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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Saga hosts fundraising event alongside Costa Maya delegates
The Saga Humane Society held a successful fundraising event on Sunday, August 2nd at the SandBar and joining them were the beautiful contestants of La Reina de La Costa Maya. To raise funds, Saga sold food, held raffles and guests could pay for photos with the beauties too! The proceeds of the event benefit the care of the animals under Saga’s watch, as well as the Spay/Neuter Initiative Program (SNIP). The event kicked off at 6PM with the serving of a delicious roasted pork dinner for a price of $20. The meal included homemade baked beans, potato salad, and coleslaw not to mention a good helping of slow cooked pork. Raffle tickets were sold in different forms to give supporters good chances of winning one of the many great prizes. Those ranged from 24-hour Moncho’s golf cart rental, a grooming session at Pamper Paws (valued at $50) to lunch at Caramba Restaurant and sunset cruise with Seaduced by Belize. Around 7:30PM the Costa Maya delegates arrived at the event, ready to mingle and help our furry friends! For a donation of $5, patrons had the opportunity to have a picture taken by professional photographer Jose Luis Zapata with all the delegates.

European Union – making tourism benefit communities adjacent to Archaeological Sites
Three more archaeological sites: Caves Branch, Barton Creek and the Atun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave in Belize have received infrastructural improvements and upgrades under a $4 Million project funded by the European Union – “Making Tourism benefit Communities Adjacent to Archaeological Sites” (MTBCAAS). The EU’s Ambassador to Belize, H.E. Paola Amadei, admitted even she found the project’s name a bit of a mouthful, and the acronym equally cryptic, but she was happy to join the acting chief Executive officer of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation, Mr. Abil Castaneda in cutting the ribbon to officially inaugurate all three site upgrades. The ceremony was held on Wednesday, July 29, at the most popular site – Caves Branch which offers cruise ship visitors: cave tubing and zip-lining under the forest canopy. Caves Branch is one of Belize’s most popular archaeological sites, attracting over 178,000 visitors last year.

Belize Tourism Board host 2015 Tourism Industry Conference on Ambergris Caye
On Saturday August 1st, tourism stakeholders and industry partners converged on Ambergris Caye for the 2015 Tourism Industry Conference. Hosted by the Belize Tourism Board (BTB), the conference took place at Fido’s Courtyard and saw a host of industry professionals’ part taking in a two-part panel discussion that focused on Service Excellence and Tourism Digital Marketing. The welcome remarks were formally given by Dr. Carla Barnet, Chairman of the Board (BTB), while Minister of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Hon. Manuel Heredia gave his official remarks which reiterated the positive works of the BTB and Ministry of Tourism within one of the country’s largest industries. This was followed by a video of the BTB’s Year in Review which encompassed all the works of the board throughout 2014. This includes several programs held throughout the year to enhance the skill and knowledge of site guides, hospitality training, taxi association branding and hospitality training, road infrastructural works including Northern Ambergris Caye, and the Sunset Boardwalk Project and Hon. Luis Sylvester Stadium to name a few.

Ramon’s Village hosts Noche San Pedrana
It’s a traditional event that brings out the crowd to get to know the Reina de La Costa Maya contestants, and Ramon’s Village once again pulled out the stops to host Noche San Pedrana in style. Under the glow of the beautiful blue moon and tiki torches, guests enjoyed cocktails and nibbles while Rompe Raja played some lively music to get the vibe going. Of course, the highlight of the evening was the presentation of the beauties in their Cultural Costumes! Miss Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama were tasked with modeling a cultural dress from their country of origin. Judges in the audience assigned points to each contestant, and those points will be tallied on pageant night, August 6th. The audience was blown away by the beautiful handiwork on each costume, some flowing and elegant, others chic and form fitting, each depicting an integral part of the wearer’s culture.

Ambergris Today

Wild Crocodile Encounters at Ambergris Caye’s Newest Tour
So you have swam with the sharks and stingrays, interacted with the manatees, fed the tarpons and seen the monkeys in the mainland. Then how about seeing a professional wildlife expert getting in the water and wrestling with crocodiles? Got your attention huh!? Well you can’t swim with crocodiles as they are wilder animals, but you can surely experience this thrilling tour in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. It WILL have you interacting with the wild reptiles and at the same time helping protect them and conserving their natural habitats. The American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES) will have you appreciating and (YES) loving these threatened species and not looking at them as scary and dangerous creatures. ACES’ Crocodile Scientific Investigators (CSI) tour is a unique experience that has you traversing through mangrove forests at night on the back side of the island. Yes! The tour takes place at night, as it’s when the crocodiles are more active and hunting for food. Vince and Cherie, founders of ACES started the tour, but their most knowledgeable Crocodile Expert Chris Summers is mostly in charge of taking out the tours.

Belize Tourism Industry Conference Looks at Improving Tourism
The Belize Tourism Board held the Tourism Industry Conference at Fido’s Courtyard on August 1st, 2015. The day began with welcome address by Chairman of the Board, Dr. Carla Barnett; followed by remarks from the Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr. The year in review video was played for stakeholders to view tourism accomplishments of 2014. It included statistics comparing growth over 2013, successful impressions obtained through marketing initiatives and accolade of events throughout the industry. The day proceeded into two sessions of local and international panelists to discuss Service Excellence and Digital Marketing.

Team Belize Scores Silver at the Special Olympics World Games 2015
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, in partnership with Special Olympics Belize and the Special Envoy for Women and Children congratulates the Belize Female Bocce Team on winning silver medals in both Unified Bocce and Bocce Doubles at the World Special Olympics Games 2015 held in Los Angeles, California from July 25 to August 2. The Belize Team competed among 165 countries and 6,500 international athletes in an air of friendship and goodwill. Their participation under the Unified Sports Experience events helped to foster a relationship of respect, acceptance, camaraderie and victory as Silver Medalists. The delegation was comprised of athletes: Jasmine Flores, Anna Emmanuel; partners Ilda Romero and Jayna Locke, all students from Holy Ghost Primary School in Dangriga. The athletes were accompanied by the Special Olympics National Coordinator, Mrs. Elodia Bautista; Team Coach, Ms. Kadey Kerr; Team Physician, Dr. Nelson Marin; Teacher, Ms. Devon Garcia; Observer Mr. Axil Marin and representatives from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports; Dr. Candy Armstrong, Chairperson of the Board of Directors – Special Olympics Belize Dr. Carol Babb, Deputy Chief Education Officer and Education Information Officer Yma Casey.

