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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

Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow departs country for back surgery
Prime Minister, Hon. Dean Barrow departed the country on Sunday, 3rd November, 2013, for Los Angeles, California, to receive medical treatment for his chronic back pain. The Prime Minister is scheduled to return to Belize on Thursday, 14th November, 2013. During the Prime Minister’s absence, the Hon. Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister will act as Prime Minister of Belize.

San Pedro Town and Belize City renew Sister Cities relationship with Chetumal, Mexico
Two municipalities in Belize renewed sister cities relationships with the City of Chetumal (Othon P Blanco), Mexico. While no announcements were made in Belize, the Mexican press is reporting that the Mayor of Othon P. Blanco, Eduardo Espinosa Abuxapqui, held an official ceremony on Saturday October 26th to twin Chetumal City with Belize City and San Pedro Town. The aim of twinning is to strengthen exchanges in the cultural, academic, tourism, economic and health sectors. In the presence of the members of the Council of Othon P. Blanco and other special guests, the Mexican Mayor gave twinning letters to San Pedro Town’s Mayor Daniel Guerrero and Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Culture and Tourism and Culture of Belize. Deputy Mayor of Belize City Bernard Q Pitts Jr accepted the letter on behalf of the Belize City Mayor, Darrel Bradley.

ABC Preschool Grand Halloween Fair (33 photos)
On Thursday October 31st, ABC Preschool held its annual Halloween Fair at the school grounds. Parents brought out their children to enjoy some tricks and treats, dressing them up for extra fun. It was hard for anyone present not to have a good time as there was plenty on sale, from rice and beans to tamales and plenty of snacks to satisfy each sweet tooth.

Ambergris Today

Belize’s Iconic April the Tapir Dies at 30
“We did a great job keeping her comfortable during her last few weeks, but you get to a point where it is just time to go,” stated Sharon to local Belize City media. “At least it wasn’t a dreadful awful disease that took her in a snap. We saw what was happening; we were committed to keeping her comfortable. And if I could say the good news is that she died peacefully in her sleep.” The tapir is the national animal of Belize and April was an iconic figure that will be sadly missed by all. According to the Belize Zoo directors and staff, her legacy will live on at the Zoo, Belize, and beyond, as a cultural icon and symbol of wildlife conservation and education. Rest in peace, April, we will miss you.

Debbie and Larry's Famous “Yummy Paletas” giveaway at SPRCS
“For it is in giving that we receive”, and Debbie and Larry Heimgartner give away thousands of paletas each year at the San Pedro Roman Catholic School and receive the best Thank You a person can ever get, a warm Belizean Smile form all the students. Debbie and Larry are great friends to the island and without fail each yearly visit they purchase these delicious paletas from Manelly’s Ice Cream to distribute to the RC School Children. It is always a joy to see Debbie and Larry have so much fun as they personally hand out the paletas.

Flashbacks: San Pedro's Warm Hospitality Has't Changed Over The Years!
If you were hosting some friends today, you would probably take them diving or snorkeling at Hol Chan and then take them out to dine at one of the most popular restaurants in town. Not so in the past as you can appreciate in this flashback. Sanpedranos would take them out to the beach, pull down some coconuts and enjoy the mixed drinks or cocktails. What is interesting here are the party boys, the teenagers of the 1960’s and perhaps of the 1940’s too. Let’s move from left to right to meet Guillermo Mito Nuñez (+), Abel Sansorez (guest), Emeterio Sansorez Sr.(+), Alfredo Alamilla (+), Flavio Vasquez (+), Agusto “Cucho” Acosta(+), Jeminiano “Jemi”Aguilar (+), Jaime Paz Sr. (+), and Florentino “Colas” Sansorez. Standing up are some Mexican guests, Anastacio "Tacio" Sansorez and Omar Sansorez visiting San Pedro and Alfredo "Fedo" Alamilla. The hospitality of San Pedro has not changed for sure!

