifteen delegation currently competing in a regional championship tournament in the Cayman [...]

Fresh funding to assist Climate Change studies and development
The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre has launched a four year multi-million dollar regional energy efficiency project. The U.S. twelve point four million dollars Energy for Sustainable Development in Caribbean [...]

Sports Monday highlights with James Adderley
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday. There’s a new spirit prevailing inside the Cycling Community as the Belize Cycling Association heads into the 1st General Election [...]

More News: Scroll up from here

CTV3

Belize's Under Fifteen National Football Team Wins Jamaica But Loses Against Guatemala
Belize’s Under 15 National Football Team is shining bright like a diamond at the inaugural CONCACAF under-fifteen tournament which is being played in Grand Cayman. The team played its first game against Saint Lucia and won one-nil. The national selection played its second match on Friday August 16th as they went up against Jamaica. Belize scored two goals early in the first half and went on to defeat Jamaica, 3-1. The result improved the Central American side to 2-0-0, while Jamaica lost for the first time in three games. A fifth minute strike from Alvin Sifontes – his second goal of the competition – put Belize up 1-0, a lead that was doubled only two minutes later by man of the match Randy Augustine.

Portugal Deemed Champs Of Mundialito
The Mundialito Football Tournament has become a part of the Orange Walk Community. Every year young football players anxiously wait for the event to kick off at the same time hoping that they are able to form part of one of the many teams that sign up for the competition. This year the tournament kicked off on June 30th and ended yesterday with four teams battling for first, second, third and first place. So who won? Here is a recap of the final matches. Victor Castillo - Reporting Family members arrived at the Louisiana Football Field well equipped with all the necessary instruments to cheer for their team. After 8 long weeks of intense football matches, yesterday marked the grand finale of the Mundialito Football Tournament. Ten teams signed up for the competition but only four made it to the finals. Team USA, sponsored by San Insidro Construction Centre and Team Belize, sponsored by Tico Mendez would go head to head for third and fourth place while teams Espana and Portugal were vying for first and second place.

Work On The Pueblo Nuevo Ferry Gets Under-way
Work on the Pueblo Nuevo Ferry in the Corozal District commenced this morning at 9:00pm. The ferry, which was in dire need of maintenance, links Corozal Town to Villages located in Corozal Southeast such as Chunox, Copper Bank and Progresso. After more than a decade of being in use, the deck of the ferry and other sections has corroded and has proven to be a hazard for commuters especially at night. Today when we visited the area the ferry was indeed undergoing repairs. As we spoke to Emil Cano, Assistant District Technical Supervisor, he told us off camera that repairs were being carried out in portions between normal working hours which are from 8:00am to 5:00pm.

Two Men Charged For Cattle Theft
Two residents from the village of Libertad in the Corozal District were arraigned today in the Corozal Magistrates Court for the crime of Cattle Theft. Fabian Lino and Alberto Garcia where charged with one count of cattle theft each after Clifton West Sr. reported to police that three head of cattle, valued at $1000.00 each, were stolen from his back yard. Investigations led police to Lino and Garcia who were both offered bail of $1000.00 each which they met. The men are scheduled to re-appear in court on the 21st of October 2013.

Another Armed Robbery In Corozal
Is this a new trend? That is what Corozal Police are asking since for the past few days they have been responding to a number of burglaries and robberies. The most recent robbery report was made on Saturday by a Chinese businessman who was robbed at gunpoint. Fifty year old Weushi Lui was inside his establishment located on 6th Avenue, Corozal Town, when two men wearing masks and armed with a hand gun, entered the store and robbed Lui at gunpoint. The criminals made good their escape with approximately $500.00 in cash in different denominations. Up to news time no one has been detained and police investigations continue.

Undisclosed Amount Of Cash Stolen From Reimer's Feed Mill
Sometime between the early hours of Sunday night and this morning, Reimer’s Feed Mill located on Lovers Lane here in Orange Walk, was burglarized. The assailant or assailants, gained entry to the establishment by cutting the lock of the steel door located on the north side of the building. After cutting the lock, the robber or robbers were able to note that the glass door was not secured and upon entering the business they maneuvered their way so as not to be captured by the security cameras. According to the owner of the establishment, the robber or robbers made good their escape with an undisclosed amount of money. No other items have been reported missing and police investigations continue.