Misc Belizean Sources

Reina de la Costa Maya Delegates with owner Elodia and son Josh
They are about to enjoy some fresh sea food delicacies at Hurricanes Ceviche Bar & Grill.

The International Costa Maya Festival would like to express its sincere gratitude to all its sponsors and friends. Thank You!

Emergency power interruption 5:30am to 7:00am, Thursday, August 6: entire San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye
BEL to install protective device at Maskall Substation.

Cayo BTIA Summer Meeting
The Cayo BTIA is having their big Summer meeting at Maya Mountain Lodge this evening at 6:00pm. They'll be outlining their goals. Everyone is encouraged to attend since Cayo is the ecotourism capital of Belize.

BOLEDO DRAWING for Wednesday, August 5, 2015: 49. PICK 3: 8 3 2

UPDATE ON NORTH ROAD: August 5, 2015, San Pedro
The clearing/preparing of the road has now reached by Las Terrazas Resort.

Poets Corner: Lie and Story
By Abdulmajeed K. Nunez. Fe fi fo fum I smell in the air devaluation First Caribbean announced the sale of their Belize operation It’s being called the first of its kind maneuver This was an orchestrated merger After First Caribbean violated Money Laundering Prevention Act Stephen Duncan came under attack Arraigned on 113 charges back in 2008 Anyone knows the result of the case? All I know in my mouth there is a bad taste Defended by UDP FIU prosecutor BQ Pitts Things took an interesting twist Then Duncan’s second mystery This is an irony; Ysiguerrie Has limited experience in this industry Becomes Central Bank’s HNIC The Central Bank governorship was slated for Duncan But their litigation brought everything into question He was rewarded with Heritage Bank Sights still on the assets of First Caribbean Bank Was this merger perhaps from his diagram? I beg to ask the question

Cristo Rey Arts and Crafts Center Inauguration
Cristo Rey now has an Arts and Crafts Center, thanks to help from the BNE Charitable Trust, the Cristo Rey Women's Group, and Representative Montero. The CRWG will get some great use out of the building. Thanks to all involved! "The BELIZE Natural Energy Charitable Trust partnered with the Area Representative for Cayo Central, Hon. Rene Montero, and the Cristo Rey Women’s Group to fund the construction of an arts and crafts center in the village of Cristo Rey."

Hopkins Bay Belize nominated for the 2015 World Travel Awards.
Hopkins Bay Belize combines the comforts of home with the unparalleled adventures of a unique destination; they curate experiences that offer new and life-altering memories of an authentic Belize vacation. The relaxed beach property offers every opportunity for guests to enjoy marine & jungle tours, whilst being immersed in the local culture and cuisine of Hopkins village. The resort focuses on creating special moments as you embark on a journey of discovery. Your vote for Hopkins Bay Resort as Belize’s Leading Villa Resort, allows them to indulge more guests in once-in-a lifetime adventures and experiences that are truly worthy of Belize.

AN OPEN LETTER TO BTL ABOUT THEIR DIGICELL ADS WHICH ARE OFFENSIVE AND DEGRADING TO WOMEN.
I write to you on the mentioned subject in several capacities -as a former Chairman of Belize Telecommunications Limited, a Senator, a Belizean, and a woman. As a taxpayer, I would also add the capacity of shareholder. DigiCell has, for some time now been conducting a social media advertising campaign on Facebook and Instagram which carries advertisement of the services offered by your company which are offensive to women, and lately, degrading and in one particular case, suggests that violence/abusive restraint are not only acceptable, but laudable and uses the hash tag ‪#‎tryduct‬ tape. The matter first came to my attention with the “ Free WiFi Pan Di Road” campaign, when two images were used to sell your product line. One was a close-up of a female bottom, clad in jeans. The juxtaposition was clear to most. Innuendo about “free wifey” escaped the notice of no one, and the egregious use of the body part to sell “wifi pan di road” was unmistakable.

Stay tuned next Thursday August 13th to Reef TV Channel 20
For our Annual Karaoke Competition. Broadcasting live from Jaguars Temple Night Club.

Channel 7

Teenager Accused of Killing A Man Over A Bike In Corozal
A 15 year old boy allegedly stabbed and killed a 23 year old man in Corozal last night. At around 9, Samir Vivas was in front of a friend’s house when he got into a fight with the teenager. The boy claims that Vivas stole his bicycle but Vivas denied it. Still, things got out of hand and the 15 year old stabbed Vivas once in the stomach. Today we traveled to Corozal to find out what happened – we got two totally different versions of the story. Courtney Weatherburne has the report. Supt. Dennis Arnold - OC, Corozal Police "Police initial investigation reveal that Vivas was at home, Venezuelan site area, Corozal Town where a minor had approached him and accused him of stealing his bicycle." It is that accusation that led to the murder of 23 year old Samir Vivas. Today Vivas’ mother – broken by her son’s senseless death - held on tightly to her neighbour right in front of the spot where her son was stabbed. It happened in front of this house - a couple feet away from Vivas’ home. Vivas got into a fight with a 15 year old boy over a missing bicycle. During the scuffle on this patchy lawn, Vivas was stabbed in his stomach.

City Shooting In Gang Hotspot
While police from Corozal try to solve the murder of Samir Vivas, investigators from Belize City must try to find the shooters who tried to kill 2 young men in the Jane Usher Boulevard Area this morning before 11 o’clock. The victims are 22 year-old Raheem Arnold of Curl Thompson Street, and 17 year-old Shemar Moore, who lives in the neighborhood. They are hospitalized at the KHMH, and at this time, police aren’t saying why they believe that these youths were targeted. The officer commanding Eastern Divisions Criminal Investigations briefed the media about what they know at this time: Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division "This morning we had a shooting on Jane Usher Boulevard where two persons were shot. Shemar Moore was shot to the right arm, left armpit, left foot and to the left upper leg. We have Raheem Arnold, he was shot in the left pelvic area. Both persons are at the KHMH in stable condition. We have our investigators out there, we have 2 suspects that we are presently seeking for this shooting." Daniel Ortiz "Can you tell us what police believe prompted this shooting?" Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division "Okay, these guys were on the street on Jane Usher Boulevard when they had some argument with some persons in that area. One was shot first then as he was going to his grand mother's house, the other person was shot."