25 Years Ago: San Pedro's First Fire Fighters
Let me first talk about our group of 100% volunteers. Norman Eiley was our appointed Fire Chief, and he was joined by Jose Gonzalez, Miguel Alamilla, Genaro Nuñez, Francisco Verde, Dimas Guerrero and Yours Truly. We were simply invited; don’t think there was any physical test. But indeed they all had to be strong as you will find out later on. We were all family men and left time from our home schedule to go to fire drills every Monday evening at 4 p.m. This was a duty which we took seriously and were very responsible and consistent. We drilled with one or two or even three live hoses by branching off with a splitter. We drilled at every possible spot at the lagoon or seaside where we placed our five-inch suction hose. At times we set patches of garbage on fire and drilled on it. Once Captain Eiley had us build a palm leaf house and he lit it early one night about seven p.m. to try out our whistle communication system and our siren as well.

Pic of the Week: Trash the Vera Wang Wedding Dress in Belize
Mike and Aby Simes chose to get married in Belize because they fell in love with our country’s natural beauty and the amazing diving opportunities. Photographer Jose Luis Zapata captured this fun moment as the couple decided to “Trash the Dress” after their marriage ceremony that took place at Turneffe Island Resort, Belize. They trashed the Vera Wang wedding dress! “Yes, even Vera Wang wedding dresses get trashed in Belize,” commented Jose Luis Zapata in his blog post.

Rain or Shine, Discover Your Adventure in Belize
Belize offers many tours and excursion that will make your vacation unforgettable. Rain or shine tourists head out to discover their own adventure. I have been observing a lot of tours being advertised all around Ambergris Caye; from Sunset cruises to Blue Hole trips. So I decided to treat myself and go on an all day sailing trip to Caye Caulker with two snorkeling stops at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley on the El Gato Tours. Whether perched up front with the breeze blowing...

Misc Belizean Sources

COMMUNITY VS CATHOLIC MISSION FOR LAND TITLE IN COTTON TREE VILLAGE
The primary school land is one of the many reasons for disagreement in the village of Cotton Tree, Cayo District. The Catholic Mission would like the title of the school land to be transferred to them; in order to build a new building, beautify the campus, and secure its perimeter. Presently the land belongs to the community; the community centre and clinic are also on the same compound. Many of the villagers are of the opinion that if there is a sincere desire to develop the school, the land title is not needed. A meeting was convened on November 3, where villagers came out to speak about the issue and stated that they are against the transfer of the land title. A history of the village was given by Mrs Hortence Anderson, daughter of one of the first settlers of Cotton Tree Village. She explained that three acres of land were given to the Catholic Mission for them to build a school but it was never used. The villagers then took it upon themselves to clear another piece of land and build the community centre on it. Children were being taught at the centre but soon there was a need for another building, with assistance the villagers were able to build another building. These two buildings weren’t enough so, the Women’s Group sought the assistance of Social Investment Fund (SIF) to build a new school building.

CASSAVA PUDDING
2 lb cassava 3/4 lb sugar 2 tablespoon butter 1 1/2 cup coconut milk 1 tablespoon vanilla 1/2 nutmeg, grated 1 egg Instructions: Grate cassava in a bowl. Add sugar, coconut milk, egg, vanilla and nutmeg. Melt butter and pour into other ingredients. Stir together. Pour into a baking pan and bake at 250 degrees for about 45 minutes. ENJOY!!!

SHJC at Cayo Cancer Walk
Sacred Heart Junior College students participated in the Cayo Cancer Walk on Saturday morning. They had a huge showing, and some great shirts made to raise funds for the event. Thanks, SHJC! "On November 2, 2013 students and staff of SHJC participated in the Cancer Walk that was organized by the Belize Cancer Society - San Ignacio Branch. We'd like to thank all the students who participated, who purchased a shirt, or who donated at the main gate so we can contribute to the Cancer Society."

Mexican Embassy Dia de los Muertos
The Embassy of Mexico in Belmopan celebrated Dia de los Muertos with a celebration. "This Mexican tradition combines the beliefs of ancient cultures with those of the Catholic religion. Mexico has always had its own approach to the concept of death. On the Day of the Dead, the souls of the ancestors are invited to join in festivities including food and dancing. Candy skulls are given to loved ones and funny poems about death are shared."

