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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
1st KWKC international course hosted in San Pedro
On Saturday, April 23rd, 'Keller Williams Kids Can' (KWKC) hosted its first ever international course in San Pedro Town. Over thirty registered participants, ages 18 and over, gathered at Banyan Bay's Conference Room, for the "QL: A World Changer Mindset" course. The free, six-hour course was powered by Gary Keller's Quantum Leap and aimed at empowering those in attendance by inspiring big thinking, model wealth, building and instilling a passion for generous giving.
Keller, a successful real estate entrepreneur and co-founder of Keller Williams Realty (KWR) in the United States and now here in Belize, created the educational non-profit organization 'KWKC'. Designed to inspire young adults to reach their optimum potential and help them create powerful habits that allow them to live a life of intention, Keller's course provided a wealth of information for island youth.
Attendees also learned from qualified real-estate agent at KWR, Margot Weatherford, of Charleston, South Carolina USA, who was the international guest instructor for the course. An eight-chapter workbook was given out to all attendees, and topics such as the science of success, a quantum leap, a wealthy life, maximizing potential, balancing life's routine, goal-setting, funding the life you desire, and the rules of money were covered. Each participant learned to create a personalized success strategy for each participant.
Students join Oceana to celebrate Mother Earth
The 46th celebration of Earth Day took place on April 22nd and not only was it a day of celebration, but also a reminder of the on-going environmental issues that occur worldwide. In honor of the worthy celebration, students participated in a parade commencing at the Central Park. Under the theme, "We Only Have One Earth to Share", the community came together with demonstrating support for the environment and appreciation of Mother Earth. Students shouted "Happy Earth Day" and proudly held posters that reflected positive environmental messages. Many of them represented trees and others were advocating the importance of recycling.
Leading the parade was Oceana's Ambergris Caye representative, Roxanna Perez Gentle, who explained the background and the meaning of celebrating the cause. Earth Day was founded following a massive-oil spill that occurred in Santa Barbara, California USA in 1969. In 1970, Gaylord Nelson established the day for individuals across the world to become aware of the importance of keeping our planet clean and healthy. "This day plays a significant role on how our society perceives the planet and what we can do to prevent adding on to the damage that is has already been done," said Gentle.
Ambergris Today
Destination Belize Reveals New Magazine Theme
The Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), The Belize Tourism Board (BTB), and McNab Publishing Ltd., hosted a mixer on April 25, 2016 at Belize Biltmore Plaza to unveil the NEW Destination Belize magazine theme and the winners of the 'Capture the Cover' photo competition. The business community, members of the BTIA and other key stakeholders and industry partners gathered as representatives from BTIA, BTB and McNab Publishing Ltd. uncovered the signature publications' rebranding strategy, industry updates and developments for the upcoming Destination Belize publication.
As President of the BTIA, Mr. Osmany Salas opened the event by welcoming all in attendance and highlighting the future of the NEW and improved Destination Belize signature publication. The Belize Tourism Board's Director of Marketing and Industry Relations, Ms. Karen Pike shared insight on the growth and importance of the tourism industry and the great significance of marketing Belize using the best marketing platforms.
Misc Belizean Sources
Cornflake Crusted French Toast
In a pie pan, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, half the sugar, and half the cinnamon. Set aside.
In a separate pie pan, stir together the almonds and breadcrumbs with the rest of the sugar and cinnamon. Use a fork to stir in 2 tablespoons of the butter so that the crumbs are slightly moist. Set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the rest of the melted butter over medium-low heat.
One by one, dunk the bread in the egg mixture (turning to coat), then lay them in the dish with the bread crumbs, turning them over and pressing them gently so that they stick and totally cover the surface.
Marie Sharp Inducted in Hot Sauce Hall of Fame 2016
Belize's very own Legendary Queen of Habanero Sauce, Marie Sharp, was presented with a most prestigious award and induction Into the New York City Hot Sauce Hall of Fame for 2016 at The New York City Hot Sauce Expo in Brooklyn New York on April 23 & 24. Marie Sharp proudly received a beautiful red jacket commemorating the occasion, as well as a class ring engraved with her name and year -2016.