Sr. Supt Chester Vex With GSU?
And just last week Commander of eastern Division Southside Chester Williams was doing house to house visits in the same general area where today’s shooting took place. At the time he expressed confidence in de-escalating the gang warfare in an area, which had witnessed chronic gun violence for over a year. Sr. Supt Chester Williams, OC - E.D. Southside "I can tell you clearly that yes, I have a full appreciation for what is taking place on south side Belize city. particularly in Jane Usher and Freedom Street, Gill Street and Caesar Ridge Road.And it is based on those credible information I have obtained - why I'm doing what I'm doing to see how best I can use my influence to help these young people try to make a positive difference in their lives." Jules Vasquez "Will you speaking directly with the combatants in the gang war?" Sr. Supt Chester Williams, OC - E.D. Southside "Yes, I am making arrangement to speak with them. And I can tell you Jules that the people are coming along.”

The Victim Is Also The Accused In Sandhill Stabbing & Sex Crime
The Sandhill stabbing case went to court today. Both the 37 year old father and the 16 year old boy were charged. The 37 year old father was charged with wounding when he appeared before Magistrate Deborah Rogers this morning. The father was granted bail of $500 plus one surety. But there are a number of conditions to his bail – the father was ordered to stay away from the 16 year old boy as well as his family. His next court date is set for October 5th , 2015. As for the 16 year old boy he was charged with unlawful carnal knowledge. He was not remanded and no plea was taken. Because minors are involved we can’t show you any photographs of the accused. As we reported, on Monday afternoon the 37 year old father caught the 16 year old boy having sex with his 13 year old daughter in their house. In a rage, the father punched the boy several times in his face and head, choked him until went unconscious and grabbed a pliers and stabbed the boy. After the boy regained consciousness the father apparently went to get a large knife but the boy managed to get away.

Senator Shoman Scolds BTL
Senator Lisa Shoman has chastised BTL for some off colour ads that they placed on social media – and tonight the phone company is apologizing for its bad taste. The ads appeared on facebook and instagram and the first depicted Hollywood actress Jennifer Coolidge in a suggestive pose, with the accompanying text: “ladies meet cougar. she is the enemy. she is mature, experienced, rich and loves young boys. your young boys. luckily DigiCell has equipped you to fight back!” Shoman calls the message degrading and adds, quote, “The message...(implies) among other things, that older affluent women are insatiable pedophiles.” End quote. She then turns her ire to another BTL social media Facebook ad which shows a young woman with duct tape covering her mouth, cradled by a man, captioned: “This could be us but you keep escaping.” Shoman points to the accompanying text which says, quote: “if your true love keeps escaping, Talk & Text with them ALL NIGHT…

Domestic Violence, Where's The Anger Coming From?
Senator Shoman has hit upon a topical issue – that’s because of the chilling cases of domestic violence we’ve seen in just the past month!: Juana Cowo-Cardinez was killed in Punta Gorda, Keisha Buller was killed in Benque Viejo, Thytis Blancaneux was killed in Lord’s Bank, and Merlin Elizabeth Herrera Mejia, was killed in Belize City. All those domestic murders happened in July! It’s a staggering statistic – and a worrying state of affairs. But what’s driving all this homicidal domestic violence? And what can be done to save victims of intimate partner violence from the cycle of battery before their partner seriously harms kills them? That’s what Courtney Weatherburne asked psychologist and counselor Aimee Jex yesterday. She told Courtney the violence we saw in July is really just a symptom of a culture of of gender based violence:… Aimee Jex- Psychologist "It just seems to happening more violently right now, but there is always that issue of how is a woman being treated in our society. What respect does she have, what respect does she demand, what respect does a man give to a woman and that’s where we have to start looking." "We have a lot of people who say, "I woulda never touch she, I noh beat woman" – but all day long they’re saying degrading things, they're saying mean things, they are controlling in different ways and we have to realize that is part of intimate partner violence. It's a cycle and the battering and the beating is just the part we see."

Too Many Trauma Cases, KHMH Out of Beds!
Last month – KHMH employees went on a go-slow where all clinics and elective surgeries were cancelled. Well, now the hospital administration is doing much the same but for a very different reason. A release sent out an hour ago says that today the administration, quote, “took the decision to suspend elective admissions to the General Surgical Ward and Day Cases due to the overwhelming numbers of emergency cases, particularly trauma victims, requiring admission and surgical intervention, over the last week.” The release adds that the patients are referred to the KHMH from all over the country –so many that there were more patients than there were available beds. So now the KHMH isn’t taking any new cases to the surgical ward, basically so that they can clear out the current backlog. So when will things normalise? Well, the release says that if all goes well, they will resume admission of elective and Day Cases on Monday August 10th.

Police Minister Tours
The Eastern Division went through a dramatic reconfiguration three weeks ago – and, Police Minister John Saldivar has embarked on a working tour to find out if the new setup is working. He started today in Eastern division north, all that area north of the Swing bridge – up to the Haulover Bridge. Saldivar did all the ceremonial stuff such as inspecting officers – but he also went extensively behind the scenes, delving into the formation’s operations. He told us what he was looking for. Hon. John Saldivar - Minister of National Security "Today I'm here after one month to see how things are going, to see how we have been able to adjust to the changes both in terms of looking at the physical infrastructure, the office space and everything that have been done. And also to look at the different strategies that are being employeed now that we have 3 smaller formations to deal with the Belize district."

City Leaders Meet To Discuss Revenue
Today, local government leaders from 7 towns and 2 Cities fathered at the Biltmore to learn how to tax you better! It’s called “revenue enhancement” and the event is organized by the Mayor’s Association – after all, to keep your municipality going, city and town boards have to generate revenue. Ideally, these towns and cities leaders want to be independent, and able to fund their own programs without having to rely too heavily on the government subventions. We spoke with the coordinators about the ways that revenue generation is expected to improve: Eugene Palacio - Director, Local Government "What we have is a first of a series of training at a aim of capacity building of the council, strengthen the capacity of the council to carry out their functions. Local government is set of roles and responsibilities given to a municipal council by the central government and a set of revenue sources which they administer to carry out those sources. And so the mayor's association met with the ministry, the minister and the ministry and identified training needs as one of their priorities and the ministry accepted that. And so in collaboration with the mayor's association the ministry is having a series of training with the municipalities. This is the first one. The first one is budget preparation exercise and revenue collection enhancement."

