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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

Ministry of Health Shares Results of Foodborne Disease Research Study
Last week the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Belize and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) presented the results of the Burden of Illness (BOI) research study on Acute Gastroenteritis and causes of Food Borne Illness in Belize. The study launched in September 2012 and was aimed at estimating the proportion of the population suffering from Acute Gastroenteritis (AGI), also known as stomach flu, at a specific time period while also estimating the economic burden the disease has on the public health system. In addition, the study investigated the more common biological agents transmitted through food and water which cause foodborne illnesses in Belize.

Use of Breathalyzer not yet legal in Belize
The use of a breathalyzer to determine whether a person is driving under the influence of alcohol is not yet legal in Belize, therefore evidence gathered from a breathalyzer test cannot be used in a court of law against traffic offenders. This information came to light via Western Zone Commander, Superintendent Aaron Guzman after a recent traffic accident claimed the life of Yolanda Valencia, and critically injured Yanie Cu in Succotz Village, Cayo District. The accident involved Deputy Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura, who varying reports allege may have been intoxicated. According to Guzman, the community complaints that an alcohol test should have been made immediately on Segura after the collision are without substance. Guzman stated that currently, only urine or blood tests are legal forms of determining alcohol content in the blood. “There are some people suggesting that the alcohol test could have been done by the breathalyzer, which is not yet legal in Belize. We do not go by that, which is why blood was extracted and it was taken to the lab. There is a process that is done at the lab (and) to test the content of the alcohol,” said Guzman.

Ambergris Today

25 Years Ago: Things We Take for Granted – Post Office and Medical Facilities
No Post Office. Today: “At what time does the post office open for service?” Past: “When does the cargo boat leave for Belize City?” Services of the post office were so crucial a few years ago but even that is becoming a second choice with the advent of email and social network which connects us to the world in a matter of seconds. So how did the folks in San Pedro manage in the 1950’s with no post office and the postal services thereof? First of all let us establish one important fact? Did anybody ever need to communicate with someone in the United States? The answer is emphatically, “No.” How about communicating by letter with someone in Belize City? Again it was practically zero. NO MEDICAL FACILITY. A person in a real emergency long ago in San Pedro had to be transported to Belize City on a sail boat. This was a five-hour journey and taken at one’s risk with no other alternative. Now listen to this! Because people in San Pedro were ignorant to illnesses like cancer, heart failure, epilepsy, stroke, to name a few, they assumed that the person was suffering from an evil spell, obeah, evil wind, evil eye and had some unexplainable seizure or convulsions. And that is how things went with no clinic or hospital in San Pedro.

White Heredia Island Nuptials
Congratulations going out to Mark White and Alba Heredia on their nuptials that took place over the weekend on Saturday, August 23, 2014. They got married in a beautiful nautical setting by the beach with family and close friends.

Island Photo Shoot with Belize National Carnival Queen and Princess
The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) has appointed a National Carnival Queen and Princess to hold the symbolic honor of overseeing the National September Celebrations. The BTB and the Orange Walk Town Council appointed (and sponsored) the 2014 - 2015 National Carnival Queen & Princess. In a photo shoot that took place in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, National Carnival Queen Janel Magaña and National Carnival Princess Rosely Vasquez donned their colorful and exotic cultural costumes that represent the vibrant celebrations that is Belize’s patriotic and Carnival season. “The National Carnival Queen and Princess of the Nation of Belize have been bestowed with the high task of ensuring that all of the National September Celebrations festivities throughout the glorious Land of the Free, this jewel we call Belize, go forward with all the grandeur befitting the beautiful people of Belize in this their time of celebration.”

The Furry of Hurricane Keith in 2000
It was the turn of the century and the millennium and it was foretold that the world would come to an end. Well, it was not the end, but certainly very scary. There are many stories to be told like: “lucky”. “heroic”, “rescue”, “unlucky”, and even “help in the aftermath”. This Flashback photo tells us of the type of structures to be considered as fairly good shelters. Notice the blue house in the forefront- all concrete including the roof. Take a look at the next one in shambles which is all wood with zinc roofing. Then the yellow one in the background is all concrete body with a damaged zinc roofing. Got it? Let this Flashback teach us all a lesson and let us all be prepared.

Misc Belizean Sources

Belize Golf Tournaments - Corkers World Cup
The 4th Annual Corkers World Cup was a great success with the Belizean Americas Team facing the Belizean International team for the 4th time in our unique 27 Hole Ryder Cup Format. A big thank you to Geoff and Sam from Corkers who sponsored the tournament and we are delighted to say that $1,238.00 was raised for "Children of Hope Foundation" The Belizean Internationals were determined to bring victory for the first time in 4 years, whilst the Belizean Americas team were looking to extend their unbeaten run to an unprecedented 4th year. The Results were :

GOVERNMENT OF BELIZE CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS AND INDUSTRY STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT FOR BELIZEAN CACAO.
The Government of Belize (GOBZ) has received a Grant from the Caribbean Aid for Trade and Regional Integration Trust Fund (CARTFund), financed by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and administered by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), towards the cost of the above named project and intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of this Grant to eligible payments under a contract for which this invitation is issued. Payment by CDB will be made only at the request of GOBZ, and upon approval by CDB, and will be subject in all respects to the terms and conditions of the Grant Agreement. The Grant Agreement prohibits withdrawal from the Grant account for the purpose of any payment to persons or entities, or for any import of goods, if such payment or import, to the knowledge of CDB, is prohibited by a decision of the United Nations Security Council taken under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. No party other than GOBZ shall derive any rights from the Grant Agreement or have any claim to the proceeds of the Grant.