Pastor Accused Of Committing Serious Crimes
A pastor is in big trouble with his congregation and with the law as he is being accused of committing some serious crimes. Reports reaching our newsroom are that Rafael Perez, who is, or we should say was, the pastor of the Assemblies of God Church located on Aurora Street, has been missing since August 5th. However, it’s not because something bad happened to him but rather, he is allegedly in hiding. Members of the church, who spoke to us off camera, told us that Perez offered a number of people to take them to the United States in exchange for money and sexual intercourse, these persons being mostly females. According to some female members of the church, who did not wish to disclose their names, Perez also requested that they have sex with him. But that’s not all. Reports are that not only did Perez take money from people by promising to take them to the U. S, but he also had the audacity to sell most of the church’s assets.

Father Injured While Defending His Son
A resident from the village of San Jose is tonight recovering from a chop wound which he sustained over the weekend. The incident played out yesterday in front of this store located in the village of San Jose, Orange Walk. According to Roque Uh, a man known to him only as Max attacked his son with a machete while he was inside the store. A police constable, who was working as a security guard for the business establishment at the time of the incident, attempted to restrain Max but was unsuccessful. Today we visited the village and spoke to Uh who relived the horrific ordeal. Roque Uh, Resident, San Jose Village “Gracias a Dios, yo estaba acostada cuando vino mi hijo, papi el muchacho ya hizo para machetearme y no me alcanzo, y vino y me lo dijo y fui con la china porque haya está el pólice y le hice seña al pólice cuando el pleito otra vez a dentro con el mismo muchacho. El chino y el pólice fueron y los sacaron y después que el corrió como un mecate el saco el machete de su pantalón y cuando él quiso y agarre es que me daño. Es que cuando yo mire que saco el machete yo quería quitar pero no pude y por eso corrió y se fue. Agarre el machete y como él tiene más fuerza el me lo quito y se fue y el policía trato de agarrar la persona junto con el chino pero ya le hiban a poner las esposas cuando se les escapo y se fue y cuando saco su machete en ese momento.”

LOVE TV

Masked Men Robs Chinese Businessman
On Saturday around 8:05 p.m, police responded to a robbery on 6th Avenue in Corozal Town. When they arrived at the location, fifty year old Chinese Businessman, Owen Weushi Lui reported to them that two men wearing masks and armed with a gun, robbed him of approximately five hundred Belize dollars in different denominations. The robbers made good their escape and police are still investigating.

Fifty Graduates Emerge From Galen University
Degrees were conferred on over fifty students at Galen’s Ninth Commencement Exercise on Sunday. After the official welcome address the Director of International Division and Representative from the University of Indianapolis, Marilyn Chase pointed out that the Universities are celebrating ten years of partnership MARILYN CHASE, University of Indianapolis “When I first came to Belize ten years ago, I saw the promise of what could become; I see the fulfillment of that promise in the faces before me. As we gather to celebrate your commencement, you represent the very best of both our institutions; of both of our countries.” The President of Galen University, Dr. Louis Zabaneh, highlighted Galen’s achievements and spoke of reforms at the University during his remarks DR. LOUIS ZABANEH, President, Galen University “You will walk out of this building knowing that your hard work, investment and dedication is acknowledged and is paid off. You will begin to take up the challenge of leading and building Belize. As leaders, you will carry yourself with dignity and act with integrity; you will show respect to others both in speech and in your actions. You already know that the one thing that characterizes a Galen student and graduate is a passionate commitment to the sustainable development of Belize. We, the Galen University Eagles are known for taking bold and innovative actions to build and uplift ourselves, our family, our community and our country.” The Keynote Speaker for the event was Belize City’s Mayor Darrel Bradley who delighted the graduates with words of advice emphasizing the importance of values and taking chances.