Taking the Bite Out of Trade Licenses And Property Tax
And keeping it right in line with revenue generation, as you heard in the interview, the collection of property taxes and trade licenses is a major part of revenue generation for a municipality. For the 2 past years, the Belize Chamber of Commerce has been trying to work with the Belize City Council to bring down trade licenses fees and property taxes for businesses. The task force has concluded that the city’s current tax regime is too arbitrary - penalizing businesses owners who have large properties but who do small volume business. On the other hand, they say it gives tax breaks to high volume businesses - such as law firms and accounting firms - which have small property spaces. After exploring different options, the proposal is to lower the property tax by as much as 50%. That would mean that the city’s revenue would decrease dramatically, right? Not necessarily, says Mayor Bradley, and he explained that it incentivizes more business owners to launch startups in Belize City. And in the meantime, the Council is weaning itself off the dependence on hyper-taxation:

10 Year Old Chopped and Robbed in Corozal
Police say A 10-year-old boy was chopped and robbed yesterday afternoon in Corozal town. The 10 year old boy was with his sister in the Baiza Layout area when two masked men approached them demanding money. One of men was swinging a machete at him. The 10-year-old boy was hit on his left arm and to the back of his head. The men got away with $80.00 and the boy’s white LG touch screen phone valued at $280 dollars. Police have since detained Belmopan resident Christian Martinez pending charges of Robbery and Harm. Police told us that they have retrieved the phone.

Decoding The Sargassum Phenomenon
On Monday, we told you how the coastline of Belize - like the rest of Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean - has been inundated with sargassum – a type of seaweed - which has been drifting in from the ocean. It’s an eyesore and a nuisance to hoteliers and other tourism workers who depend on the beauty of the beaches to attract tourists. Despite that, there isn’t really anything that they can do about it, except hire workers to haul the stuff off the seafront. Today, the country coordinator for the Healthy Reefs For Healthy People Initiative discussed the phenomenon with us, and what is causing it: Roberto Pott - Belize Coordinator, Healthy Reefs For Healthy People Initiative "From what I understand and people should know there's a huge area in the north Atlantic, they refer to the sargassum sea. So there's this huge platform that actually for science it's a spectacle because there's a whole community and they equate it to the diversity of a rainforest that's out there. Unfortunately one of the things that happen, we can argue about climate change - that they are changing current patterns at times due to temperatures in the water I believe. And that causes some of that sargassum sea or platform to strip off and come into our area. And I really have to empathise with the people who live along the coast because they've been overwhelmed with this pad of sargassum that floats in. Unfortunately there's no easy solution to it.

Regional Tourism Growing, Why is Belize Not?
And while the Sargassum is smothering beaches from Placencia to Playa Del Carmen to Port of Spain – tourism numbers in the Caribbean are generally going up. Figures from the Caribbean Tourism Organization show that countries like Barbados, Cuba, Trinidad, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Aruba are showing strong tourism growth at the end of June. Belize, though, is showing a small downturn. The BTB attributes that to a decline in arrival from Canada – which is down 11%, but the figures also show a decline in the arrivals from the USA, which is down 1.4%. The experts say that is due to a weaker Canadian dollar – but that dollar is working just fine in Barbados which has the same exchange rate as Belize and saw a 28.4% increase in Canadian guests in the first half of 2015. Of course, they have Air Canada flying into their airport – which the BTB is trying to get to come to Belize. But that’s just at the discussion phase – so what’s making Belize tourism contract when Central America and the Caribbean are growing? That’s what we asked the President of the BTIA on Saturday – holding to the BTIA line, he used the opportunity to take a shot at the cruise tourism sector:…

Diabetes Association Gets Needed Help
According to statistics from the Belize Diabetes Association, approximately 50,000 Belizeans are currently living with diabetes. That’s almost 14% of the population. So the association has its work cut out for it - and that’s why they are grateful for a very huge helping hand from abroad. The Association President attended a diabetes conference in New York not long ago, where he met the principals from the overseas agent called Insulin for Life. Insulin for Life committed to provide them with a large stock insulin and other supplies such as syringes, and blood testing supplies. The trouble is that with all this insulin, the Association needed to keep them refrigerated. That’s when they decided to approach Tropigas for a refrigerator as a donation, and was surprised when they got a little more than they asked for. 7News stopped by the handing over today, and found out how the Association was pleasantly surprised at the generosity of the company.

Channel 5

Murder in Corozal: Minor Stabs 24-year-old During Altercation
It has been relative free of violent crimes in Corozal Town since the start of the year. But on Tuesday night, all that was shattered when a horrible murder took [...]

Gunfire on Jane Usher Blvd. Leaves Two Men Injured in Separate Incidents
In the city, two persons were injured in separate, but related shootings this morning on Jane Usher Boulevard. Shamar Moore and Raheem Arnold were rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial [...]

Digicell Under Fire for Offensive Online Ads
Belize Telemedia Limited, a government-owned company, is under fire tonight, for a series of controversial ads that have been posted on social media.  If you’re a subscriber of Facebook or [...]

BML and CitCo Back in Court Over Partially Paid Judgment
This time last year, the staff of Belize Maintenance Limited (BML) was protesting in front of City Hall; garbage was strewn across the street and the protestors were arrested by [...]

Mayor Bradley Says There’ll Be No Residential Garbage Fee…
According to Bradley the Council has paid off what was outstanding to BML in terms of compensation for terminating the contract. He is not considering implementing a proposed ten dollars [...]

…But What About Trade Licenses?
Mayor Bradley also discussed the issue of trade licenses. Some Belize City businesses are reportedly thinking of moving outside of the Old Capital’s boundaries to Ladyville and Hattieville which are [...]

McAfee Arrested in Tennessee for Driving Under the Influence
In recent days, not much has been heard about the John McAfee, the eccentric millionaire who remains a person of interest in the murder his neighbour, Gregory Saul in San [...]

16-year-old Arraigned for Unlawful Sexual Intercourse, Attacker Charged with Wounding
This afternoon, a sixteen year old minor was arraigned for Unlawful Sexual Intercourse at the Family Court. The minor was allegedly stabbed on Monday when the father caught him sexually [...]

Banner Year for Sugar Production
The sugar crop got off to a rocky start but it is surely ending on a sweet note. This season, sugar production peaked to over one hundred and forty tones. [...]

Are Caneros Prepared for Changes in Sugar Prices Come 2016 Season?
While cane farmers are enjoying the fruits of their labor for a bumper crop this season, come 2016 things will get a lot tougher, as sugar exported to the international [...]

Workshop on Revenue Enhancement for Municipal Governments
It is budget season for the nine municipalities across the country, who feed in their requests to the Ministry of Local Government to be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance [...]

CitCo Leads By Example; Says Revenue Stream is Healthy
Also participating were the local staff of the CARILED project which has been assisting various municipalities. Even with the largest revenue base of all the municipalities, Belize City still has [...]

Shortage of Beds at K.H.M.H.
Two weeks ago, the staff of the national referral hospital went on a brief go-slow, canceling all referral services from the districts. That was called off after a meeting with [...]