Commentary: Garifuna ethnicity vs. nationalism
In most countries in the world people are accustomed to identifying themselves based on the country where they were born to display their national pride. This is despite the fact that, even though many people were born in a country, they are seen as different and discriminated against by other fellow citizens because of their ethnicity. When I was growing up in Belize, I knew that I was a Garifuna person living in the country of British Honduras, now known as Belize. At that time our people were known as “Black Caribs” in most history books, even though we called ourselves Garifuna. My parents told me about our history and where we came from but they did not go into too much detail. Later on in school I began to study history and loved the subject so I did more reading on the history of my people. I was proud of the fact that we fought against the French and the British to resist slavery and the taking over of our land. If our people did not fight against these two countries to avoid enslavement, our Garifuna culture would be extinct today.

Asset base mapping!
By Abdulmajeed K Nunez. I have said it before and I’ll say it again Minister Farber has the potential to be a household legend Most people think that the ministry of finance is the most powerful But in reality it’s the ministry of education that is the most transformable This guy has power at his grasp This guy controls scholarships, just ask This guy is seeking out people and finding stable and proper mentors Using his foot soldiers He is changing the dynamics this country By holding public meetings in his constituency I remember the days of street hoops A strategy employed by NDACC to inform some youths

Carmelita Lara Crowned Queen of the West
Congratulations, Carmelita Lara, for winning the Queen of the West Pageant! "We have a new Queen of the West! Congratulations! to Carmelita Lara for Making us proud on that stage. We wish you many more crowns in the future! The sky is the limit. "

Burns Avenue Work in Progress
Burns avenue is nearing completion. Some pictures from earlier this month, as the road was being shaped. Downtown Cayo's facelift is nearing completion. "Burns avenue is almost ready for traffic again. Some pictures from August as the work proceeded."

MMTS Belize auditions
Do you think your child or teenager has what it takes to become an internationally recognized model, actor, singer or musician? Then make sure to bring them to MMTS Belize auditions being held on Saturday, October 4th as international talent scouts from Music, Model and Talent Showcase of the Islands - MMTS will be in Belize. Age range is from 5 - 65 years of age.

Ministry of Health Shares Results of Foodborne Disease Research Study

Handing Over of Health and Safety Policy Manual
Tourists and local visitors to archaeological sites in Belize will soon benefit from new health and safety policies to be undertaken in Belize in an effort to implement the recently created Health and Safety Standards for archaeological sites. The Health and Safety Standards policy is now mandatory after being signed into law by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Investment and Consumer Protection on May 27, 2014 and gazetted on May 31, 2014. The Health and Safety Policy Manual will be officially handed over to the Belize Tourism Board and the National Institute of Culture and History on Wednesday, August 27, 2014 at the Institute of Archaeology’s office in Belmopan. The policy manual was developed as part of the objectives of the Making Tourism Benefit Communities Adjacent to Archaeological Sites (MTBCAAS) project, funded by the European Union and the Government of Belize and implemented by the Belize Tourism Board and the National Institute of Culture and History.

FFB President’s Cup Results Playoff Week.2
Saturday August 23, 2014 Michael Ashcroft Stadium 7:30PM Sagitun FC vs Roaring Creek United 2 0 Ashley Torres min 59 Dion Moguel min 86 Sunday August 24, 2014 Ricalde Stadium 3:30PM San Antonio FC vs Progresso FC 2 2 Christian Pena min 61 Eliazar Itza min 31 Russell Casanova min 69 Gabriel Perez min 53 Weekend Matches Championship Finals WK DATE TIME HOME VS AWAY VENUE 1 30-08-2014 7:30p.m. #2 San Antonio FC #1 Sagitun FC Ricalde Stadium 2 07-09-2014 3:30p.m. #1 Sagitun FC #2 San Antonio FC Michael Ashcroft Stadium

Belize Golf Tournaments - Corkers World Cup
The 4th Annual Corkers World Cup was a great success with the Belizean Americas Team facing the Belizean International team for the 4th time in our unique 27 Hole Ryder Cup Format. A big thank you to Geoff and Sam from Corkers who sponsored the tournament and we are delighted to say that $1,238.00 was raised for "Children of Hope Foundation" The Belizean Internationals were determined to bring victory for the first time in 4 years, whilst the Belizean Americas team were looking to extend their unbeaten run to an unprecedented 4th year. The Results were :

Doing Business in Belize - Embassy of the United States Belmopan
Belize is a culturally diverse nation linking the Caribbean and Central American regional markets. Belize is a member of the Caribbean Community Single Market and Economy (CSME) as well as the Central American Integration System (SICA). Belize has a small economy with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2011 of US$1.4 billion. Its lead foreign exchange earners are tourism, agriculture (including but not limited to the traditional “big three” of citrus, bananas, and sugar cane), and petroleum. Belize features a year-round sub-tropical climate suitable for year-round tourism, and is conducive to cultivating quality agricultural crops year-round.