Marie Sharp was extremely honored not only for being the only female entrepreneur to receive this award and recognition, but also because she was the only foreign candidate to have been selected for the New York City Hot Sauce Hall of Fame!!
Marie Sharp creator and founder of Marie Sharp's Fine Foods in Dangriga, Belize, continues to be recognized both locally and internationally for her production of a spectacular selection of pepper sauces.
Mother's Day 2016 in San Pedro
Don't miss out on this year's Mother's Day 2016 Extravaganza!
BDF officially receives helicopters from Taiwan
It costs about $3,000 to $4,000 per hour to run one of these iron birds.
Belize Screen on the Green in Dangriga
Belize Screen on the Green is happening tomorrow night in Dangriga!
Hope to see everyone there!!!
March 2016 External Trade & Consumer Price Index
MARCH: During the month of March 2016, Belize imported goods
valued at $163.4 million, falling by 6.7 percent or $11.7 million from
the $175.1 million imported in March of 2015.
The 'Mineral Fuels and Lubricants' category was the primary
contributor to the month's decline in imports, dropping by a substantial
$10 million, almost half of what was reported for the comparable
month in 2015. The ongoing trend of lower purchasing price for fuel,
combined with the fact that no premium fuel was imported, drove
the month's significant decrease. Likewise, imports of 'Manufactured
Goods' and 'Other Manufactures' fell notably within the month, by
$5.5 million and $2 million, respectively. While the latter was the
result of reduced imports of steel, carton boxes and cement, the
former was due to reduced purchases of jewelry and prefabricated
steel buildings. Additionally, owing largely to the continued drop
in shrimp feed imports, goods destined for the 'Export Processing
Zones' fell by $1 million for the month.
The Consumer Price Index for the month of March stood at 102.9,
up 0.1 percent from 102.7 in March 2015. This is a continuation
of the trend observed since January 2016 when the first increase
in the inflation rate was recorded after over a year of decrease.
For the first quarter of this year inflation rate is slowly decreasing
from a high of 0.4 percent in January.
Within the "Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages" category, the prices
of "Food" recorded an increase of 1.6 percent. This was largely
due to increases in fruits (4.4%), eggs (8.2%), sugar (29.5%),
beef and veal (16.5%) and pork (5.5%).On the other hand, red
kidney beans continued to reflect a decrease of 14.5 percent.
BHA Board of Directors Retreat
The BHA Board of Directors are presently sequestered at Hidden Valley Inn, in Cayo, for an intense two day workshop, to determine the direction of the Belize Hotel Association for the next few years. The main focus is to create a strategic plan for the years 2017 through 2019, that will catapult the Association and its members, to the forefront of our tourism industry in Belize.
Marketing strategies for the upcoming years are paramount in these discussions, seeing that the main focus of the BHA is to provide the greatest value for our members and their clients. A revision of the BHA constitution/ By-laws is also being done, and amendments will be made, in a manner to best serve our members needs and interests while preserving the integrity of the organization.
A report of the discussions and decisions made at the retreat, as well as the three year marketing and strategic plan, will be discussed at the upcoming Belize Hotel Association AGM which is scheduled for June 30, 2016.
Babysitter wanted on Caye Caulker
Babysitter needed starting May 4th for 2 days a week for 5 weeks starting from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. then babysitter will be needed permanently starting the end of July. Babysitting will be done at the parent's residence. Mature female preferred. Send me a private message and i will provide you with the contact information. Serious Inquires only.
BELIZE FISHING REPORT: Weeks of April 17th - April 23td, 2016
Another fantastic permit week here in northern Belize. With good weather like this the guides can promise shots at all three species, all year round. BONEFISH BONEFISH� Jeff from Seattle landed 40 in a day and came home an hour early to boot! Several first ever bonefish were caught with Carl, Gary, and Tim collecting their first El Pescador bonefish awards, bonefish seemed like the appetizer served to many guests just to wet their appetites for a try at permit and tarpon!