Corozal Police Meets and Greets Residents
As we told you earlier, the second murder for the Corozal district happened on Tuesday night in the Venezuelan Site area of the town. It is also the first murder [...]

Tropigas Donates to Diabetes Association
Today, the Diabetes Association was gifted with a donation valued at a little over three thousand dollars. Tropigas has partnered with the association before, so when the association went calling [...]

CTV3

Lightening Claims The Life Of A Mennonite Man
The change of weather experienced this afternoon was a welcoming treat for Belizeans all across the country but for a resident of Shipyard, the weather proved to be deadly as he was struck by an unexpected bolt of lightning causing him to lose his life. The event is an unfortunate one and is being deemed as a freak accident. From what we have been able to gather, around 2:20 this afternoon, 24 year old Johan Friesen of Camp 3 in the Shipyard community, was struck by lightning whilst walking home. Authorities say their investigation revealed that Thiessen had just left the New Land Area in Santa Martha Village where he was cutting logwood when the incident occurred. As a reminder to the public, officials say when lightning occurs; it is well-known that people should stay away from anything that conducts electricity. We’ll have more on this story in tomorrow’s newscast.

Number Of Patients Suffering From Diarrhea Fight In The North
Parents need to pay extra attention to their children during this summer or the remainder of the summer as doctors are seeing a spike in the number of patients suffering diarrhea. According to Pediatrician Doctor Kent Novelo, he has noticed that many of his patients have presented the symptoms of the rotavirus, one of the most common causes of diarrhea and severe infection is the leading cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young children. “For the past few weeks we have been seeing an increase in the incidents of diarrhea and this of course is accompanied with vomiting and fever and cramps and it has been localized in certain areas of the district initially started on the southern part of Orange Walk but heard right now that is in town even and even in the Corozal district we have seen some so there is a spike in the number of patients consulting for diarrhea and vomiting.”

Vehicle Of Police Constable Set In Fire
In the wee hours of this morning, authorities responded to a vehicle fire reported on Rio Bravo Street in Orange Walk Town. Upon arrival at the scene around 2:20am, officials saw a white Kia Sportage engulfed in flames. Fire officials responded swiftly and were able to doze the fire and immediately an investigation ensued. The vehicle is said to belong to P.C Antony Guzman who is presently working at the Caye Caulker Police Station. Authorities say they are looking at the incident as arson since they recovered one small plastic bottle which is suspected to have been used to carry fuel to start the fire. As you can see the vehicle’s interior was totally destroyed by fire.

BTL's Advertising Campaign Gets Them In Trouble
BTL’s advertising campaigns has taken a controversial turn and opposes are using the cyber market to express their discontent. A four page letter authored by Senator Lisa Shoman explains that and we quote…..”DigiCell has, for some time now been conducting a social media advertising campaign on Facebook and Instagram which carries advertisement of the services offered by your company which are offensive to women, and lately, degrading and in one particular case, suggests that violence/abusive restraint are not only acceptable, but laudable and uses the hash tag #tryduct tape,” end quote. Shoman says that the new ads are sending the wrong message to the public and especially women. The release continues to state that “Memes like these help to perpetuate a culture of contempt for women and abuse of their personhood. It is this that helps to cement a culture of violence against women, and equates women as flesh for male consumption. It caters to, and is dreamed up by an adolescent male fantasy of rape, submission, degradation and depredation of women,” end quote.

Belize Celebrates Breast Feeding Week
The Ministry of Health has for the past few years been promoting breastfeeding and that campaign is nowhere near over. This is “Breastfeeding week and it is being observed under the theme “Breastfeeding and Work, Let’s Make it Work” and will be commemorated from August 1st to 7th, 2015. As part of the events to observe the week, a workshop will be held to promote and facilitate breastfeeding at workplaces. Now there have been mixed feelings about breastfeeding in public across different societies, but the benefits, as far as medical specialists indicate are immeasurable as it is the best source of nourishment for infants and young children and go beyond the first months of life. The workshop hopes to sensate managements of workplaces of the importance of promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding in the workplace.

Vivas' Mom Talks About Her Sons' Death
While the 15 year old minor is now in police custody that is no consolation for the family of 23 year old Samir Vivas, especially his mother, Anabell Vivas, who told us today she was at her house in the village of Calcutta when she received the shocking news of her son had been stabbed. “I live in Calcutta Village roughly about eight in the night my mom called me and told me to please come up here at her house and I told her for what and she say Steven just stabbed your son and looked like injure is deep so just please hurry come up. By the time I reached here catch a taxi from the village and got here I went in there and I told my mom what happened and she told me Steven stabbed Zamir so then I say where is Zamir and I see my son was right there lying down on the ground and then I went and I approached him and I told him Zamir, Zamir lets go, lets go and the taxi was waiting here for me and tell him if could please help to carry this boy to the hospital and then my mother told me that he was drinking earlier and then she told me that the stabbing happened over there at the labor and then he came here running and say he got stabbed and he just collapse right there.”

Orange Walk Police Engage In New Tactic To Combat Crime
The Orange Walk Police has employed a change of tactic to address the problem of rural crime in the Orange Walk District and the hope is to put an end to a spate of offences and improved confidence in the police. Today members of the police formation including Officer Commanding, Assistant Superintendent Selvin Tillett, met with residents of the San Felipe Village in an effort to reduce crime. Tillett says the formation is delivering a consistent proactive and preventative approach to meet the needs of rural communities. “We realize that we don’t want that only when they want they go to the police station but we come out and meet them and who better than the villagers, people themselves tell us what is their problems and ask them what is their problem, what and how we can improve the police service to them, what can we do to better our living standards but I believe that this is only to try to garner back the confidence in the community and we intent to start the Orange Walk formation.”

Masked Men Attacked And Robbed Ten Year Old
A ten year old boy from the Corozal District is tonight recuperating from a frightful ordeal after he was robbed and beaten by two mask men. Yesterday around 12:58 in the afternoon the 10 year old and his sister were in the area of Baeza’s Layout in Corozal when they were approached by two masked men. According to the ten year old, as the men approached him and his sister, they demanded money. But that’s not all. One of the individuals was carrying a machete which he swung at the ten year old while demanding money.