National Celebrations Commission Announces Pan Yaad Concert 2014
The National Celebrations Commission in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Grace Kennedy (Belize) Ltd present the 5th Annual Pan Yaad Steel Concert at the House of Culture, Government House in Belize City. The concert this year is set for Friday, September 5th, 2014! Since 2009 the Pan Yaad Steel Concert has emerged as one of the true highlights of the September Celebrations featuring authentic Belizean steel pan music. This year’s prestigious event will feature Paneriffix Steel Band, Pantempters Steel Orchestra and the newly formed Panorama Steel Band. Additionally, it will also be broadcasted live on TV by several of our local media houses. Pan Yaad Steel Concert 2014 will be held on Friday, September 5 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets: $10 – adults and $5 - children can be purchased at the Bliss Centre, Southern Foreshore, Belize City. The general public is once again reminded that this is a ‘standing- room’ only event.

Rotaract Fill-a-Backpack Project
The Rotaract Club of Benque worked with the local community to get school supplies and backpacks for local students. Thanks Rotaract! "This weekend our members embarked on our club's first major community service project. We delivered approximately 17 school bags to underprivileged children in Benque Viejo and San Jose Succotz. With the help of the primary schools who provided us with the names of the children, we assisted children from Mount Carmel Primary School & Howard Smith Nazarene School in Benque Viejo and San Jose Succotz RC School. During the course of this week, we will distribute more school bags & supplies to children from the Adventist School in Benque Viejo. "

100,000 Artists for Peace Cayo Concert
This Saturday, the Cayo Welcome Center will be the venue for Belize's 100,000 Artists for Peace Concert. The World Culture Band will be there, as will Barefoot Skinny. Similar concerts will be held all around the world. "A time for All artists of Belize to share a day of Love, Peace, and Understanding. At the Welcome Center. San Ignacio, Belize. 2 pm. Until..... No begging. No cover charge."

Channel 7

Daylight Holdup At Heritage Bank Nets 40k
Tonight, $40,000 belonging to Heritage Bank is gone, and police are trying to locate the men who robbed the bank in a brazen daylight heist. It happened this morning at around 9, where the robbers marched into the Bank's Barrack Road office, calmly walked behind the counter and removed two of the cash pans loaded with money. Police arrived shortly after, and so did our news team. Daniel Ortiz reports: Daniel Ortiz reporting This morning, law enforcement streamed in an out of Providence Bank on the corner of Barrack Road and Craig Street. Less than an hour before, there had been a brazen robbery in which 2 men, one of them armed, managed to escape with 2 cash pans from one of the cashiers on duty.

Cops: Security Guard In On A & R Robbery
So, while police continue to look at the possibility of an inside connection for that bank robbery, they say that they're sure one of the employees at A&R helped plan the robbery of that store. That man is 28 year-old Leroy Ciego, a security guard who works there, and tonight, he's at prison. Ciego was arraigned today, 5 days after the robbery, on the single charge of conspiracy to commit robbery. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, and due to the nature of the offence, Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith remanded him to the Belize Central Prison until October 9, his next court date. As we reported, at around 6:27 p.m. on last week Thursday, a man with a stockings mask walked into A&R holding a security guard at gunpoint, while his accomplice guarded the door. The gunman then ordered everyone to lie on the ground, which included the other employees and their young children, since the store was already closed.

Denvo Banner Killed In Little Lemonal Vilage
Last week we told you about Denvo Banner - the 27 year old Lemonal resident who had gone missing after a victory party for the village team on August 9th. Since then his family has been looking for him all about - but on Saturday their worst fears were confirmed. Monica Bodden has the story:.. Monica Bodden reporting Denvo Banner's six foot four frame was folded up inside this shallow grave only 3 feet across - where he was buried by his killers in his village of Lemonal - not far from the school building. A search team of police officers and family members came across the area, just after 2 on Saturday afternoon. Carla Casimiro - Sister of Denvo Banner "What happened is that we did a search of the entire village way to the last spot by the pine ridge and when we were coming back, the last area we check before we reached the other side of the pine ridge because we have both side of the pine ridge and we found the body buried in a shallow hole before we reach the other side of the village."