Belize Choral Society presents Music: Let it Be!
The Belize Choral Society presents their end of season concert!! With big hits like "Over the Rainbow", "Let it be" and many more, we aim to provide you with excellent performances, great music, and a night full of fun for the entire family!
Tickets can be bought from any of the Choral Society members, or call 637-3294. Cost: $20.00 per person
Convicted Criminal and Belizean, Budna Beaten in Guatemalan Prison
Joseph Budna, a Belizean with arrests on both sides of the border for drug trafficking, kindapping, escape etc...was beaten at a Guatemalan prison for revenge for the death of the Guatemalan child that died during a shooting incident on the Belize side of the border.
Budna is serving time in Quetzaltenango. The incident left five people injured and three of them were transferred to be treated for stab wounds.
According to the prison officials it was a fight among prisoners of sector 5, against Joseph Budna. They allege that a dozen prisoners beat Budna in retaliation to what happened a few days ago in the border area.
Belize VS. Guatemala Mixed Martial Arts
7 fighters of Prevail MMA will take part in the Belize VS. Guatemala Mixed Martial Arts at the Belize Elementary Auditorium on Saturday, April 30th at 7p.m. They join the BDF's 50 Cal Ramirez in a night of kicks, punches and tap outs. Tickets available at House of Shotokan on Princess Margaret Drive.
Land burned for corn
This is what we are up against. This was cleared and burned for corn. The land is mostly limestone, very little soil. They may get one crop from this land, and then, nothing, for many years.... In the meantime, all the ecosystem services have been compromised. No carbon sequestration, soil creation, soil retention, soil moisture retention, compromised habitat.
Schofield House to be demolished for new construction
Schofield House about to be brought down for construction of a cement house for the Nuns. We are asking for donations of construction supplies or monetary.
The house can be saved, since it is a colonial building, but it needs lots of repairs. Rat bats are our biggest problem. There're several houses in Corozal that are landmark and needs attention . It's a shame to destroy those structure.
Belizean Sista protest
Belizean Sista, Elsie Felix-Edmunds, has been in contact since last week with BREDAA about her protest everyday if possible against the Guatemalan military aggression against Belize on the Sarstoon, and the recent psychological warfare of amassing troops on the Belizean border that was orchestrated by Guatemalan president, Jimmy Morales, in using fear as a weapon against the people of Belize at home and abroad.
This is a very dynamic Belizean Sista and her daughter who has shown already on Wednesday, April 26, 2016, that she will stand her ground to protest at the Guatemalan Consulate in Los Angeles, the Guatemalan military aggression against Belize. She spoke to Belizean Legends by telephone today that she won many friends for Belize's cause from Guatemalans, Americans, Ethiopians, Phillipinos, and other Belizeans on her stand for Belize's self- determination and freedom to exist as a nation and people without Guatemalan provocation and intimidation of Belize and the country of Belize.
Mr. Gaspari Cordova completes Humphrey Fellowship
The U.S. Embassy and the Belize Alumni Association would like to congratulate Mr. Gaspari Cordova on the successful completion of his Humphrey Fellowship at Penn State! We look forward to your return to Belize to see what you've learned put into action! Congratulations!!!! Job well done!!!
Gaspari is pictured in the far right of this photo with the rest of his Penn State Humphrey cohort.
Belize Alumni Association meeting
The Belize Alumni Association met today to discuss the goals of the association and elect official board members. Great work today! We look forward to future events and activities hosted by this great new organization!
Channel 7
Guardian On Trial For "Witchcraft" Reference
2 weeks ago, we took you to the Supreme Court where the PUP's Former Secretary General Myrtle Palacio was suing Alfonso Noble over an article printed in the Guardian back in December of 2014.
Palacio is suing for libel due to that article, headlined "PUP Secretary General Endorses the Use of Witchcraft in Politics". Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin heard all the evidence in the case, including video evidence from the Defense which they say is justification for the "fair comment" angle they took when they criticized Palacio.