Add!ction Grand Opening
Add!ction Designs is having their grand opening on Saturday, November 9th. Their shop is at 24 West street, and is looking nicer every day. Gabriela Barrera has done quite a few fashion shows around Cayo, and has some creative fashions. Defnitely check them out. "I am Honor to announce that my store will be complemented by De Yans jewelry design by: Mauricio Canelo... Visit us on Nov 9 to see his most latest designs..."

National Youth Week
Happy National Youth Week! The Department of Youth Services is celebrating National Youth Week all over Cayo, and Belize. Check out their schedule. They are doing a movie night tonight, and many things over the week.

Belikin Halloween Block Party
Best Halloween Block party so far. Thanks to Belikin, Mr. Greedy's, and the SISE Town Council for having such a great party. "It was a wild party on Burns avenue last night. DJ Caesar, DJ Chris, and DJ Wolverine rocked the house. They sold out of beer at the booth too."

Paul Nabor Cayo Tour
Paul Nabor, the great Belizean singer and songwriter, will be coming to Cayo for 2 shows the weekend before Garifuna Settlement day. He'll be playing at the Soul Project on Saturday, November 16th, and the Cayo Welcome Center on Sunday, November 17th. Running W Meats and the San Ignacio Resort Hotel are sponsoring the concerts, which are both free.

Legislation designed to overhaul Immigration and Nationality service taken to parliament
Prime Minister Dean Barrow today introduced a set of three pieces of legislation designed to overhaul the Immigration and Nationality services to make the system “as fail-safe as possible.” The proposed reform includes the setting up of a vetting committee to oversee the vetting of applications for visas and changing the Nationality Act to tighten up the process of obtaining citizenship by registration. These new measures come in the wake of allegations of corruption in the Immigration and Nationalist department, which ultimately resulted in the firing of Junior Minister Elvin Penner in September.

Channel 7

Patrick Andrew’s Rise To Standard Bearer
The recent talk of recall elections, has gotten most everyone in a political mood - but there's no recall, not yet, at least and to fill our political fix, we at least have conventions. The PUP started its convention cycle on Sunday in Belmopan and 7News was there. Daniel Ortiz reports:... Daniel Ortiz reporting For the entire day yesterday, the People's United Party held an open convention for the Belmopan Constituency. Almost 2,000 voters came out to choose who their next PUP standard bearer would be, a big statement for the 4 aspirants, Ruth Meighan, Patrick Andrews, Oscar Mira, and Dr. Amin Hegar, who had all been campaigning for months: Hon. Julius Espat - Deputy Leader, PUP "A great moment for the People's United Party, up to 2pm our numbers are showing at least 1,200 voters - that's an incredible amount of people coming out in Belmopan for the People's United Party. It has never been seen like that for a long time. Whichever candidate emerges as the winner the People's United Party is showing that the people are ready for a change."

Construction Worker Accidentally Shot
A construction worker was hit by a stray bullet in Belize City on Saturday morning. At around 11:00, 40 year old Victor Galliano, a resident of Cotton Tree Village, was working on the second floor of a House at the corner of Vernon Street and Central American Boulevard, when he was shot to both legs. Information to 7news is that there was a dispute in the gang affiliated area of Mayflower, shots were fired, but they missed their target and hit Galiano in the legs. His condition is not life threatening and he has been discharged from the hospital.

No Leads In Canadian Murder
Corozal Police have no suspects and no leads into the murder of 57 year-old Canadian Patricia Lynn Nichiporowich, and they are hoping that the public will assist them to bring charges against persons for it. As we told you, on last week Tuesday, the retiree was found stabbed to death inside house she was renting in Consejo Village in the Corozal District. None of her expensive valuables were stolen, but police believe that the killer or killers where there to rob her. They suspect that the only reason nothing was taken was because the neighbors heard the commotion and responded in time to scare the culprits off. Last week, investigators had one person detained for questioning, but that man has already been released. The mostly expatriate community has been shaken by the Nichiporowich murder, and they've been working with police as recently as this afternoon to devise a better response system to prevent a reoccurrence.

