Today's Belize News: June 8, 2014

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Today's Belize News: June 8, 2014 #492027 06/08/14 05:18 AM 06/08/14 05:18 AM
Joined: Oct 1999 Posts: 83,968 oregon, spr Marty OP .
Marty OP	FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report. Specials and Events Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3 Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials The San Pedro Sun Abel Guerrero is the New Town Foreman Abel Guerrero has joined the San Pedro Town Council staff as a town foreman. Guerrero is now in charge of the upkeep and sanitation of Coconut Drive and Seagrape Drive and the stretch of beach from Tropic Air to Belize Water Services, including the sub-areas of San Pablo, San Marcos, DFC and Escalante. The San Pedro Town Council now has three foremen, Samuel Gonzalez Jr., Freddy Gonzalez Jr. and Abel Guerrero, each is in charge of garbage collection and upkeep in a selected area of San Pedro. Office Wear brought to the runway at Public Service Fashion Show A grand audience came out to witness the first ever Public Service Fashion Show that took place on Thursday June 5th at Senor Marlins beach bar. Featuring office wear and high fashion outside the office the event was both entertaining and informative. DJ Chabo kept the tunes coming, as both male and female models graced the runway showcasing familiar uniforms such as the Belize Coast Guard, Immigration, Public Health Nurses, police, firefighters, and several other government offices. The second segment took on a bit more glamour as Foreva Fancy High Street Fashion dressed the ladies up for fashion outside the office. Near the end of the show, M.C for the night Jorge Aldana kept the crowd entertained with surprise giveaways compliments of Foreva Fancy. Public servants that attended the show were treated to drinks and a meal, during the fun show! Puerto Azul: Belizean Paradise or Themepark The conservation community of Belize hereby calls upon the Government of Belize to make an official statement on the exact status of proposed resort development project “Puerto Azul” on Northern Two Caye and Sandbore Caye, located within the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. The scale and scope of this project as outlined in its May 2014 international […] Ambergris Today San Pedro Sailing Club The dedicated children of the San Pedro Sailing Club are setting up their sailboats on a breeze Saturday morning. Misc Belizean Sources Bigabite Burgers There's a new burger house in Cayo, and it's called Bigabite. They have a wide selection of burger combos, which come with juice and curly fries. They can be found across the street from the SISE Town Council, right next to Dr. Sanchez's clinic. Their house rules, which can be seen as you walk in, are great. Pictures on fb. “Close to You” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize. On Thursday Rose and I went to Belize City to attend the July Wine Club Social at the Radisson Hotel. I booked seats on the 17.00 hour Tropic Air flight to the Municipal Airport and cognisant of this I had arranged with Caribbean Depot to make the final (well I hope they prove to be final) two deliveries of gravel by 15.00 hours. We’d agreed -Carmen of Caribbean Depot and I – (well I thought we’d agreed) that if they couldn’t be made by this time that it would be deferred until Saturday. Winner of Adventures in Belize Facebook Contest Ian Anderson’s Adventures in Belize has completed their First Facebook contest. After a month of competition they are pleased to announce the winner of the 3 nights’ stay for two persons at the luxurious El Secreto Resort is no other than Vania Vasquez from Belize. The contest began on May 7th, 2014 and concluded on June 5th, 2014. Contestants were required to submit a picture of themselves on vacation anywhere in the world and tell them why they want to visit Belize, share their photo and encourage as many people as possible to vote for their photo so that they could make it into the top 3. At the end of the contest there were a total of 24 entries and 1,411 votes had been cast, with Vania Vasquez of Belize, Charles Leslie Jr. of Tarpon Caye Belize and Jessica Hernandez of Belize being the top three contestants who would be considered for the fabulous prize. Their photos and descriptions were then reviewed and after much deliberation the judging panel from Adventures in Belize felt that Vania Vasquez of Belize had the best submission of the 3 and was awarded the victory. NGO donations imperative for New Horizons completion If not for donations from non-government organizations, four schools and one medical facility in Belize would be receiving empty new buildings. The Midwest Mission Distribution Center and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -Day Saints donated school supplies and medical kits to New Horizons Belize 2014, an exercise that offers Belizean, Canadian and U.S. professionals a valuable training opportunity in civil engineering and medical care. "We welcome working with NGOs - non-governmental organizations," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ricardo