Palacio asserts that her character and her culture as respected member of the Garifuna community was maligned, Noble and the Guardian Newspaper's attorney say that her interpretation is incorrect. A significant portion of the trial appeared to put obeah on trial, but today's hearing was for the attorneys to examine the evidence presented.
It's a hotly contested lawsuit and in the oral arguments, both Said Musa and Michael Young put their own spin on the case. When the 2 hour hearing was over we spoke with both sides.
It's Official, OAS Will Investigate
The OAS today formally announced that it will launch an investigation into the fatal shooting of 13 year old Guatemalan Julio Alvarado. It happened 7 days ago about half a kilometre into Belize, and both Guatemala and Belize have asked the OAs to investigate.
OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro, announced in a press release today that that, quote "he will proceed immediately with the identification and deployment of the appropriate experts to carry out the investigation as soon as possible." The release says that the investigation will independent of the verification which is currently taking place.
Today, the Commander of the BDF told the press that he is confident that the location, and the circumstances of the shooting will vindicate his soldiers:..
Jules Vasquez:
"How sound are we on certifying that location and that it happened after nightfall?"
BDF Commander Not Intimidated By Guat Troop Buildup
Today's OAS press release ended with the OAS Secretary General calling on both sides to, quote, "redouble the confidence building measures in place to prevent future confrontations or situations that could put at risk the peace and stability between the two countries." But while the OAS churns out its now familiar peace-keeping platitudes with clockwork regularity, the reality on the ground is that 500 additional Guatemalan Troops have been deployed to the 35 communities adjacent to Belize's western border. That's 500 more than the 500 which were there, making it one thousand total. And while it may sound intimidating, the BDF Commander says that may actually increase the peace:..
Brig. Gen. David Jones, Commander - BDF:
"Having their soldiers over on their side is not of concern to us because it actually will help our cause in stopping their people from coming over. They've deployed in the area but they are operating in their side of the border. So we are operating in Belize, they are operating in Guatemala. They've expressed that they're going to try and ascertain information what's happening along all those communities and this will be a move that may assist us because it will assist them in trying to stop their people from coming over because that's the root cause or the problem."
What General Will Tell Wil
And while the General isn't particularly concerned with the Guatemalan troop build-up along the Belize Guatemala western border, he is concerned about Wil Maheia and the Territorial Volunteers going down the Sarstoon on Saturday. The General, along with the Coast Guard Commander and Foreign Affairs staff are meeting with Maheia on Thursday. He told us what his message to will be:�
Brig. Gen. David Jones, Commander - BDF:
"Well we're trying to go and appeal to him in regards to reason. We are aware of his passion, we are aware of his patriotism but I believe that reasoning and logic in regards to the issues that have been evolving due to the shooting incident he would be able to listen to us. We are not going to stop Belizeans, we are not going to stop him, we're just going to try and ask him and reason for him to give us an opportunity to try and workout the situation peacefully. Details of that interview or meeting will come out based on the question he has and I believe we will be able to convince him but it's up to him. If we can unit and joining together as one nation it's going to be the best but if we have different people, different organisations opposing each other we're not going to solve the issue."
Alleged Government Pension Fraudster Gets Off Free
By now, you may not even remember that back in 2009, 291 thousand dollars went missing from the Treasury Department. That was 7 years ago, and today, the 3 women accused, 31 year old Monica Escarpeta, 34 year old Rhea Pennill and 60 year old Yvonne Bevans all got off theft and handling stolen goods charges. That happened in the court room of Justice Troadio Gonzalez
It was alleged that between September and May of 2009, Escarpeta stole $291,022 while she was working as a pension clerk at the Treasury Department. This was done allegedly by issuing bogus pension checks for deceased persons and others. Pennill was charged with handling stolen goods for $151,967. Bevans was also charged with handling stolen goods for $12,472.
During the trial, the prosecution conceded that there was no case to answer for Pennill and Bevans, and so the charges against both were discontinued.