Aaron Stock; First CSEC, Now CAPE
Today, the Ministry of Education and the CXC National Committee of Belize released the names of the top performers in the 2013 CSEC and CAPE examinations. Once again, Aaron Stock, who was the second best performer in the 2011 CSEC, has been named as the country's best performer in the CAPE exams. Stock took 8 exams and managed to get grade ones in all of them. He is also the country's best performer for Caribbean Studies, Chemistry Unit 1 and Physics Unit 2. He has also been awarded the Belize Scholarship for this year. He is presently pursuing studies in the US. In the CSEC examinations, Edward P. Yorke graduate Xiaowen Huang was named as this year's most outstanding candidate because she managed to achieve 16 grade ones in her exams. Second place went to SCA's Marilen Guerra who achieved 15 grade ones; that's one more what than the best performer managed 2 years ago when he edged out Aaron Stock. Today, 7News caught up with Guerra and she told us how she managed to block out all distractions and perform so well, even on subjects she wasn't taking in her 4th form year:

Floods Finally Reach Belize City
NEMO's latest advisory issued this evening says that water is receding in most areas of the country - except for Crooked Tree, where the causeway remains closed to traffic and will be that way until further notice. Residents of the area continue to be serviced by a Coast Guard vessel. But there are still isolated flooding events in different parts of the country and NEMO warns the public to avoid walking and driving through flood waters to keep their children out of the water. Sounds good on paper but in practical terms it's virtually impossible - especially for residents of Belama Phase 3. We found that out when we visited today and found water with nowhere to go. Monica Bodden reports:... Monica Bodden reporting The rains have now stopped but some residents of Belama Phase 3 and 4 are left to cope with the after effects. Parts of the small community remains under water- some areas flooded up to 3 feet high.

Convicted Shooter Says Sorry
22 year-old Lloyd Eligio will spend 12 years in jail, that's the sentence Justice Troadio Gonzalez handed him today after his mitigation hearing. As we told you, in the trial, Eligio tried to convince his victim, Mark Lord, and the jury that Lord was mistaken when he accused Eligio of being the gunman who tried to execute him in October 2009. This morning, He took a complete reversal in position when he told the court he was sorry for what he did, and begged for leniency. After considering all the factors, Justice Gonzalez decided that he should spend 12 years in prison, which will be recorded as commencing from last week Monday, when he was first convicted.

Octogenarian Badly Injured In Accident On Western
Belmopan police have not released the details on the charges for the driver of a bus that collided with a car at mile 41 on the Western Highway on Friday. But we do have the details of the person most seriously hurt, 88 year old Joyce Frankson. She was laid out on the highway after being flung from the backseat of her daughters car into the font seat. She suffered serious injuries: 4 broken ribs, 2 fractures to her hands, a broken leg and a fracture of her pelvis. She was transferred from the Western Regional Hospital to the KHMH and is now in a private facility. As we reported, only one lane was open because of work on the Highway - and when the bus's brakes failed it swerved out into oncoming traffic to avoid a rear end collision. Three people were in the car, the elderly Mrs. Frankson her daughter and her son in law who both received minor injuries.

MTBCAAS Push For Authentic Artifacts
You might not know it, but a lot of those tourism mementoes, the curios and trinkets that you see bearing the name "Belize" are actually made in Chine, or, worse, sometimes even Guatemala. And now, a project called "Making Tourism Benefit Communities Adjacent to Archaeological Sites" is trying to change that. A $350,000 dollar project has been awarded to a Caribbean consultant to teach Belizean producers how to make crafts that are genuine products of Belize. We found out more at the launch today:... Ian Morrisson, Project Coordinator - MTBCAAS "In this segment they will be doing training in standardization, branding and certification of the products. This will allow the artisans to have a better marketability and to ensure that there is a sustainable market for the products in the future."

Accused Murderer Walks; Main Witness A No-show
25 year-old Harrison Jacobs was freed of murder in the Supreme Court today when the prosecutor told the court that she couldn't continue her case because the main witness couldn't be found. Crown Counsel Shanice Lovell called 10 witnesses who testified against Harrison Jacobs, who was charged with the murder of Francis Figueroa, which happened on November 28, 2010. The allegation against Jacobs was that on that day, he had an altercation with the victim which escalated into a fight. Jacobs was accused of beating Figueroa and leaving him on the side of the road while he bled from his injuries. Jacobs allegedly returned with a firearm and shot him in the side of the head.