Pier 1 Bar Owner Busted, But Customs Quiet
Joseph Kee, he's the co-owner of Pier 1 Bar, which sits over the sea at the newly renovated BTL Park, but last night, he was busted with a large amount of cash and contraband liquor. We've been reliably informed that it happened after 10:00 at the corner of New Road and Douglas Jones Street. Law enforcement reportedly stopped and searched the vehicle and found $11,000 in cash and contraband liquor including Tequila, Jack Daniels, whisky and other types of un-customed liquor. We're told that everything, including the cash, was confiscated and Kee was detained. We understand that during the bust, city councilor Dion Leslie reportedly showed up. He said that his interest was the money belongs to his father's company, which is part owner of the Pier 1 Bar. Apparently, that cash was from the weekend sales from the Pier 1 Bar.

Hilux Heist At Hospital, Ministry of Health Hushed
Another Toyota Hilux pickup has been stolen from the Ministry of Health - the third in two years. But, this one is brand new - in fact, it was a part of the fleet unveiled last week to assist with mosquito spraying. It had been assigned to the Western Regional Hospital. Well, sometime over the weekend it was stolen - but the Western Regional Hospital hasn't released any details - and neither have the police nor the Ministry of Health. We were only able to confirm that it was stolen over the weekend - and is still missing. The report was made to Belmopan police this morning. The Hilux is one of 11 acquired through a grant from the European Union, at a cost of about sixty eight thousand dollars each. The trucks have been deployed countrywide - with the exception of two that are, quite inexplicably, still parked at the ministry compound. These we understand are designated for the director of the vector control unit and his deputy - but they haven't been handed over because of internal politics in the ministry. But with the rate of Hilux theft from the ministry - they'd be wise to use it before they lose it!

Woman Claims Of Police Harassment for Son
We often report on police harassment in our newscast and usually the victims giving the stories never get justice. But tonight one mother says she has had enough with officers harassing her sons and she is going to take the issue on legally. According to the woman, her 19 year old son Shakedi Baizar was charged 3 weeks ago for a small amount of weed that was found on him at their 8mile home. He was released on bail and was given community service by the magistrate. A week later, police visited the residence once again for a search. They found nothing, but detained Baziar for a tattoo on his arm that read GAZA - a reference, ostensibly. to the George street gang - bot the Israeli - Palestinian conflict. The 19 year old was charged with the offence of displaying gang membership and was released on bail. But due to the fact that he was under police custody and could not show up to his community service obligations, a bench warrant was sent out for him and Baizar was arrested and sent to the Hattieville prison. Voice of: Mother of Baizar "The other day about 3 weeks ago the police gang unit went by my house. They found him with a little bit of weed and they took him and they charge him. I don't have any problem with the police doing their job. My problem is that when they go to my house to search they beat up my children and I am tired of that. So they come back the following week and they look for something to charge him with."

"Stomach Flu" Costing Belize Milions
In September of 2012, the Ministry of Health embarked on an ambitious study to find out what's making Belizeans sick with acute gastroenteritis, what you would call a stomach flu - and to discover how much this sickness costs Belize. Well, from a total of 3,110 households, the study says that 7.1 percent of those households reported stomach flu's during September to October 2012, which is considered the low season for the illness and April to May 2013, which is considered the high season. The main cause were was parasites but mostly those stomach flue's were caused by Rotavirus infections.

The Role Guat Plays In Ambassador Mendez's Strategic Move For Ass't Sec Gen Spot
On Friday we told you about the visit of the Special Envoy of Uruguay, Ambassador Gonzalo Koncke Pizzorno. He was here to pledge his support for Belize's Representative to the OAS, Nestor Mendez in his candidacy for the Assistant Secretary General of the OAS. In turn, Belize will support Uruguay's candidate for Secretary General. On Saturday Ambassador Mendez told us that his candidacy needs a simple majority of the 34 member states of the OAS and he is relaying on Belize's bi-regional identity to get that:.. H.E. Nestor Mendez, Belize Permanent Rep. to the OAS "In the case of Belize we represent both Central America and the Caribbean, so we play a very important balance to the leadership of the OAS if a South American were to get elected as secretary general. When you elect somebody for a senior elected position such as this it counts as much who you put forward and also what country the person puts forward. So being elected into this position could be very good for Belize. It would re-affirm that everybody recognizes that after 33 years of independence we have an important contribution to make."

Delivering Drainage For Flood Prone City Neighborhood
Drainage is a major problem in Belize City generally, more so with climate change, and even more so with those fancy new streets that were built without drainage. But that drainage should improve: Today the Ministry of Works and Transport along with their partners in the Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Project signed 4 contracts for the concreting and lining of the Douglas Jones Canal, North side Canal as well as Link Road, Apollo Street and the Bill Lindo Canal in Belama Phases 3 and 4. Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Works and Transport, explained the importance of the upgrade: Courtney Weatherburne "In terms of the infrastructure, do these factor in the climate change mitigation feature?" Lennox Bradley, Chief Engineer, Min. of Works and Transport "You brought up a very good point because the recent projects that we have started to design - all those IFI funded projects and those that we contemplate under the national infrastructure program will consider the climate change impact. It's a reality that we have to face now - it's here.