Cannabis Found Hidden in Bedroom; Belmopan Resident Arrested
Evan John Arana, a twenty two year old man from Cayo Street in Belmopan was arrested and charged for drug trafficking offenses. Around 6:00 a.m on Friday August 16th, Police searched Arana’s house and discovered two plastic bags inside his bedroom, containing 162 grams of cannabis. Arana was the only person present during the time of the search and he was subsequently arrested and charged for the crime of drug trafficking.

Police Officers Shot At While Intervening in Domestic Disturbance
A shooting incident was reported in Belmopan on Saturday. According to Police reports, they responded to the incident in Camalote Village and their investigations revealed that Roberto Castellanos, reportedly fired several shots at his ex-common law wife. When Police arrived however, they saw Castellanos walking away from the establishment with what appeared to be a sixteen gauge shotgun in his hand. Police tried to get his attention but he ignored police orders. While he walked away, he continued to load the gun and then fired two shots at the police who returned fire and missed him. Castellanos escaped but was caught a few moments later. He was formally arrested and escorted to the Police Station, pending investigations.

Men Enter Restaurant as Customers; They Exited as Robbers
Two men, 34 year old Garfield Flowers and 31 year old Kenroy Vanzie, were charged with burglary when they appeared today in the #4 Magistrate’s Court. They pled not guilty to the charge. Only Vanzie was offered a bail of $2,000, which ne met. Flowers was not offered bail because he owes the court $1,500. Magistrate Dale Cayetano told him that if he pays the outstanding fine bail will be considered. Their case was adjourned until October 3. The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. on Friday, August 16. The complainant, 49 year old food vendor Muriel Jones, reported to the police that while she was at her business place on Youth For The Future Drive, three men entered and ordered food. She said that one of the men, who wore a blue shirt, demanded money from Lincoln Hamilton, one of her customers who was eating in her restaurant. She said one of the men punched Hamilton when he refused to give them money. The police investigated the incident and reported that their investigation led to the arrest of Flowers and Vanzie. The police say they are searching for a third man to charge him for burglary.

Father in Southern Belize Seeks Help to Find His Son
A father who resides in Cattle Landing Village Toledo is looking for his son who has been reported missing. Correspondent Paul Mahung spoke with the father who shared the details. PAUL MAHUNG “The father, Marcos Antonio Pineda and his 12 year old son Marcos Saul Pineda currently reside in Cattle Landing Village. Mr. Pineda visited Love News and spoke of his missing son.” MARCOS ANTONIO PINEDA “I went fishing in the in area of Cattle Landing; my boy was wearing a red shirt, yellow pants and black slippers. I am sure he came out of the water because I had told him to leave the waters and go home to bathe. I got home at around three o’clock and he was not there. He has a black mole on the centre of his forehead. He is about four and a half feet tall; he has about 80 – 85 pounds. He had left home once under my care and I found him in Punta Gorda Town near the high school area. I had told him to come out of the water or else I would lash him; I reported this to Human Development and to the Police but the police told me I need a photo of him and his album had gotten wet and I don’t have any photo of him.”

Unemployed Woman Found With Unlicensed Firearm and Ammunition
In Belize City on Friday around 11:05, police officers were conducting mobile patrol on George Street. During the patrol they stopped forty year old Carolee Rhaburn, a Belizean Domestic of Antelope Street Extension and after a search recovered a black pistol and one magazine containing five, point nine millimeter rounds of ammunition. She has since been detained pending charges of “Kept Unlicensed Firearm and Ammunition”.

Landlord Dog Attacks Tenants
A three year-old girl was viciously mauled by a pit-bull dog early on Saturday morning and when her mother intervened to save her daughter’s life, the animal then turned on her. What’s worse is that the incident happened where the family thought they were safe – at home. According to Edwardo Guardado, he moved along with his common-law wife, Maria Guerra, and small daughters to 56 Iguana Street Extension two months ago and thought they were safe at the location because the yard has a high fence and gate. But as he discovered, he thought wrong. Edwardo Guardado, Daughter mauled by pit-bull dog (Translated to English) “On Saturday morning at around six o’clock my mom went to work and the dog started to bark and the baby started to cry. When the dog heard my sister crying, he bit the baby and my mom was trying to pull my sister away but the dog didn’t want to let go and my mom was fighting with the dog and she got bit too. This happened in our yard; the dog is for the owner of the house.” The owner of the dog, Ricardo Velasquez, also decided to talk to us and he said that he has since purchased the medication that the child and her mother need as well as he has agreed to pay the family for the time that Maria Guerra has to stay away from work to nurse herself and her daughter, Alicia back to health.