Big Names Battled In Belikin Cup In ‘Griga
We had a first this weekend at Channel 7, as we brought viewers football live Premier League Belikin Cup football from Dangriga. It was a big game, the unbeaten Belize Defence Force FC welcoming the star studded Belmopan Bandits to their home field at the Carl Ramos Stadium. One of them would leave as the league leaders and Mervyn "Rugged" Flores had the call for our coverage, here's how he put it:.. The Bandits now have the lead in the Belikin Cup with a total of 10 points, while BDF is in second with nine points. In other weekend games, Police United played to a draw with FC Belize and Verdes beat San Ignacio 2 to 1.

Rigo’s Back To Back Bodybuilding Victory
Rigo Vellos has once again been declared as Belize's best male bodybuilder; that was outcome of the 2013 Body Building and Body Fitness Championships which was held on Friday. The audience was awed with hours of entertainment from athletes with beautifully sculpted physiques. When the competition came to a close, 7News spoke with the winner of the male categories, and here's what they told us about what it takes to be best in the sport:

BOS Crack Down On Lab Testing
Have you ever gotten a blood or urine test done at a local lab and the result was completely puzzling - and, in the end, turned out to be completely wrong? It happens more than you'd think and it's the dirty little secret of medical laboratories that there are no standards or independent testing done in this critical field. The bureau of standards is trying to change that. They are working with the CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality on a project called Increasing Awareness of Accreditation Among Medical and Testing Laboratories in Belize." We found out more at the half day workshop today:... Dr. Claire Durant, Project Coordinator - CROSQ "The Caribbean Regional Organization for Standards and Quality will be assisting medical laboratories and public health laboratories in improving the standard of work to bring them up to the international standard. We will assist the persons who are actually working in the laboratory in addressing issues that are happening in the lab, the work, the documents, the calibration of instruments, the preparation of samples, how they do the reporting so that it can all be standardize and they can improve their efficiency in the laboratory and ultimately help the public in producing tests that are accurate and reliable 100% of the time."

100 Bucks For A 2014 Hilux?
On December 23rd the Rotary Club of Belize will be raffling a brand-new 2014 Toyota Hilux pick-up truck. It's one of their yearly fundraising events to support the organization's many charitable programs across the country. With only 1,000 tickets, the club plans on raising one hundred thousand dollars. Today we stopped in at mile 3 on the northern highway to check out the new ride and to find out where raffle tickets can be purchased. Lynn Young, President - Rotary "This is an exciting year for us because this year we are raffling a Toyota Hilux which as you know is a very popular pick up truck. We expect that we are going to get a lot of good response on this raffle and we are starting early this year. Tickets are already available and we are looking forward to a good response." Monica Bodden "How much are the tickets going for and what year is the vehicle?" Lynn Young, President - Rotary "It's a 2013 and the tickets are going for $100, but here is the thing; it's a limited edition raffle - We don't sell a lot of tickets, its limited to 1000 tickets and so you have a much better chance of winning than the everyday raffle that you might be doing. That's why its $100 per ticket."

More News: Scroll up from here

Channel 5

P.U.P. stages a huge political convention in Belmopan; Patrick Andrews is new standard bearer
It was perhaps the most anticipated and hard fought political convention in recent P.U.P. history, as four persons vied for the right to represent the opposition party in the Belmopan [...]

P.M. personally checks Immigration files to prove Castro’s innocence
Prime Minister Dean Barrow left the country on Sunday to undergo surgery in Los Angeles for which we wish him a speedy recovery. But before leaving, he strenuously defended his [...]

Penner to remain seated on the U.D.P.’s backbench
When news broke that a South Korean national imprisoned in Taiwan, had received Belizean citizenship and passport, the Prime Minister put Elvin Penner out of cabinet and announced that he [...]

11 immigration clerks transferred; N.T.U.C.B. and P.S.U. come out swinging
Still on the issue of the immigration scandal…The National Trade Union Congress of Belize, and sister organization the Public Service Union, came out swinging this morning on the abrupt transfer [...]

N.T.U.C.B. concerned about perception of transferred clerks involvement in passport scandal
So far it is only public officers that have been affected in the huge immigration scandal. The police say they are not looking in the direction of the former minister [...]