Rivers Wants Unity Through Sports
Last week, we showed you the disturbing revelations about the Belize City Youths who were housed at the BDF's Camp Belizario. The Commander of the BDF revealed that the next generation of youths is already being trained as hardened criminals. During that revelation, Brigadier General David Jones made a public call that some sort of intervention needs to be made urgently or else these youths will continue down the destructive paths. One man who is answering that call is stevedore and labour activist Raymond Rivers. He's planned an outreach program which uses sports and education as a means of positively influencing the City Youths into changing trajectory. It's called the R3 Youth Movement, and today, he called us out to explain it and why you should support him: Raymond Rivers "The R-3 youth movement is a youth movement that will take all the umbrellas organizations and we will put it under one umbrella and we will have volunteers who go out to school and we have mentors and everybody in Belize will work together like how the people of Succotz work together. We want to have that same kind of feeling and that same kind of way that we want to do things now when it comes to the youths. Its urgent that how we save the youths from now because the future of Belize looks dims when it comes to violence, like the violence will never stop."

Justice Abel: Ashcroft Alliance's Awich Complaint Should Have Been taken More Seriously
Justice Courtney Abel says the Ashcroft Alliance's complaint against Samuel Awich as a Judge of the Court of Appeal should not have been dismissed in the manner it was. Also, the Judicial and Legal Services Commission did not conduct due process in that case. That's the conclusion of Justice Abel after hearing a case brought by Dean Boyce, British Caribbean Bank, and Lord Michael Ashcroft, which started in June. As we told you, In July 2012, the Ashcroft Alliance complained to the Judicial and Legal Services Commission about Awich's conduct. The commission dismissed the case after finding that the complaint about his appointment to the Appeal Court was premature, because he hadn't been elevated yet. In the case of their complaints of his conduct as a Supreme Court Judge, the commission ruled that their request for his removal from the Supreme Court, was too late. The commission, by majority decision, didn't pass the complaint along to the Belize Advisory Council because it was quote, "misconceived".

26 For Taiwan
The 2014 Taiwanese Scholarship recipients were honored on Saturday at Chateau Caribbean. 26 students were chosen to study in Taiwan under the Taiwanese Scholarship Program which requires the recipient to learn Mandarin for 1 year, and the International Cooperation Development Fund Scholarship Experience where the language of instruction is English. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as the Ambassador of Taiwan Benjamin Ho stressed the importance of such an opportunity for the development of Belize. 200 students applied but only 26 were chosen this year. The cost of the scholarship is US$20,000 per school year and the program covers 4 to 5 years of study.

More News: Scroll up from here

Channel 5

GBTV Wins Big at CBU Awards…
Tonight, our Channel Five family is pleased to announce that we have onceagain made Belize proud of our regional accomplishments as a national station.  This year, we won the most [...]

Brazen Heist at Heritage Bank Nets $40,000
And that was the good news, but now to crime…Last week, the A and R Enterprise Limited was robbed of almost thirteen thousand dollars in cash. And this morning, robbers [...]

Remains of Missing Man Discovered in Shallow Grave
The peace and quiet of a sunny afternoon in the small village of Lemonal was shattered by the gruesome discovery of a body in a shallow grave, just behind the [...]

Supreme Court Rules on a Sitting Judge
In the Supreme Court, a major decision has been delivered about a sitting justice. Justice Courtney Abel handed down a decision last Friday on two claims: claim eighty three of [...]

Justice Awich to go before the Belize Advisory Council?
Justice Abel found “that the evidence put before the JLSC was capable of amounting to and therefore could have amounted to misbehavior. Likewise the question of inability to discharge the [...]

Security Guard Arraigned in A & R Robbery
  And in the Magistrate’s Court… A security guard of the A and R Store on the Phillip Goldson Highway was arraigned for conspiracy to commit robbery before Chief Magistrate [...]

Jeffries Sentenced for Handling Stolen Goods
Robert Jeffries is tonight commencing a two-year sentence for handling stolen goods after being caught in possession of a laptop computer which was stolen from a law office in Belize [...]

Teenager Charged for Unitedville Murder
Last week, Cayo cops detained nineteen year old Unitedville resident Steven Gomez for his involvement in the murder of Victor Vargas, of that same village. Gomez was questioned, released, and [...]

Mini-man Shot on Vernon Street
A spray of gunfire on Friday night has left forty-year-old Ralph Martinez, known in the streets of Belize City as Mini-man, hospitalized for multiple injuries received during the shooting incident.  [...]

Another Government Hilux – Gone Without a Trace!
It made the news in mid-July when the European Union gifted the Ministry of Health with eleven brand new, late-model Toyota Hilux pickups. The vehicles were to be immediately deployed [...]

26 Belizeans Receive Scholarships from Taiwan
Over two hundred and thirty Belizeans have had an opportunity to study in Taiwan in past years. Some twenty plus students are selected annually from numerous applications as the lucky [...]