Results are Out for CSEC Examinations
The Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate, or C-SEC for short, is generally sat by high school-leaving students in the Caribbean in May and June. SEC subjects are examined for certification at the General and Technical Proficiencies in 33 subjects, 28 subjects at the General Proficiency and five at the Technical Proficiency. It has also expanded to a six-point grading system, from one to six in overall grades, or from A to F in profile grades. The results are out for 2013 and from the looks things, while Belize did well in some areas, it also lost ground in others. And what’s of concern is that only 43 percent of our students who sat the exams received acceptable grades between one and three. But according to the Caribbean Examinations Council’s Local Registrar, Juan Vargas, the overall performance remained generally the same. He said that when compared to our students’ performance last year, Belize did better in 17 subjects while it did not do so well in 16 others, and in one subject, Home Economics Management, Belizean students kept the overall grade at the same level as last year’s. JUAN VARGAS, LOCAL CXC REGISTRAR “There are some salient things that we need to look at; some other things that we need to highlight when you look at individual subjects but more or less compared to what we did last year, it remains the same. Regarding the issues that we need to look at, I will speak to a comparison of what we had last year in Belize to what we had this year.

Robber Takes Cellular Phones and Batteries from Businessman
A man from San Ignacio Town in the Cayo District reported to police that his business place was burglarized last week. The forty four year old Sales Manager of Mossiah and Victoria Street in Town reported that on Friday August 16th at 3:25 a.m, he was awakened by a noise coming from his yard. He got up to make checks and saw the door for an office-trailer open. He also saw a tall dark complexioned man, who was wearing green T-Shirt and dark long pants, filling a black handbag with cell phones. When the businessman called the police, the culprit escaped through the main gate. The businessman then made checks in the office and noticed that several cell phones with batteries and assorted chargers were missing. The items are valued at six thousand nine hundred and fifty seven thousand Belize Dollars. Police continue to investigate.

Health Authority Holds Training for Food Safety Inspectors
Today, Food Safety Inspectors for the Belize Agriculture and Health Authority, BAHA, are forming part of a training workshop at the Biltmore Hotel. The workshop, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, HACCP, is designed to properly educate the food safety inspectors about the hazards and risks food products. This time around, the workshop is primarily dealing with meat and poultry. According to the Food Safety Director for BAHA, Doctor Miguel Figueroa, the training has seven key principles. DR. MIGUEL FIGUEROA “The seven principles are conducting a hazard analysis to determine what are the risks involved in processing plants, in processing a product. HACCP is a quality assurance system that ensures that the end product is safe for human consumption; so, it’s basically, identifying the hazards that are associated with meat inspection and producing meats and how you control those hazards in the whole chain processing; from the time you receive an animal to the slaughtering facilities up to when it is slaughtered and the carcasses are distributed; so, you follow that chain and you determine what are the risks and see how you can prevent any risk to human whenever humans consume the final product. The Mennonite community is the one of the main players in the training because they are the ones who are producing the chickens, the meats. Presently, some of them do have the HACCP plan but most of them are not implementing the HACCP system; so, one of their main problems would be they do not have any good manufacturing practices; some of them do have the HACCP plan but they are not enforcing or carrying out the plan. This training is a reminder that any facility that produces food for human consumption should have some kind of quality system to follow.”

PlusTV

Package delivered to a Government Ministry contained bullet and note
Police in Belmopan are investigating an alarming report from the Ministry of Natural Resources. Details at this time are still forthcoming, but PlusNews has confirmed that an envelope was delivered to the Ministry on Thursday and found inside were a bullet and a note. The package was addressed to...

GOB revokes lease of Commerce Bight Port
The Government of Belize has revoked the lease granted to Port of Belize to operate and manage the Commerce Bight Port, south of Dangriga. GOB has made previous attempts to repeal PBL’s possession of the port – back in March of 2008, the Government served notice to PBL to ...