The BDF Christens Choppers
Ever since the British Army Training Support Unit, BATSUB pulled put of Belize in 2011, the BDF has been without helicopter support. IT's a major vacuum in operations - and it has meant many man hours lost to arduous and dangerous jungle treks to get to remote border outposts such as Rio Blanco. But, in 2014, the BDF set out on a search for its own helicopters, and today that dream was realized with the support of the Taiwanese Government. 7News was at the Price Barracks Headquarters to witness it, and to take the first flight:..
Brig. Gen. David Jones, Commander - BDF:
"The sky will indeed be the limit with our new acquired assets."
Shots Rang Out At Noon In City
A brazen midday shooting today sent down town city shoppers scrambling for safety. It happened around 11 this morning at the corner of Orange and George Streets. As you may know Orange Street is one of the busiest commercial zones of down town Belize City and is also one of the main arteries that lead to the centre of town. But amidst the hustle and bustle of a normal day at this commercial epicentre, a gunman was lurking, and out of nowhere, he began shooting. His intended target got away with nothing but a graze, according to our sources. And fortunately no passers-by were injured. Police believe that the gunman arrived in a vehicle that rushed him away after missing his target. And while they believe the incident is the product of gang rivalry, the Officer Commanding South Side Division would not tell us who the two groups involved are for fear of further escalations. However he claims they are making major progress in this investigation.
City Stable After Shiny Slaying
And so while police prepare to charge three men for this brazen midday shooting - has the city gone back to normal, since the shooting death of Gerald "Shiny" Tillett? As soon as that murder occurred ACP Chester Williams engaged several heads of refuted gangs in Belize City in preventative meetings. So have his efforts worked at stemming retaliation?
ACP Chester Williams - OC, Eastern Division South:
"Yes we had anticipated that the death of Shiny would have caused an increase in shooting activities in Belize City and like you would have seen the night he was killed, there was an escalation shooting incidents in Belize City. But we had acted very swiftly through our interventions and through our patrols and operations to move into the respective gang areas and see how best we can assist in trying to bring the situation under control and I think that we have been successful in reaching out to the different gangs. I was out of the country for a week but prior to my departure I had myself and Ms. Finnegan did an intervention with the main players from the George Street gang and they assured us that they will not be retaliating and that they too want to resolve the issue, they want peace and we hold them to their word."
Police Working To Get Kids Away From Gangs
So while ACP Chester Williams has established a proper means of communication with several gang bosses, the other side of that same issue are those young gang sympathizers, or "Gun Toddlers," as Williams calls them. They aren't as easy to find, but Williams says they are working on it:
ACP Chester Williams - OC, Eastern Division South:
"Often times they recruit these little young ones, the gun toddlers who for some reason or the other, they cannot control and so that causes some of the little pockets who I would normally referred to as sympathizers, to be out there trying to create mischief. We will never be 100% confident that they'll be no further retaliation as a result of the death of Shiny. We must understand that several persons, there are several groups out there who I must say were very connected with them and those persons may want to act in his name. But my thing to them is that you know if you want to do something in the name of Gerald Tillet, do something that is good, do something that is productive. He has children he has left behind, try to see how you can assist in raising those kids rather than being out there killing his name."
Kids Curfew Collared 30
And in line with the topic of at-risk youths, Williams says the Kids' curfew has picked up 30 youths, between the ages of 12 to 16 since it was launched last month.
ACP Chester Williams - OC, Eastern Division South:
"I must say that we're working cohesively with the Human Services Department on the issue of child curfew. The matter is going well, we continue to bring in these young people off the streets and whenever they are caught we would normally get the Human Services people in, they are on call and I must say they have been very good in responding. We get the parent and deal with the matter then at the end of that session then the people from Human Services decide whether or not they will send the child home with the parent or if they will look for alternative accommodation for the child for the rest of the night. But I must say it has been going quite well and I will applaud them for the effort that they are now putting in to ensure that the curfew issue be successful."