Mayor of Dangriga says the Barrow is dissing him with market issue
The corruption at the Social Investment Fund which resulted in the halting of the Dangriga Market Project has gone unremarked lately. That’s because the issue has been completely overshadowed by [...]

P.M. says he is seeking a qualified quality assurance person for Lands Dept.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow, at a recent fundraiser in Los Angeles, openly admitted that “the Lands Department unfortunately is another hotbed of corruption.” That acknowledgement, which came on the heels [...]

Fire in Belize City guts a King’s Park house
Early this morning, a fire gutted a house in the King’s Park Area. Luckily no one was at home at the time of the blaze, but the family of four [...]

Cyclist dies when he crashed motorbike into a cow
A Honduran national from the village of Duck Run in the Cayo District is dead after his motorcycle crashed into a cow in Spanish Lookout. The accident occurred just before [...]

Fisherman’s murder trial ends in nolle prosequi
The trial of San Pedro fisherman Harrison Jacobs, charged with the murder of twenty year old Francis Figueroa, ended in a nolle prosequi before Justice Adolph Lucas today in the [...]

Lloyd Elijio sentenced to 12 years for attempted murder
Twenty-two year old Lloyd Elijio has been sentenced to more than a decade behind bars for the October 2009 attempted murder of Mark Lord. Lord was shot on Hyde’s Lane [...]

Is there support for a senate-led investigation into the passport scandal?
The senate will meet this Wednesday in Belmopan when opposition senator, Lisa Shoman, will present a motion calling for s senate select committee to investigate the passport and visa scandals. [...]

Flooding in Rural and Urban Belize
For the past two weeks, heavy rains had been putting a damper on villages along the George Price Highway in the west. But one of the main effects of the [...]

Bodybuilding and much more on Weekend Sports
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   Week six of the PLB’s Belikin Cup found a struggle with Police United needing a win against FC Belize [...]

LOVE FM

Fisherman Freed of Murder Charge
Twenty-five year old Harrison Jacobs, a fisherman charged with murder, was freed of the charge today when a nolle prosequi was entered, indicating that the prosecution was unable to proceed. Crown Counsel Shanice Lovell entered the nolle prosequi because the main witness could not be located. Ten witnesses had testified for the prosecution and the main witness was the last left to testify. Jacobs’ trial, which began last week, was a trial without jury and the trial judge was Justice Adolph Lucas. Jacobs was charged with the murder of 20 year old Francis Figueroa which occurred around 2:30 a.m. on November 28, 2010, in the Boca Del Rio area of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The case for the prosecution was that Jacobs and the deceased had an altercation and during the altercation Jacobs beat Figueroa and left him lying injured on the side of the street. Jacobs left and returned with a firearm, walked up to Figueroa and shot him in his head. But although Jacobs was freed of the murder charge he was held in custody because he has a charge of wounding for which he was not offered bail because of the murder charge. Jacobs’ attorney, Michael Peyrefitte, said Jacobs is to go to court for the wounding on December 2, but he will try to secure bail for him before that date.

Stray Bullet Injures Construction Worker In Belize City
A man was shot in Belize City on Saturday. Police say that at around 11-30 on Saturday morning 40 year-old Victor Galliano, a construction worker of Cotton Tree Village, Cayo, was working on the second floor of a house at the corner of Vernon Street and Central American Boulevard when he heard several gun shots and realized that he was shot in both legs. Police are looking for two persons who they believe can assist in this investigation.

Officials Investigate House Fire in King’s Park Area
An early morning fire in Belize City has destroyed the upper flat of a home located at # 5751A Lizarraga Avenue. The house which is owned by Oscar Salazar was being rented by Gilroy Usher Jr. According to eyewitnesses in the area around 8 this morning they observed black smoke coming from the roof of the building after which the upper flat of the house became engulfed in flames. The Fire Department is presently investigating to determine the cause of the fire. Love News understands that both Belize Electricity Limited and the Fire Department had been called to the same residence late last night due to a small electric fire on the premises.