Receiver in charge of POB explains next moves in takeover of Commerce Bight Port
As of Thursday, the Belize Port Authority was at the Commerce Bight Port outside of Dangriga seeking to take control per an order from Minister responsible for Ports, Rene Montero. In a press release sent on Friday, the Government charges that owners Port of Belize Limited have failed to...

Meeting rallies support to oust CWU leadership
On Thursday night members of various organizations unionized by the Christian Workers Union (CWU) met to gauge support for a removal of two giants of union leadership in Belize –Antonio Gonzalez, long time president, and James McFoy, general secretary. Yesterday we brought you the men trying to organize the...

Progress made on Stevedore Negotiations
This week we have been following the travails of the Christian Workers Union which is seeing infighting during tense negotiations with the Port of Belize Limited. It has taken many years but according to Port receiver Arturo Vasquez there has been some progress made. Arturo Vasquez – Ports receiver:...

Government to defend Mark Seawell case August 26
On Friday morning Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin finished hearing arguments from the attorney of Mark Seawell, the Belizean wanted in Ohio, USA on charges of drug trafficking and running a continuous criminal enterprise between 1994 and 1997 in his application for habeas corpus. After court, Arthur Saldivar explains what...

NTUCB supports restructuring of PAC
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize has joined the Chambers of Commerce and PUP in support of the restructuring of the Public Accounts Committee. The NTUCB is calling for the social partners that is the union, the business community’s and the churches to have representation on the PAC. ...

Helping communities near archaeological sites better market their product
The Making Tourism Benefit Communities Adjacent to Archaeological Sites Project has a long name but an important role. On Thursday night at the House of Culture it moved into another phase of its 2 year plan to help artisans and others who make a living from tourism better market...

Chopping incident in Salvapan sends man to hospital
Gun violence has shattered the very core of our nation. However, it is not the only means of inflicting grievous harm to another individual. Yesterday at around 4:00 pm police got a report about a chopping incident in Guatemala Street, Salvapan Area. When they arrived at the location, they...

Government gives details of the MOU with NCL
The NCL Cruise project at Harvest Caye is moving forward full throttle. We’ve been covering Wednesday’s lengthy press conference where the MOU agreed to by the Government of Belize and the Norwegian Cruise Line was made public. Tonight we take a closer look at the details of that document...

Pedro Cruz paints mural in San Ignacio
Pedro Cruz, a long time artist, has done many cultural paintings for tourist attraction in Belize. One of his biggest contributions for the San Ignacio Town is the mural he painted beside the San Ignacio Police Station in 1991. 22 years have passed and...

FFB to promote more female football
It has been a year unlike any other for Belizean football, with all manner of national teams going out to represent the country from junior to senior level. The latest to travel is the U-20 Lady Jaguars female team, who will take a short hop to Honduras on Tuesday...

Young basketball players from across the nation meet in Belize City
Basketball has not been left out of the sporting equation. Youth ballers from around the country converged in Belize City for the final rally to conclude this year’s Ballers for Life Summer Camp organized by the Belize Basketball Federation. With more here is that federation’s...

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Caye Caulker Humane Society Fundraiser
It’s time for another semi annual fundraiser. On Saturday Aug 24th, from noon to 4 pm the Caye Caulker Humane Society will be having another DOGWASH on the beach across from Oceanside Bar. Dr. Zeke and his lovely assistants will be there to give flea & tick dips, check ups, vaccines, worming and much more. There also will be beer for sale for only $3Bzd. Come with your dog(s) and feel free to donate your money and/or time. The more help there is the better. As you can see they need 4 people to wash one dog, so they need lots of volunteers. If you want to help out, please contact Debbie Cooper.

The Reporter

Belizean Youth leader attends International Conference
Belizean youth leader and high school teacher, Kevin Forrester, will represent Belize at the Annual Curators Meeting, to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from Friday to Tuesday, August 16-20, 2013.

NCL Project will not kill overnight tourism
Cruise and overnight tourism can coexist, Senator Godwin Hulse, the Minister of Local Government and Labour, said Wednesday.