Galen Opens Its Doors in Belize City
Also on Saturday, Galen University officially opened its Belize City Branch on Mercy Lane, located just next door to the office of the Belize Family Life Association. The event was [...]

Sports Monday with Award Winning Sportscaster, James Adderley
Good evening I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   We begin with game 1 of the 3 game Championship series for the Firm’s Division title. We pick up [...]

CTV3

No Charges Levied As Yet On Man Who Accidentally Shot His Brother
Six days after Celso Cawich accidentally shot his brother Gumercindo Mendoza in a hunting trip gone wrong, Cawich is yet to be charged. That is because authorities in Orange Walk are waiting for further instructions from the Department of Public Prosecutions on how to proceed with the case. For context, 63 year-old Celso Moreno was out on a hunting trip with his brother 52 year-old Gumercindo Mendoza on Wednesday night at around 11 in the Yo Creek area. Moreno recounted to police that they split up and around midnight. He reported that he had spotted a deer, and fired his 12 gauge shotgun.

Two Men Being Sought For Robbery At Reimer's Feed Mills
Orange Walk Police continue their search for two individuals robbed Reimer’s Feed Mill on Thursday afternoon. Shortly after one that day, two men, one armed with a knife and the other with a gun entered Reimer’s Feed Mill on Lover’s Lane. Police report that the man wielding the gun hit the cahier Vicente Bol on the head and demanded money. The cashier forcefully obliged and handed over two thousand dollars cash. After receiving the money the men made good their escape on bicycles. Other than the cashier who sustained a hit to the head, no one else was seriously injured in the heist. According to police, the robbery was caught on tape but this seems to not have been too helpful and we were made to understand that the footage is of poor quality. Orange Walk Police have not detained anyone and are looking for both individuals who are described as being of Hispanic descent.

Elderly Man Drowns In The New River
66 Year old, Guatemalan National Efijenio Dujon of no fixed address was last seen alive by Lamanai Alley residents on Saturday afternoon as he made his way to his usual spot by the riverside. The homeless person frequented the area most days and on Sunday a passer-by spotted a body floating in the New River. After alerting the police they arrived some minutes after and witness a male person floating in the river. Deputy Commander at the Orange Walk Police, Selvin Tillett says they are treating the case as a drowning.

LOVE FM

Police Makes Arrest in A & R Robbery
A 28-year-old security guard, who had been employed by A & R Store in Belize City, was charged this past Saturday with the crime of conspiracy to commit robbery. Leroy Ciego of a Marigold Street address was arraigned today in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court before Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith where he pled not guilty. He was remanded to the Belize Central Prison and is scheduled to return to court on October 9. Ciego was arrested and charged after investigators found that he had been colluding with two other men in the August 20 robbery of A & R Store. Investigations have led police to believe that Ciego gave the robbers inside information regarding the layout of the building and the locations where monies were kept. The establishment, located at mile 1 ½ on the Philip Goldson Highway, was robbed last Wednesday evening just after six o’clock.

PlusTV

Heritage Bank robbed in Belize City
A brazen Monday morning robbery of a bank was successfully executed in Belize City. Sometime after nine o’clock Monday morning, Heritage Bank located on Barrack Road was robbed at gunpoint by two men of dark complexion. They made off with over $40,000.00 in Belize and US currency...

Man shot in the back on Belize City street
A man was shot in the back on Friday night. On Friday August 22 at about 9 o’clock, police visited the KHMH where they saw 40-year-old Ralph Martinez of Mayflower Street, Belize City, in stable condition suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the lower back...

A&R’s Security Guard accused of conspiracy to commit robbery of store
One of A&R’s own Security Guards is being accused of being a part of a conspiracy to a robbery at its Belize City Northern Highway branch. On Monday morning, 28-year-old Security Guard, Leroy Ciego, was arraigned in the Belize City magistrate’s Court with a single count of conspiracy to commit robbery. Last week Wednesday, August 20, 2014, just after the close of business, armed, masked men stormed into the store, held up workers, and robbed the place of almost thirteen thousand dollars. While Mr Ciego is being charge for conspiracy to commit the robbery, no one has yet been charged for the actual robbery.