Police Uncovers Cannabis in Small Town
Police have discovered drugs in two separate parts of the Cayo District. On Sunday evening Benque Viejo Police made checks in an area in the outskirts of Succotz Village, Cayo in the Trek Stop road where near a shed they found a black plastic bag with green leafy substance suspected to be cannabis 220.4 grams. Meanwhile, on Saturday night members of the Benque Viejo Police visited Church Street behind a residence when they discovered a white sack containing six parcels of suspected compressed cannabis weighing close to 20 pounds. The contents were labeled at found property.

Teenager Goes Missing From Children’s Home
A 13 year-old boy who lives at a children’s home is reportedly missing. According to Carlisle Smith, a supervisor at Kings Children Home in the Cayo District, 13 year-old Joel Arzu went missing between seven and nine on Sunday morning when they conducted a head count at the breakfast table. Arzu is described to be of clear complexion, standing four feet five inches tall with black hair, brown eyes and weighs about 95 pounds. Police say that Arzu is believed to be heading to the Orange Walk District since he is originally from that location.

First Caribbean Bank Raises Money For Cancer Patients
In July of this year, CIBC First Caribbean set a target of raising thirty thousand US dollars to support cancer patients across the region through its regional Walk for Cure. In Belize the bank’s employees held several fund raising events as well as their walk for cure which took place on October 5. They raised three thousand three hundred dollars for the Belize Cancer Society. Across the region the bank raised more than three times their initial target by collecting one hundred and four thousand eight hundred and fifty three US dollars through various activities. This is the second year that the bank has held the walk for cure.

New Vehicle Up For Raffle:Rotary Club of Belize Fundraising
The Rotary Club of Belize has launched its annual raffle to raise funds for a number of community-based projects including the Gift of Life Program, Crime Stoppers Belize and the Belize Literacy Program. This year just 1,000 raffle tickets are being sold which means that those who purchase tickets will have a good chance of winning a brand new Toyota Hilux. President, Lynn Young, spoke to Love News about the raffle. LYNN YOUNG “This is an annual Rotary raffle; it’s a Hilux we are raffling this year. We are getting a lot of positive responses for this. The thing about our raffle is that it is a limited edition raffle. It’s 1000 raffles that we are selling at 100 dollars apiece and my advice to people is to get their tickets fast because there is a lot of interest in this Hilux and I think the tickets are going to go real fast.” According to Young you can get your tickets from any member of the Rotary Club of Belize.

12 Years for Attempted Murder
Twenty-two year old Lloyd Elijio, who was convicted of attempted murder last week, was sentenced to 12 years today by Justice John Gonzalez. The sentence, stipulated Justice Gonzalez, is to take effect from October 28, when Elijio was found guilty. Before he decided on the sentence, Justice Gonzalez took into consideration a plea for mitigation from Elijio, his age, the prevalence of the offence, the severity of the penalty and the manner in which the incident occurred. The incident occurred around 12:50 p.m. on October 25, 2009. The complainant, Mark Lord, was walking on Hyde’s Lane heading for Barrack Road when Elijio ambushed him and shot him in the left side of his chest. Elijio was not represented by any attorney. Crown counsel Sheneiza Smith represented the prosecution.

Blogs

The Best Tortilla Chips on Ambergris Caye come from Corozal Belize
Over the course of almost 8 years living Ambergris Caye and countless potlucks I have taste tested a a lot of tortilla chips. While some were better than others I never found any worth praising. That is until I flew to Corozal Belize and Found Ronny’s Tortilla Factory. I liked his chips so much I made sure to find a couple of stores here that would be willing to stock them. Chips and guacamole, dip or salsa are a fundamental combo, but the ultimate tortilla chip should be able to stand alone. The best tortilla chip should have a taste that stands out leaves you wanting more. They should sturdy but not not to thick or oily, After all no one wants oily fingers or a chip that breaks in bits when you are trying to load it up. The perfect chip should be crunchy and have a firm fresh snap when you bite into it, especially after the bag as been opened. Lastly, they should have a good shape, engineered for scooping a decent amount of guacamole, salsa, or dip.