Why the head tax is split $4-$3
This week, the Government of Belize explained why it would return $4.00 out of the $7.00 in head tax, to be collected from the Harvest Caye project, back to Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Stevedores want union’s top executives to resign
A number of stevedores are up in arms against the leadership of their union, the Christian Workers Union (CWU), and have called on its President, Antonio Gonzalez and Secretary James McFoy, to step down by Friday.

Former soldiers war over Ex-Service men League headquarters
The National Executive Council of the Belize Ex-Servicemen’s League has locked its Belize City Branch out of their building on New Town Barracks to teach them a lesson. Belize Ex-Services League President, Bernard Adolphus, said that it’s not that the National Executive Council really wants the Belize City Branch members [...]

Leadership: The first fundamental building block to achieve Sustainable Development
In the next series of articles we will be focusing on Leadership. We will look at the various forms it takes and discuss what research has uncovered about Leadership. We will study some of the world’s greatest Leaders and underscore the lessons to be learnt from their experiences.

Belizean culture at XI Carifesta
Thirty-five Belizean artists will join delegations from other CARICOM countries at the XI Carifesta in Paramaribo, Suriname, from Friday, August 16 to Sunday, August 25, where they will be showcasing every aspect of Belizean culture and art.

Robbery suspect pleads with Magistrate not to send him to jail
A Belize City man, who has been accused of an armed robbery, pleaded with Magistrate Clive Lino not to send him to jail, when he was arraigned on Monday. Harry Joseph, 24, a resident of Courtenay Crescent, told Lino that he is the only breadwinner for his family and that [...]

Cop dies after severe beating in George Town
Independence Police confirmed on Tuesday that they have detained two brothers pending investigation into an incident that resulted in the death of a vacationing police constable in George Town Village.

Buckley gets long-overdue $50,000 compensation
By Aaron Humes Former construction worker and a father of five, Steven Buckley, 40, emerged from the St. John’s Credit Union on Basra Street with $2,000 cash in hand last Friday. The money was part of the $50,000 partially payment to Buckley, whose plight since sustaining life-threatening and permanent [...]

Taiwan gives US$20,000 for September Celebrations
The Republic of China on Taiwan has traditionally sought to strengthen the bonds of friendship and mutual cooperation with Belize in a number of endeavours, and the national September celebrations are no exception.

Belizeans awarded 26 scholarships to study in Taiwan
Twenty six young Belizeans have received scholarships to study in the Republic of China on Taiwan, and received their awards from Taiwan’s Ambassador H.E. David C.K. Wu on Saturday, August 4.

Cocoa might prevent memory decline
Drinking cocoa every day may help older people keep their brains healthy, research suggests. A study of 60 elderly people with no dementia found two cups of cocoa a day improved blood flow to the brain in those who had problems to start with.

Younger kids breaking out in acne
One of the hallmarks of being a teen is breaking out in acne, but a Toronto dermatologist says that kids might not wait until they are teenagers to see their first pimples. Dr. Paul Cohen, a dermatologist at Toronto’s Rosedale Dermatology Centre, says that puberty is happening at an earlier [...]

Belize Bank Bulldogs lead firms basketball
The undefeated Belize Bank Bulldogs and Atlantic Bank are leading the Belize District firms’ basketball competition, each with three victories as the tournament continued at Bird’s Isle in Belize City on Friday and Saturday nights, August 9-10. Marcel Orosco scored 23 pts, as he led the Belize Bank to a [...]

Triple B’s enter Atlantic Bank football finals
The undefeated Triple B’s of Belmopan have qualified to the championship finals of the Atlantic Bank female football competition, and will host the Ladyville Jaguars in the first final scheduled for the FIFA Goal Project Stadium beside the Football Federation of Belize in Belmopan on Saturday, August 31. The Triple [...]