Gonzalez, Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché at the U.S. Military Liaison Office in Belize. "It's for the common good." Combined with the efforts of the Department of Defence Humanitarian Assistance Program, the MMDC and LDS have helped make it possible for the school buildings and medical facility are ready to open their doors. Importing food is damaging the Caribbean: Why no action? It is shameful that golden opportunities to produce more food in the Caribbean and significantly reduce the astronomically high annual food import bill of US$4.75 billion are being woefully neglected. If this misguided trend continues, the economies of many of the countries of the region will be increasingly imperilled. At a time of very low or no economic growth, extremely high ratios of debt-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and declining foreign exchange earnings in many of the 14 independent nations that comprise the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the majority of them continue to spend huge sums on buying food outside the Caribbean. In 2013, only four countries were exceptions to those with unsustainably high debt-to-GDP ratios. They were: Haiti 21.3 per cent, Suriname 29.2 per cent, Trinidad and Tobago 30.6 per cent, and Bahamas 56.3 per cent. Of the others, Jamaica 138.9 per cent, Grenada 115 per cent, St Kitts-Nevis 104.9 per cent, and Antigua and Barbuda 92.9 per cent have the highest debt-to-GDP ratio. Invasive lionfish imperiling ecosystem It sounds like something from a horror film: A beautiful, feathery-looking species of fish with venomous spines and a voracious appetite sweeps into the Gulf of Mexico, gobbling up everything in its path. Unfortunately for the native fish and invertebrates it’s eating, this invasion isn’t unfolding on the big screen. In recent months, news has been spreading of lionfish, a maroon-and-white striped native of the South Pacific that first showed up off the coast of southern Florida in 1985. Most likely, someone dumped a few out of a home fish tank. With a reproduction rate that would put rabbits to shame and no predators to slow its march, the fish swept up the Eastern seaboard and down to the Bahamas and beyond, where it is now more common than in its home waters. “The invasive lionfish have been nearly a perfect predator,” says Martha Klitzkie, director of operations at the nonprofit Reef Environmental Education Foundation, or REEF, headquartered in Key Largo, Fla. “Because they are such an effective predator, they’re moving into new areas and, when they get settled, the population increases pretty quickly.” The lionfish population exploded in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas between 2004 and 2010. As lionfish populations boomed, the number of native prey fish dropped. According to a 2012 study by Oregon State University, native prey fish populations along nine reefs in the Bahamas fell an average of 65 percent in just two years. ELROY BASTARACHEA charged Corozal alleged con-artist, posing as a Lands Department employee, rests in jail today. ELROY BASTARACHEA was charged at the Corozal Magistrate court with (13) counts of obtaining property by deception. He was offered bail in the sum of $10,000.00 and the case was adjourned to August 15th, 2014. BASTARACHEA did not meet bail and was escorted to the Kolbe Foundation (jail). Media reports that this is not the first time Bastarachea has been accused of swindling people’s monies on similar lands deals. On Jun 3rd, 2014 Elroy Bastarachea was accused by a Libertad business woman of swindling her $23,875.00 BCY. 31 year old Grisel Botes, cosmetologist of Libertad Village, Corozal District reported to Corozal Police that that between April 3rd, 2014 and June 3rd, 2014, she had given monies amounting to $23,875.00 Bcy to a friend whom she knows for the past 10 years as Elroy Bastarachea of Patchakan Village Corozal District in exchange for pieces of lands on San Pedro Ambergris Caye Island, Belize District and in the Cayo District. Corozal Drug Trafficking Report On the Jun 6th, 2014 at around about 9:35 p.m. Corozal Police were conducting mobile patrol on 7th Avenue, Corozal Town, when their attention was drawn to a white in color Toyota Camry 4 door Car L/P Czl C- 01701. As a result, the revolving lights of the police mobile was put on so as to signal the driver to stop whereby the said car stopped on the right hand side of the road. The driver was recognized as PAUL MASSAM who was along with a passenger identified as JEOVANNI YOUNG. They were informed that a search would be conducted inside the vehicle for drugs and firearms at the Corozal Police Station. Belize Film School Students Open Mic Video of the day. The Belize Film School students spent a lot of time at the Soul Project while they were in Cayo, and many of them took advantage of Open Mic Night. The Soul Project, which is famous for its Open Mic nights, is open on Friday and Saturday nights until midnight. "2014 Belize film school, students jamming on the soul project stage, after screening Creative Kaos. lots of talent, fun