Patrick Jones

Belize’s national U23 men’s volleyball team playing well in Panama
Belize’s Under-23 National Men’s Volleyball team continues to perform well in the Second Central American Championship being played in Panama City, Panama. Tonight, Belize defeated Panama in three sets 25/23; 25/23 and 25/21. Belize’s victory tonight comes on the heels of beating Nicaragua on Sunday, again in […]

Millions of dollars in infrastructure project contracts signed
Over five million dollars worth of contracts were signed today for infrastructure works in Belize City. The contracts include street upgrades in Belama Phase 4, canal construction and cleaning of existing canals on the North side of Belize City. According to a government press release Mehia’s United […]

Drive-by shooting leaves Belize City man hospitalized
A shooting incident in Belize City on Friday night has left a man hospitalized. 40 year old Ralph Martinez was shot in the lower part of his back by someone who was inside of a white van travelling on Vernon Street. According to police reports, Martinez was […]

Body retrieved from the New River in Orange Walk
The body of a Guatemalan national was recovered from the New River in Orange Walk town on Sunday morning. It has been identified as that of 66 year old Efijenio Dujon. According to reports, Dujon, who was o no fixed address, was last seen alive on Saturday […]

Armed robbers target Heritage Bank
Armed robbers today targeted Heritage Bank on Barrack Road. Police say that two men of dark complexion held up the establishment at gunpoint around 9:15 am. The robbers reportedly got away with over $40,000 in cash both Belize and US currencies. According to police, the robbers made […]

Blogs

Chaa Creek’s Academic Scholarship Program
Twelve young Belizeans are further along the road to promising futures thanks to a successful scholarship program sponsored by the Lodge at Chaa Creek. Chaa Creek’s Academic Scholarship Program has kicked off this year with an increase in the number of pupils accepted into the annual student assistance program, and scholarship coordinator Lucy Fleming said she couldn’t be happier with the results from this “investment in the future”. The Academic Scholarship Program has been providing financial assistance to students undertaking study in various levels of education, including high school, colleges and university, since 1995. The rigorous selection process is based on academic performance and financial needs, with an aim towards assisting those Belizeans who show promise in attaining their goals.

“Busy Doing Nothing” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
After the travail of producing the last edition – I had to take notes and write with accuracy and seriousness (something that regular readers will not have seen much evidence of in what I normally put “out there”) – I’ve taken a little break. I mean, it was like being back at work again and my little, old (strong emphasis on the latter and not the former please) brain just isn’t up to the job any more. Now I’d seen the signs of waning physical prowess (allow me to exaggerate whatever physical attributes I may have had once) some little while ago. I’m not able to bound up the stairs the way I used to. Those five gallon bottles of water feel just that little bit heavier (they now feel like they’ve got twice the amount of water in them). My ability (OK so it’s not an attribute) to hold liquor is nowhere near as good ( is this really the word I should use?) as it once was (I now wonder why I spent so much money on “training”). But I never envisaged when I set out to cover the opening of Rain Restaurant and Rooftop Terrace at Grand Caribe that it would take so much out of me.

My last 3 meals in San Pedro
Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest so even though I was just about to cook dinner, when Barb messaged me they were going to town for a drink, snacks and did I want to go, I was happy to stop watching the Great food Truck Race and go eat. I figured cooking a big breakfast plus snacking (which does not count as a meal) was enough in the kitchen for the girl with no cooking gene. Our first choice for Mexican food at La Hora on back street, sadly it was closed, I had a craving tacos al pastor with grilled pineapple. Our low season Plan B and C were El Patio and Lola’s Pub, so we decided to hit both, dinner and drinks after. We started out at El Patio Restaurant with jalapeno poppers which always remind me of Tracy, he cannot get enough of theirs every time he and Maureen are on a volunteer vacation. For main courses Barb ordered Fried Chicken, Joe fajitas and I opted for the t-bone with garden salad and coconut rice. We all know Belize beef can be a bit of a crap shoot in San Pedro and while Joe did like his beef fajitas, unfortunately my t-bone was a bit gristly. The cheese and chicken stuffed poppers and frozen key lime pie more than made up for it though. We all agreed if that pie was at our house the whole thing would disappear fast. I love how they plated it too with a fancy chocolate design, very artistic.

Photo of the day: Ambergris Caye Belize
Today’s photo of the day is of Ambergris Caye Belize. The photo is courtesy of Elbert Greer. This photo was taken this morning and according to Greer, the sea is like glass in Ambergris Caye right now and the expected high is 90.

International Sources

Ancient Mayan Cities Found In Mexican Jungle
Archaeologists have found two ancient Mayan cities hidden in the jungle of southeastern Mexico, and the lead researcher says he believes there are "dozens" more to be found in the region. Ivan Sprajc, associate professor at the Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, said his team found the ancient cities of Lagunita and Tamchen on the Yucatan peninsula in April by examining aerial photographs of the region. Sprajc said the two cities reached their heyday in the Late and Terminal Classic periods (600-1000 AD). At each site, researchers found palace-like buildings, pyramids and plazas. One of the pyramids is almost 20 meters (65 feet) high. Sprajc said his team mapped 10-12 hectares (25-30 acres) at each site, but the cities were probably larger. "We elaborated a map but only of the religious and administrative centers of the two sites," he said, "that's only like downtown." His team has not yet excavated the sites. "There are dozens of sites that I already have seen on the aerial photographs," he added, noting that additional discoveries depend on further funding.