Blogs

Caye Caulker Catamaran Sail with Seaduced: Mutton Snapper, Manatees, Jet Skis, Good Times
I may have mentioned that I love to go on a catamaran sail to our sister island of Caye Caulker. And I may have mentioned that it is my favorite trip from Ambergris Caye. In fact, I may have mentioned it in the countless blog posts that I’ve written over the past couple years about this year topic (see below). I’ve been on this trip at least 25 times. And each time it’s a little different and a little bit awesome. Lots of sun and snacks, snorkelling at the two best snorkel stops, a 2 hour stop at Caye Caulker for lunch and a look about and always more…good times. Here are the pictures from our trip with Seaduced by Belize yesterday from San Pedro to Caye Caulker on a perfect August day for sailing. Sailing out to Hol Chan. Loving the bean bags.

Big News for Table Tennis in Belize
Forrest Gump was good at it, the Chinese love it and now there’re enough Belizeans into it that a big-time table tennis championship is coming to Belize for the very first time. Regular readers know that we love to report on all things Belizean, especially anything to do with the environment, responsible travel, arts, culture and music, and sports fans appreciate that we also keep an ear to the ground for athletic news. So it was with interest that we heard that Belize will be hosting the 15th Central American Table Tennis Masters Championships, which will run from September 13 to 16 2013. This is the first time the Jewel has had the honour, and it is significant because the Central American Table Tennis Confederations are adding a new category to the championship, according to 7 News Belize. Speaking to Channel 7, – Belize Table Tennis Association president Arturo “Tux” Vasquez explained that “It’s a first for Belize, it’s the 15th of course and it’s all the Central American countries, masters or veterans and it’s a tournament that will be played between 5 categories, starting with 30-39, 40-49, 60-64, 65-70 and 70 and above.”

Belizean Picadillo
Picadillo is a protein rich meal that's made with spicy black recado. This meal is quick and goes well with corn tortillas. The boiled eggs and ground pork or ground beef makes this meal very filling.

BECOMING A REALITY: BELIZE’S MEDICAL TOURISM ASSOCIATION/ COUNCIL
In August of 2012, BELTRAIDE with funding from Compete Caribbean facilitated the development of a Medical Tourism Strategy for Belize. With the strategy completed, BELTRAIDE will be venturing in the formalization of a Medical Tourism Association/ Council via the facilitation of a two day working session. The work sessions will be held on Tuesday, August 20, 2013 and Friday, August 23, 2013, at the Institute for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ITVET) Facility in Belize City from 8:30a.m.-12:00p.m.

August 11, 2013 - August 17, 2013 Fishing Report
It’s great to see our return guests/family. Adam and Julie, Dave and Gayle, Scott (and now Stephanie), Dean and Tracy, Kevin, Tim, Kyle, Porter, Tripp and Tarpon Tony. We may have had a tough week with a tropical depression, but there were big hearts and fun laughter over the thunder.

International Sources

7 ways to interact with Garífuna culture in Belize
The Garífuna village of Hopkins has a near five-mile stretch of sand, with few people in sight at any one time. No vendors and no noise, aside from the sound of distant drums. Garífuna Settlement Day (November 19) celebrates the arrival of the Garifuna people to Belize by dugout canoe, with a live reenactment along the shores of Dangriga. Dusk-till-dawn drumming and dancing at local bars, or "sheds," begins on November 18. "We are the only cassava-making farm in the country," says Cyril Sabal of the family-run Sabal Farm. "We've been here for 25 years and we bake twice a week." Cassava bread is a traditional Garifuna staple.

Garifuna Collective Still Carries the Beat of Belize
Andy Palacio was an artistic pioneer for the music industry in Belize, shaping cross-currents of colonialism and slavery. Unfortunately, Palacio passed away at just 47 years old after suffering a series of small strokes. His passing caused a hart hit for Garifuna music, with a soulful blend of African percussion and guitar. The music expresses the endangered cultural traditions of the Garinagu people, who began migrating to countries like Belize in the 1700 and 1800s. While is collaborators are still working to keep the music alive, the country of Belize is not as influenced by the genre as they were when Palacio was alive. Elsewhere in the world, however, Canadian singer-songwriter Danny Michel released an album this past summer with a Collective of the music entitled “Black Birds Are Dancing Over Me”, with seven Collective members on their current tour. Michel first encountered Garifuna while he volunteered at a school in Belize.