night." PACT Celebrates 18 Years Happy anniversary, PACT! The Protected Areas Conservation Trust had its 18th anniversary yesterday. Keep up the great work. In related news, PACT is doing a call for proposals for small and medium grants. It's all about the protected areas management and preservation. The deadline is July 11th. Western Ballaz Crush No Limit Congratulations, Western Ballaz, for winning the semi-finals against the No Limit. They defeated them 75 - 57 in an action packed game. The Ballaz will now travel to San Pedro to take on the Tiger Sharks. They date is still being decided. Pictures on fb. "The Western Ballaz hosted the No Limit last night in game 3 of the playoffs. They crushed them, and after multiple technical fouls and bouts of non-sportsmanlike conduct, the refs called the game early." LOVE FM Patchakan Man Faces 13 Counts of Obtaining Property by Deception Elroy Bastarachea of Patchakan Village in the Corozal District has been charged with 13 counts of obtaining property by deception. He was offered bail in the sum of ten thousand dollars and the case adjourned to August 15. Bastarachea was unable to meet bail and was remanded to Central Prison. Earlier this week 31-year-old Grisel Botes of Libertad Village told Police between April 3 and June 3 she handed over almost 24 thousand dollars to Bastarachea in exchange for pieces of lands in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize District and Cayo District. According to Botes, he told her he was employed at the Lands Department and within a month of the first payment she would receive the land papers, which did not happen. As a result Bastarachea was arrested and charged. Village Councils of Toledo Meet With Prime Minister Prime Minister Dean Barrow met with the executive of the Toledo District Association of Village Councils to discuss oil exploration in the south. According to a government press release the association expressed their full support for the endeavor citing its benefits to education, health and infrastructure in the district. All parties agreed that moving forward communities will be engaged in a series of consultations to inform community residents and garner support. Mayan leaders have accused the Government of using DAVCO to create division within the communities. Prime Minister Barrow was accompanied by Ministers Joy Grant and Lisel Alamilla as well as CEO Colin Young. Police News: Drugs and Incest Last night around nine o’clock Corozal police encountered a group of young men socializing in the village of Paraiso surrounded by a strong aroma of marijuana. Upon seeing the police mobile, the several of the young men dispersed with the exception of Ricardo Santana and Moises Puck. A search was conducted on Santana and Puck followed by a further search of the yard which unearthed a transparent plastic bag hidden in an old toilet seat containing herbs suspected to be marijuana. Both men were taken to station where the drug was weighed in their presence, amounting to 26.6 grams. 19-year-old, Puck and 35-year-old, Santana were bother charged with the offence of possession of a controlled drug. Meanwhile, Corozal Police were doing patrols earlier yesterday at around 10:30am in the Finca Solano Area when their attention was drawn to two Hispanic men in a yard; one was sitting on a bucket and was seen with green leafy substance and a white bag. Police approached the men and found the substance to be marijuana. As a result 51-year-old, Pedro Vellos, a Belizean fisherman was arrested and charged for the 212 grams of cannabis found in his possession. He was charged for the offense of drug trafficking. BNE Staff Gives to Medical Facility A staff initiative coming out of the offices of the Belize Natural Energy has led to the donations of several pieces of furniture to the San Ignacio Polyclinic. The initiative has been called, ‘The Energy for Life Program’ and entails a salary deduction from its employees in order to finance the donations made. The program, as recent as this week, has seen the contribution of two executive chairs, a water cooler, several shelves inside the medicinal store-room as well as a cupboard measuring eight by seven feet. According to a release, the donation will add comfort to the patients who visit the clinic. The Reporter More clashes precede World Cup in Brazil Brazilians have turned to their country’s metro system to show their discontent with the high level of priority that their government has given the World Cup, scheduled to open next Thursday, over their economic needs. This time, Brazilians held a metro strike, forcing the closure of almost half of the country’s metro stations in Sao Paulo, creating a huge transport chaos which reportedly resulted in more than 125 miles of traffic jams across the city. On day two of the strike police used tear gas to break up protesters. Workers are demanding a 10 percent pay increase and a new round of negotiations has yielded no tangible common ground. Brazilian police have since said that on Friday, they intervened to pacify clashes between picketers and commuters trying to enter the