Bucket List Trip: Catamaran Sailing the Belize Cayes with Raggamuffin Tours, Day One
Mark Twain said it correctly. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did”. Or…if you are unfamiliar with Mr. Twain, you can go with the modern day sage Khloe Kardashian, renowned for her high pitched scream – YOLO! (“you only live once”). Either way, both of them are pretty spot on. My trip over the last three day, sailing from Caye Caulker to Placencia, Belize with Raggamuffin Tours, along the barrier reef, was that kind of trip. Half the time, it didn’t even feel real. It was THAT awesome. A teensy bit of background and an apology in advance. This post is a bit scattered. But after 3 days, I have a TON to tell you about. Raggamuffin Tours has been operating out of Caye Caulker for over 10 years. And they have a stellar reputation.

Belizean Music is Simple, yet Extraordinary
Belizean music is a mixture of Kriol, Mestizo, Garifuna, and Maya. Each culture is known for a special genre but the general population listens and dances to everything. You might believe that the music of Belize has achieved little worldwide recognition, but with one out of every three Belizeans living in the US, and international stars such as Andy Palacio who won the award of top 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time, our music has made its rounds. Below you will find popular music by the various cultures of Belize.

What Raggamuffin’s do in October!
Ashamedly we close for the month of October – rest, recuperation and renovation for staff, office and boats! Some of us have taken journeys – Adela, Ellis, Ramsay and Jahlee visited the US and Kevin the US and Japan and the rest of us enjoyed family time at home! It’s a time for us to re-charge our batteries and change the pace so that we can really appreciate what we have. We have found our month off or our slow season being hugely beneficial to the staff that really took advantage of it and it giving everybody that welcome holiday and break that we all look forward to.

International Sources

Increasing drone usage in Latin America
U.S. drone attacks in places like Pakistan and Yemen have gathered a lot of attention. Less so is the explosion of drone usage in Latin America. The issue of drones came up last Friday before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and one of the speakers was Santiago Canton, an Argentine lawyer who was the commission’s former executive secretary and now is director at the RFK Partners for Human Rights, a Washington advocacy group. Canton said 14 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean now deploy drones or have already purchased them. Others have hosted U.S. drones. “The Argentinean army has developed its own drone technology for aerial surveillance. Brazil is the country of Latin America that has the highest number of drones, both produced nationally and purchased outside the country,” Canton said. “Bolivia has just purchased drones for its air force, and it has signed an agreement with Brazil to have Brazilian drones identify coca-producing areas. Chile has sophisticated drones and they’ve bought Iranian ones for their borders and for surveillance throughout their country.

Extinct 'Megamouth' Shark Species Identified
A newly identified ancient creature was related to the megamouth shark, Megachasma pelagios (shown here). But unlike the modern shark, it had slightly longer, pointier teeth. Scientists have finally identified a new species of megamouth shark that prowled the oceans about 23 million years ago, nearly 50 years after the first teeth were discovered and then forgotten. The ancient shark likely prowled both deep and shallow waters for plankton and fish, using its massive mouth to filter food.

Latin American drone use on the rise and unregulated - report
At least 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries have used or purchased drones, an Argentine human rights lawyer said Friday. With the exception of Brazil, none of the countries have laws regulating the domestic use of drones. “The Ecuadorean army has purchased them and is using its own technology to develop them and use them on its border with Colombia,” he said. Belize and Costa Rica, meanwhile, use drones for conservation aims. The Uruguayan army has drones as well, he said, and El Salvador has purchased drones from Israel. Various news outlets have also reported on surveillance drone use in Venezuela and joint ventures with the US in the Dominican Republic.

Quintana Roo wins 6 awards in the “World Travel Market” Fair
The State of Quintana Roo will participate on the International “World Travel Market” Fair that will take place in London, England from November 4th to November 7th. The State will receive 6 awards: Cancun: Best international Airport of Mexico and Central America. Cozumel: Main Cruise Port. Dreams Hotel: Best family Resort. Mayakoba Hotel: Best Golf Resort. Cancun Convention Center: Best facility to host conventions. Rio Secreto Park: Best Nature Reserve.

Go wild: New info and images on Wild Orchid’s beachfront villas in Belize
The seven custom-built beachfront villas at Wild Orchid are situated on one of the most beautiful stretches of white sand in Belize — nay, all of Central America! Just steps from the Caribbean Sea, the open concept homes are highlighted by a state-of-the-art kitchen, media room, modern bathrooms, infinity pool and Jacuzzi, rooftop terrace, lush gardens and two-car garage.