Woman Accuses Pawn Shop Owner of Swindling Her Land
A Pawn Shop in Corozal Town has been accused of swindling a property for a loan that was issued and the client is tonight crying foul. According to a resident from Sarteneja, who requested to remain anonymous, in 2013 she borrowed a loan from the Pawn Shop of $3,500 dollars but in order for the loan to be approved, the client was asked to provide her property title, which she did. The property owner says that she had a few problems in making payments due to financial constraints and that is when she said the Pawn Shop owner took advantage of the situation….. We spoke to her via telephone today “Yo le hice un préstamo a el de $3,500 y yo le estaba pagando a él cada mes el interés que él me estaba cobrando era de $525.00 y lego un momento que yo ya no lo ida pagar porque yo soy ama de casa y tuve unos atrasos y él me dijo que ya no ay tiempo y que ya no es mío el terreno porque él ya me lo quito. Entonces el mando un carta acá en Sarteneja con el pólice y en la carta decía que me tengo que salir de mi casa y la carta no estaba sellado ni confidencial. Viendo tanto interés que me cobraban yo busque ayuda que me aconsejen porque el interés era demasiado porque ni el banco ni el credit te cobran $525.00 de interés por $3,500.00, busque ayuda y se suma a $7,000 que yo ya le pague al señor y él me quiere quitar mi casa y él se quedó con mis documentos de mi casa y yo lo voy a pelear en la corte porque es injusto lo que me hizo porque se aprovechó de mi necesidad y mi casa tiene dos cuartos, una sala, una cocina y un baño y es casa vaciado.”

BTB Tackles Crime To Boost Tourism
The Belize Tourism Board held the 2015 Tourism Conference in San Pedro this past weekend. In an interview with the Director of Tourism Karen Bevans, she spoke on several issues of importance within the industry. One of these things she said was the crime situation and how it has affected the industry. She adds that they are working with the police to boost security and encourage businesses to do just that. “The crime situation is a challenge for us and what we are doing is things like brochures to advice travelers when they land at the airport where to go, where are the good places, the safe places to go. So further to that we worked with the Commissioner of Police and he has put more police officers in San Pedro for example and you have heard of the restructuring done in Caye Caulker, he is increasing the number of officers in Hopkins so he has been looking at all the tourist areas to see how he can boost up security. Additionally he had recommended to us that we work with stakeholders in getting security cameras. We took action and we are already implementing security cameras around the entire Fourth Street Tourism Zone and most of the stakeholders are moving towards getting their place camera ready.”

Local Tourism Proves To Be A Huge Success
Earlier this month the Belize Tourism Board launched a campaign to promote local tourism and as part of the initiative, several businesses are collaborating with the BTB. Director of Tourism, Karen Bevans says the initiative has been a success as local tourism is a hit. "That is impressive; we did not expect the results we have been seeing so far. Stakeholders have been contributing promo codes, we've been given special rates to Belizeans and already we are hearing feedback that the stakeholders are seeing the promo codes being used. In fact just today, they told me that a wedding is happening because of the promo codes as well.”

Corozal Fire Department Discusses Bush Fires and Heat
A few weeks into Belizean summer and we have seen scorching hot conditions that have been dominating our weather. And while we are seeing an intense dry season, vegetation tends to become dry thus becoming a contributing factor for fires say officials from the Fire Department. Deputy Officer in Command at the Corozal Fire Department, Kevin Williams, told us today that burning within town limits is prohibited. If you need to burn garbage or any organic material you must first seek advice from the fire department. Kevin Williams- Second officer in command Corozal Fire Department “It is prohibited to burn these fires but if you have to we ask that you come to the fire department and then we will direct you how to do the burning. What we normally advice people is that if you need to burn you burn in small patches and you burn away from wooden structure mostly. The person also needs to form a firewall around your building that is like a five feet clear path so that if the fire would happen in the bushes it would stop there before it reaches your home. In the community we look on the wind direction mostly because we do not want to burn and have all that smoke go to your neighbors so you look at the wind direction and always have means of water should in case it gets out of hand.”

PUP Leader Discusses Tourism In The West
And while tourism is all the talk these last days on the news, the People’s United Party has joined in the promotion of it. In the launch of its national tour in San Ignacio on Sunday, PUP leader Francis Fonseca pledged the community a fully equipped hospital along with the promise of helping to boost tourism. “Tourism is another important industry here in the west and it is an important industry for the country of Belize and we are absolutely committed to making sure that we set up a health fund, an education fund but we also want to setup a small business fund that will allow people who want to invest in small tourism operations for example to access low interest financing that will allow more Belizeans to get involved in the Tourism Industry at many levels. So we have a full policy that we will be sharing with the Belizean people on Tourism and these are thighs that we will be presenting to the Belizean people before the next General Elections.”

Former Orange Walk Mayor Found Guilty Of 2008 Deadly Traffic Accident
After a little over seven years, a verdict was finally handed down on a road traffic incident that killed two persons near Rahburn Ridge Village in the Belize District. Viewers may recall that on June 15th 2008, former Mayor of Orange Walk Town, Ravell Gonzalez, knocked down and killed a 2 year old girl and one of her relatives. Yesterday, a jury of nine found Gonzalez guilty of two counts of causing death by careless conduct. The jury of five men and four women deliberated for three hours before reaching a unanimous verdict in the Supreme Court of Justice Troadio Gonzalez. After pleas of mitigation from Oscar Rosado and co-attorney Ellis Arnold, Justice Gonzalez set a fine of $4,000 on each count and ordered further compensation to the family of two year old Martita Lopez.

LOVE FM

Double Shooting in Jane Usher Boulevard
Two separate shooting incidents occurred this morning in the Jane Usher Boulevard area in Port Loyola, Belize City where two young men were injured and currently hospitalized. The two victims are 21-year-old, Raheem Arnold and 18-year-old, Shemar Moore. Superintendent Hilberto Romero of the Crimes Investigative Branch briefed the media. HILBERTO ROMERO “This morning we had […]

PUP G-10 In Discussion of Party Resolutions Passed
In a media briefing held last week at Independence Hall with the People’s United Party, Francis Fonseca, the Party Leader had announced several resolutions that came out of the joint meeting of the National Executive and the Standard Bearers. Those resolutions came following a letter with three requests from ten PUP Standard Bearers who are […]

Inspiration Centre Not Closing Its Doors
Some weeks ago there were talks of the Inspiration Centre being in danger of closing its doors to the children with disabilities who they cater to. Earlier this week we met up with the Special Envoy for Women and Children, Kim Simplis-Barrow who told us that while there are indeed financial challenges, the sustainability of […]

Efforts for Peace Among Gangs Continue
The new Commander of Eastern Division South, Senior Superintendent Chester Williams, has been meeting with gang leaders with an aim of creating peace among the criminal elements. We are told that he has been accompanied by Dianne Finnegan who runs the Youth Apprenticeship Program and Douglas Hyde, the Public Relations Coordinator for the Belize Police […]