ANTHONY BOURDAIN: HOW TO TRAVEL
The first thing I do is I dress for airports. I dress for security. I dress for the worst-case scenario. Comfortable shoes are important — I like Clarks desert boots because they go off and on very quickly, they're super comfortable, you can beat the hell out of them, and they're cheap. In my carry-on, I'll have a notebook, yellow legal pads, good headphones. Imodium is important. The necessity for Imodium will probably present itself, and you don't want to be caught without it. I always carry a scrunchy lightweight down jacket; it can be a pillow if I need to sleep on a floor. And the iPad is essential. I load it up with books to be read, videos, films, games, apps, because I'm assuming there will be downtime. You can't count on good films on an airplane. I check my luggage. I hate the people struggling to cram their luggage in an overhead bin, so I don't want to be one of those people.

'Dumbo octopus,' other undersea oddities captured by Nautilus camera in Gulf
The latest batch of photos are in from the expedition team aboard Exploration Vehicle Nautilus which has been deep sea diving in the Gulf of Mexico since the start of the summer. The ship, led by Titanic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard, has so far given us dramatic photos of World War II wrecks, including a Nazi submarine, plus countless images of bizarre marine lifeforms, perhaps most notably, the Vampire Squid of Hell. The latest legs of their trip have focused of the relatively unexplored reefs of the Gulf off the coast of Belize and then on through the Windward Passage, which divides Cuba and Haiti. There, the crew has found delights aplenty. Awesome close up footage of a Dumbo octopus and the super cute Bobtail squid have been sent back by the crew. The enigmatic Chimaera, or "ghost shark," also dropped in for a rare appearance.

Archaeologists Excavate Endangered Maya Site
Teams of archaeologists are researching a number of ancient Maya sites in Belize that could stand some help to stay intact as important cultural heritage sites. One of those sites is called Nojol Nah. It is located on the east side of the Bajo Alacranes (see maps below), which extends across Belize’s northwest corner and parts of Mexico and Guatemala. The Alacranes Bajo is a low-lying area that is very fertile and continues to be today. The Mexican portion has been surveyed in recent years, revealing several large Maya centers and a number of smaller centers. At the far south end of the bajo, in Guatemala, is the major center of Río Azul. Ongoing survey work in Belize has revealed that a number of small centers with central precincts are located on the east side of the Bajo Alacranes, including such sites as Grey Fox, Xnoha, Nojol Nah and others. Nojol Nah consists of a small public precinct with a single 10- meter tall pyramidal structure ("Structure 1") on its west side that was constructed in the Late Preclassic (400 BCE - 200 CE) and Early Classic (200 - 600 CE) periods and was terminated at the end of the Early Classic period. In addition, the site contains a number of elite residential groups and structures. These elite residences were constructed in the Early Classic period and abandoned in the Late Classic Period (600 - 900 CE). To date, work at Nojol Nah has included the excavation of residential structures, a civic temple, chultuns, numerous caches, termination deposits, elite household middens (that produced sherds with glyphs), and an unusually large number of human burials.

Another Side of Belize—Look Beyond the Beaches to the Cayo District
Belize is well-known for its aquamarine Caribbean waters, Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, idyllic cayes and miles of coastland. But not all expats opt for a coastal lifestyle. An increasing number have been captivated by the Cayo District’s charms. They’re drawn to the verdant broadleaf jungles…lush Maya Mountains…meandering rivers…and mystical Mayan ruins… Some come to stake out a piece of fertile land… Others yearn to live off the grid… The primary towns in this region are San Ignacio and Santa Elena. A variety of charming smaller villages are scattered around the region. The notable Mennonite agricultural community of Spanish Lookout is also in the Cayo. Expats can find plenty of pristine, undeveloped property in this district, up for the taking.

Videos

Video: Skate Belize - Park Sessions - 2014, 3min.
A compilation of some of the up and coming skaters in Belize City, Belize. The local skateboarding scene has seen a resurgence since the city has redesigned several parks. We'll continue to follow these local skaters and continue to bring you more videos.

Video: Jeff and Ruby Nickell - Belize, 7min.
Missionary to Belize, Freedom House

Video: BlueHole-HD-Vimeo 720p, 10min.
Multicam edit of the videos taken by Claudio and Christophe during the dive at the Great Blue Hole on 11/11/2013 in Belize

Video: Adventure in Belize, 5min.
I was originally going to Brazil, but there was a change of plans and I was left with two days to plan a trip. So I chose a destination and just winged it the whole way... Belize had a lot to offer!

Video: Discovering Southern Belize's Mayan Ruins. Nim Li Punit, 4min.
“Nim Li Punit” I had to say it a few times to get the pronunciation right. But getting right to these spectacular Mayan ruins wasn’t much of a problem. After a quick drive from Placencia down the Southern Highway, we finally saw the sign to take a right up a long steep unpaved hill. Stopping to make sure the Land Rover was locked in 4×4 low before climbing the hill to get to the site, we admired the beauty of the all the thatched roofed homes we passed. Southern Belize is truly Mayan country. Additionally tourism is new to this region, and you will be seeing sites and experiencing nature and cultures as few have.

Video: Belize GoPro Hero 3+, 5min.