stations. Study suggests eating white bread can cause obesity White bread as a diet staple can lead to obesity, according to a new study. The study was scheduled for presentation on Friday at the European Congress on Obesity in Bulgaria. It does not actually show, however, a cause-and-effect relationship between white bread consumption and weight gain, just an association. When researchers tracked the eating habits and weight of more than nine thousand university graduates for an average of five years, it showed that participants who ate only white bread and had two or more portions of white bread a day were 40 percent more likely to become overweight or obese than those who ate less than one portion of white bread a week. BGYEA’s ‘Plant the Corn’ rally draws hundreds The well-advertised ‘Plant the Corn’ rally, an initiative planned by BGYEA (Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association) drew a crowd of not more than 400 on Saturday, but its attendees came from a wide cross-section of Belize’s society. Nigel Petillo, BGYEA’s president and brainchild behind the effort told The Reporter during the rally that he knows it will take time for the masses to latch onto the idea of this kind of activity over national issues. “This is an opportunity to send those messages to the government…there’s a lot that we’re faced with right now,” Petillo added. While he feels that every Belizean should own a piece of land, he pointed to information that suggests that 80 percent of Belize is owned by foreigners. Petillo said that the problems that affect Belizeans cross political lines. He said his struggle is to fight against nepotism and to promote good governance. Patrick Jones Men charged for the illegal logging in Orange Walk Three residents of Carmelita Village were charged on Friday for the crime of illegal logging. Anthony Rhaburn, Wayne Adophus and Herbert Reynolds were reportedly spotted early yesterday morning by a Forest Department and Police team following a tip about illegal activities taking place in an area of Crooked Tree village known as New River Pine Ridge. According to reports, when police arrived at the scene around 6 am on Friday, they found the men inside an old bus. Further checks in the area led authorities to find that the men had four blue neck parrots in their possession. This is an illegal act punishable under the Wildlife Act. The men could not produce a permit to be in possession of the wildlife and were informed of the offence. About 500 yards away, the joint Police and Forest Departments team found 32 freshly cut pine logs lined side by side. Police say decomposing fetus at KHMH was abortion attempt According to the Reporter Newspaper, police have identified the individual who was responsible for leaving a decomposing fetus under a patient’s bed at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital last Friday night, May 29. They believe it was a young woman who was rushed to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital after reportedly attempting, unsuccessfully, to conduct an abortion, needing medical treatment. The remains, in a small white box, were found by hospital staff around 8:00 p.m. after the patient under whose bed the box was found alerted them. The KHMH says the abortion victim was appropriately treated and discharged. The hospital has since issued a public apology to those negatively affected by the incident, admitting that “appropriate procedures were not followed.” Plant Di Corn Rally in support of BGYEA Saturday, June 7, 2014. AARON HUMES Reporting: This morning nearly 300 Belizeans, including delegations from the Toledo District and Valley of Peace, Cayo, descended on Belize City’s Battlefield Park in support of the Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association (BGYEA)’s “Plant Di Corn” Rally. The rally was held in advance of next week’s injunction hearing against BGYEA brought by the government of Belize in the Supreme Court. The group, which is managing a 1,300-acre parcel known as the Harmonyville Subdivision at Mile 41 along the George Price Highway, has been told to cease and desist from a plan to plant corn in the 15-feet buffer zone along the George Price highway. But it says the plan, which features support from an American investor, is a more effective way of keeping the area clean and generating much-needed income to build roads and other needed infrastructure for the community. Blogs A unique gift for someone who has everything You know how it is exciting to find a unique gift for someone who has everything on an island with not much for shopping? Super exciting. I knew if anyone could help me solve my gift giving dilemma it would be Bruce, he and Jane do Mmm taste this food blog. I popped Jane fb messenger, one of the top 3 phone chat apps, especially here in Belize. She immediately helped work it out for Bruce to do a short notice order and make Peter’s favorite desert Crème brûlée. Emergency Medical Technician Graduates Congratulations to the 16 new Emergency Medical Technicians that graduated from the Spanish Lookout Rescue Team's EMT course. The SLRT has been