10-Year-Old Gets Robbed and Injured in Northern Belize
Corozal Police have detained a man from Salvapan area in Belmopan pending charges of robbery and harm. A ten year old boy from Concepcion Village along with his mother went to the Police Station where he reported that just before one o’clock on Tuesday afternoon he was along with his sister in the Baiza Layout […]

Man Remanded After Accused of Trespassing Into a Woman’s Home
42-year-old, Lincoln Moguel, who was convicted of taking a conveyance without lawful authority and was fined $1,000 two days ago, was back in court today to face a charge of burglary. According to the allegation, on August 3 Moguel entered the home of Margaret Trapp, located on Polonio Street, with intent to cause grievous bodily […]

Accused Burglar Says He Is Being Targeted by the Police
24-year-old, Elect Alexander Mckoy, a labourer of Racoon Street Extension in Belize City was charged with burglary and handling stolen goods after it was alleged that he stole four thousand dollars worth of items. McKoy appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser and pled not guilty to the charges. He was denied bail and was […]

PlusTV

Former Staffer Says the Writing was on the wall for sale of CIBC Bank
Uwahnie Martinez, in 2014, left the first Caribbean Bank of Belize Dangriga Branch after reports that she was discriminated against for speaking in her native Garifuna tongue during office hours. The allegations made headline news and gave the bank a black eye. Now, the bank is being liquidated and...

Pawpa Mena responds to Okeke

Minor wounded in altercation with father
There was an incident reported in Sandhill on Monday where a 16-year-old minor was stabbed. The incident is sensitive but we understand that it happened when he was caught in a compromising position with a young woman, allegedly by that young woman’s father, who inflicted the stab wounds. Seni...

Police make progress in Kelvin Usher case
In other news from the Rural Police Division, the body of Kelvin Usher, found badly burned on the roadside in the village of Bermudian Landing two weeks ago, has been positively identified as his. Police believe they know what led to his death but continue their investigations so for now, they are k...

Special Envoy addresses crime against women
The recent spate of domestic incidents involving and against women has become serious enough to attract the attention of the Police Department which is fashioning a special strategy to address it. Also keeping an eye is the office of the Special Envoy for Women and Children, and today Mrs. Kim Simpl...

Kids skipping CXC’s despite subsidy?
The Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination (CSEC) is the standard end-of-term examination for fourth form students leaving high school. Since last year based on the Ministry of Human Development and Education’s means survey among Standard five students preparing for the Primary ...

Special Olympics athletes return with silver
The four young women representing Belize at the 14th biennial Summer Special Olympics World Games concluded over the weekend in Los Angeles, California, returned home today with very special medals. Ana Emmanuel, Jasmine Flores, Jayna Locke and Ilda Romero placed second in the unified team category ...

Breaking Belize News

Attorney writes BTL over offensive advertising
Belize Telemedia Limited has removed two Facebook posts with suggestive content after complaints by prominent Belizeans including Senator Lisa Shoman. The telephone provider sent out a short statement from Chairman of the Executive Committee Anwar Barrow responding to an open letter from Shoman as follows: And we quote, […]

Belize Camping Experience winds up summer camp
The Harvest for Kids/Belize Camping Experience crew have been all over Belize City making memories for young Belizeans attending their camps. Their tireless work year round in the name of Christ’s youngest disciples is a reminder that no one is least in the eyes of God. We visited […]

Tropigas donates to Belize Diabetes Association
In addition to supporting adults and youths with diabetes the Belize Diabetes Association is conducting an awareness campaign among the general public. This morning local dry goods superstore Tropigas made a $3,000 donation of a refrigerator, laptop computer and projector. Association president Anthony Castillo welcomed the donation as […]

Mayor Bradley discusses cut in trade license fee
We have been reporting on the ongoing battle over trade license fees with City businesses reportedly thinking of moving outside of the Old Capital’s boundaries to Ladyville and Hattieville which pay no kind of license fee at all. The City charges 25% of rental value by square foot […]

BML take Belize City Council to court again!
If there was any thought that the hiring of more than three-quarters of the former staff of Belize Maintenance Limited (BML) in January as part of the taking over of their sanitation contract by the Belize City Council would end the long-standing impasse between the two, those hopes […]

Local Government staff meet to discuss revenue enhancement
It is budget season for the nine municipalities of Belize, who feed in their requests to the Ministry of Local Government in Belmopan to be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for inclusion in the annual National Budget due in March. The Ministry is teaming up with the […]

Two youth shot on Jane Usher Boulevard
The sound of gunfire erupted on Jane Usher Boulevard in Belize City this morning just before 11:00. Two young men, identified as 22 year old Raheem Arnold of Curl Thompson Street and 18 year old Shemar Moore, were shot following an argument with another person standing on the […]

Lightning strike kills Orange Walk man
A family in the Shipyard Community is mourning the loss of one of their own after he was struck by a bolt of lightning and died as a result. Authorities in the north say they received the call around 2:20pm this afternoon and dispatched a team to […]

Lincoln Moguel in trouble for following woman home
He was accused of taking a police conveyance without lawful authority but avoided jail time. However 42 year old Lincoln Moguel is in even more serious trouble. This time he faces a charge of burglary; however, the threat is not of stealing but entering a woman’s house intending […]

Elect Alexander Mckoy, charged and remanded for burglary
Elect Alexander McKoy of Racoon Street Extension has been charged with the burglary of the home of Carla Cleland on Chetumal Street in Belize City on August 3 and handling stolen goods before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer. Police accuse McKoy of breaking into Cleland’s home and taking a […]

Encouraging acceptance of breastfeeding at work
August 1st-7th of each year is celebrated as World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) in more than 170 countries worldwide, encouraging breastfeeding and ultimately improving the health of babies. This week commemorates a declaration signed by WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding since it has been proven […]

Weather over Belize turns moist
The National Meteorological service of Belize calls for a relatively moist airflow which will persist for another 12 hours within the country. Conditions are to return to fair and warm weather shortly after. The 24 hour forecast is for sunny with cloudy spells today and cloudy at times tonight. Few […]

John McAfee charged in Tennessee for DUI and firearm possession
Eccentric software billionaire John McAfee is in trouble again. According to The Register, he was arrested in Tennessee, where he now resides, on Sunday night and was charged with driving under the influence and possession of a handgun whilst intoxicated. McAfee, who remains a person of interest to […]

Family prepare final farewell for Jason Pau
Ten year old Jason Pau of Kuxlin Ha, Toledo, has now been missing for more than five days after disappearing in the Hokeb Ha (Blue Creek) Cave while on a swimming tour with visiting American volunteers. His family now believes that he is dead, despite no body being […]