giving courses in everything from Vehicle Extrication to IV insertion to water rescue. They have 100's of pictures from the courses in their EMT Training album. Best of luck! Arriving by Cruise Ship? What to Expect From A Day In Belize Somehow, despite being not much of a “cruise person,” I’ve taken 3 cruises- and all of these featured stops in Belize City. I blame the fact that Western Caribbean routes are often the cheapest from Florida ports, but I also find these ports to offer a large variety of things to do, unlike some more beach and shopping-centric options in places like Naussau, Bahamas and St. Thomas. Belize City is a controversial cruise port- both from the Belizeans’ perspective (many in the industry would prefer to attract overnight guests), and from that of travelers themselves. Anyone who frequents cruise planning sites can see examples of the second point- those people wondering if it is even “worth getting off the ship” in Belize City. International Sources You're Putting On Your Bug Spray All Wrong Insect repellant is certainly a good way to ward off disease-carrying critters (if you're concerned about what chemicals are in bug sprays, we have a visual explainer here), but there are some things you may be doing wrong that could minimize its efficacy. The CDC suggests using repellents with picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus -- like Cutter Advanced, Repel, Off! and SkinSmart -- to prevent mosquito bites. Caribbean youths unite for LGBT rights British High Commissioner Arthur Snell; Lance Price, founder of Kaleidoscope Trust and other prominent supporters of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community came out yesterday in support of the launch of Generation Change — a Caribbean initiative geared towards the acquisition of rights for the LGBT. Hosted at Kapok Hotel in Port-of-Spain, regional leaders in the LGBT community representing Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, Belize and Trinidad and Tobago, gave graphic and detailed accounts of the discrimination they and other members of the fraternity face on a daily basis. The activists also signed a Declaration of Intent as they seek to share information and come up with a united approach to improving social acceptance of the LGBT and changing unfair laws against them. Belize international player signs with TPSL club Houston Hurricanes FC The Houston Hurricanes FC announced June 5 the signing of Belize international player Evan Evimar Mariano that adds strength, experience and a player profile that further enhances the club and league as we march forward toward the TPSL's second season. The player that can play midfield, winger or forward so will be utilised well by the Hurricanes coaching staff with Head Coach Brendan Keyes saying, "The team is very excited about bringing Evan to Houston Texas and he will definitely bring another level of play to our already strong team." "I believe with Evan and three or four more quality players we are bringing in, we can challenge for the title this year. He brings the experience of playing at international level to the team, he has speed and he is a danger to any defenders when running at them." continued the Irishman, "I like his character, he is a pillar in his community back home and helps out with the kids whenever he can. We would ideally like Evan to stay with the Hurricanes for the whole season but it will be hard to hold on to him when the big teams see what he's got." Gulf low dissipates A tropical low has run out of time to develop, but the threat for flooding and mudslides remains in southern Mexico and neighboring Central America. The area of low pressure that AccuWeather.com meteorologists have been monitoring has moved inland and is dissipating, ending the potential for it to become the Atlantic Basin’s first tropical depression of the year. However, the concern for downpours has not lessened. Unsettled conditions will continue over southern Mexico and part of Central America into next week between the remnants of the low and additional tropical moisture. Daily rainfall rates of 3 to 5 inches are likely with isolated reports of over 10 inches in the area from southeastern Mexico to Guatemala and Belize through the weekend. Over the past 24 hours ending late Saturday morning, local time, near Heroica Veracruz, Mexico has seen over 8 inches of rain. The rainfall will act as a double-edged sword. “While the rain can lead to long-term and short-term drought relief, it can also lead to incidents of life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides in the region,” AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Rob Miller said. Videos Video: Rio On Pools, Cayo, Belize, 1/4min. Rio On Pools is a beautiful natural water park with pools, waterfalls, and slides. Video: Reef CI June 2014, 3min. A montage of GoPro Hero3 video from the first week in June 2014 diving the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve off Punta Gorda in southern Belize with Reef Conservation International (reefci.com) Video: Belize Snorkeling, 7min. Video: 2014 Belize Termite eating, 1/2min.