Belmopan man accused of robbery in Corozal
Christian Martinez of Salvapan address in Belmopan faces charges for robbery and harm in Corozal Town. According to Corozal Police, a 10 year old accompanied by his mother, reported that around 12:58 p.m. while in the area of Baiza Layout along with his sister, he was approached by two unknown […]

Minor sought in Corozal stabbing murder
Corozal Police are today piecing together information of a fatal stabbing in that municipality. According to police report, on August 4th, around 9:53 pm, they visited the Corozal Community Hospital where they observed the lifeless body of 23 year old Samir Vivas. On the body police observed one single stab […]

Blogs

Belize is SO Different: And Here’s Why…
I was just reading an article talking about Caribbean vacation destinations and it states: Another major problem…is that the islands mostly offer the same thing, so they simply take tourists from one another. Today the Cayman Islands is a hot destination, siphoning off high-end tourists from Barbados and Bahamas. And tourists travelling on a budget (my category) often search for cheap tickets and go from there But you don’t just pick Belize based on a cheap ticket. Though TICKETS this coming season…fall and winter…are as low as I’ve seen them in 10 years. Belize is different. WAY DIFFERENT. Sure, we are technically a Caribbean vacation destination. Well…partly. But it is SO MUCH more. We’ve got beaches and tiny sand cayes, we have gorgeous blue water and sunny, warm temperatures. But here are some reasons why I think Belize is not part of that interchangeable “Caribbean island mix”.

VISUAL ADVENTURE: CAYE CAULKER
Hammocks, sunsets and sea shells: Wanderer-in-Residence Gary Arndt learns what it means to “go slow” on this Caribbean island. In 2012, I took two weeks off to process some photos from recent travels, and to relax. I decided to spend that time in Caye Caulker, Belize, where the motto is “go slow.” It’s a sentiment that applies to everything on the island, from transportation (there are no cars here) to the attitude, and even the internet. Here are some of the images I captured during my stay.

International Sources

Get Your Shine On in Belize!
As our plane descended toward the island of Ambergris Caye, the ocean below revealed every shade of blue, lush green archipelagos and pockets of life dotting the coast. Color electrifies every corner of Belize, from the radiant stilted houses of Hopkins Village to the multi-hued barrier reef. Smiles are as commonplace as the tourists who are welcomed to the Central American country. Walking the streets, you might hear people singing for no particular reason, enjoying a cold beer in the morning or riding golf rental cars to the edge of town. Although it has the lowest population density in Central America, each part of Belize feels distinctly its own. The history of its people is rich and diverse. Mayan culture flourishes in Belize through historical ruins, relics, food and language. In Southern Belize, the Garinagu people celebrate Garifuna culture with West African traditions and communal gatherings. Belize also provides the best nature has to offer, with the second largest barrier reef in the world. Sixty-two percent of its land mass is rainforest. Whether you’re exploring the jungle, dancing to the sounds of Garifuna drumming or swimming with sharks, finding something that interests you in Belize is easy. Narrowing it down may be the hard part. If you’re visiting Belize for the first time, here are three areas worth visiting with very different vibes.

FirstCaribbean sells assets in Belize
A major Caribbean bank, which has its head office in Barbados, is divesting its Belize operations and is awaiting regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Barbados, as well as the Central Bank of Belize. CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank, which is headquartered in Warrens, St Michael, has sold its assets in Belize to the local financial institution, Heritage Bank. CIBC First Caribbean did not disclose the cost of the sale. Chief executive officer of CIBC FirstCaribbean’s Regional Operations Rik Parkhill said the decision was not an easy one, but that it was a necessary one. “However it was necessary to sharpen our focus on the growth opportunities we have in other markets where we operate. We conducted a strategic review of our business across the region and given the growth path we have identified we have made the difficult decision to sell our Belize operations. This decision was made easier because of the credible and respected partner we have been able to identify for this transaction, Heritage Bank,” said Parkhill.

Caribbean Seeks to Provide Additional Support to Existing Investors
Targeting existing investors to reinvest in the Caribbean and creating linkages in the domestic economy between investors and local suppliers to drive investment growth were issues at the centre of the strategy recommended to the region’s’ Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) at the recently held workshop facilitated by the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) in collaboration with the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) on 27-28 July in St. Lucia. During the workshop, 22 representatives from 11 IPAs across the Caribbean region were exposed to best practices in facilitating existing investors and in key account management. “It takes up to 3 years to secure an investment from a greenfield project”, noted the CAIPA President, McHale Andrew of Invest Saint Lucia, “but it can take as little as 1 year to secure additional investments from an existing investor. With the current challenges of reduced promotional budgets and a demand for increased foreign investment and jobs, it seems logical that we seek to engage further with those investors

Videos

belize 2015, 2min. Vlog of cave tubing in belize on Carnival Valor it was super fun!

SLC Journey to Belize, 5min. POSOH's 2015 Sustainability Leadership Cohort (high school ages) had an amazing life changing experience in Belize. The trip was centered around cultural exchange and how different communities sustain their families and communities.

Belize 2015, 25min. Diving trip to Ambergris Caye, 2015.

Ambergris Caye Belize 2015, 3min. Ambergris Caye an island in Belize where adventure awaits! To check out more information about the island go to Ambergriscaye.com Hope you enjoy!

Panamerica II, 6.5min. We hit our stride as we leave Mexico for Central America and Swim, Dive, Surf, Jump and Drive our way through Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Scuba Diving in Belize, 10min.

2015 Belize Mission Trip, 7.5min.

Guava Limb Restaurant of the Year, 4min. Congratulations, Guava Limb! They won Restaurant of the Year at the BTB National Tourism Awards. They have a great video about their operation, and interview Mick Fleming to give an idea of how it started.

Pillars of Eden - A Caving Adventure in Belize, 6min. In April 2015, I made a journey back to the horseback riding facility I had co-founded in Belize in 1985 and, based on my extensive and intimate knowledge of the area, the owners had agreed I could ride “back-a-bush” without a guide – an unprecedented opportunity. Now I would be able to follow the trails I had blazed some thirty years ago, to listen to the spirit-wind, and go wherever it took me. I would be tested by the fates. Outfitted with machete, fire, rope, poncho, headlamp, food, and water – I mounted up and headed south. Destination unknown. But this time I took something I had never had back then – my digital camera. For the first time I would be able to document my adventure, and hoped fervently I would find new ground, something previously unseen. As it turned out, I would not be disappointed.

Belize Diving July 2015, 21min. Scuba in Belize