Justice And The Indigenous
When the topic of indigenous people arises, it usually centers on the Maya and Garifuna communities and their land rights issues. Well, a group from the Canadian funded project entitled IMPACT Justice has organized a 3 day conference at the Biltmore. The main objective is to bring these groups together to discuss a way forward. The Regional Project Director, Professor Velma Newton explained that these same challenges the indigenous people of Belize face are common all across the region and there are ways to solve them. But Newton told us that all IMPACT Justice can do is open up the conversation. We also spoke to representatives from both the Maya and Garifuna communities and they told us how significant this conversation is.
Prof. Velma Newton - Regional Director, IMPACT Justice:
"As you see the indigenous people of the region they have similar issues and the attitudes of governments have not been this similar in that what the indigenous people are claiming certain rights that they have exercised memorial. One could say that they've been moves to kind of limit those rights when it comes to development of land. So we are hoping that this conference will lead to greater understanding especially since as you've heard in the Justice Burcher's speech that was read by Professor McNeal. These issues are reason elsewhere and they've found ways of not only dealing with whether or not the claims of indigenous people are legitimate; either in terms of history, in terms of human rights but they've also found a way of solving the same issues in various ways. What we can do, they said bring people together and let them discuss and if there any studies they want us to do, we can help with those but primarily it's for the group and the governments to sit down and decide what is best for everyone."
Maya Rights Issues Still Pending
But there are several divisive issues threatening that vision of unity, including the Santa Cruz incident in which Rupert Myles was detained by an angry mob of villagers. The Maya residents of the village say Myles destroyed their sacred Uxbenka monument by constructing a driveway leading to his house. And then there's also the court fight between Jalacte residents and the Government of Belize over communal land rights. The Program Coordinator of the Maya Leaders Alliance and Toldeo Alcalde Association Pablo Mes told us that he hopes this conference will bring them closer to solving these conflicts.
Pablo Mes - Programme Coordinator, Maya Leader Alliance:
"I'm hoping that this forum will allow for us to be able to see with clarity that there are issues which we will have to develop a process to address immediately and there are processes which are more of a long term more of a broader engagement so being be able to perhaps go out of this meeting with some ideas as to how we might be able to put in place plans to address those two areas. You mentioned Jalacte, Santa Cruz, those are just two of the cases that we wanted nothing other than to sit down and settle these matters."
Dispute Between Adjoining Maya And Garifuna Villages
Now as Mes said, Santa Cruz and Jalacte are only 2 of many land conflicts. There is another ongoing issue in Toledo between the Garifuna community of Barranco and the neighbouring Maya community of Midway. The residents of Barranco are building a cultural monument a short distance away from Midway, but the Maya residents aren't too pleased about that because they say it is being built on their village lands. So the leaders from Midway Village sent a letter to the Barranco council urging, quote, "constructions be put to a stop immediately until both our villages meet to discuss the issue", end quote. Today Mis further discussed what the issue is in his perspective.
Pablo Mes - Programme Coordinator, Maya Leader Alliance:
"I want to make it very clear that a monument to honour the history, the legacy of the Garifuna people of Belize is something that we at any time will support. Unfortunately I believe that the letter that was send by Midway's leaders perhaps was understood out of context. You will realise that all these communities in the Toledo district, 39 of them to this date have not been able to get the support of government to define clearly the limits of their boundaries. Where any effort to define the territory of a community is present, of course it will require a process of negotiation between those two neighbours.
Coro Cops Have Killer
Corozal police are now one step closer to solving the murder of 43 year old Gilberto Najarro. The news today is that the alleged shooter has been arrested. However police are still not releasing any names because he has not been formally "charged". As we told you, on Sunday a father and a son threatened Najarro at a farm over a couple of stolen bicycles. The following day- Monday- the son returned and allegedly opened fire on Najarro killing him. The father had turned himself in, and today we are told that police have the son. Now they are waiting to do an ID parade to positively identify the shooter. They hope to have the alleged killer charged by tomorrow.
Jazzfest Jump Up?
Last night you saw the Garifuna Collective take the big stage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and tonight you get to see part 2 of that story featuring the other bands: Sweet Pain and Brad Pattico. Here is how they represented Belize on the Cultural Pavilion Stage.
And the New Orleans Feature series isn't over yet - tune in tomorrow to see another aspect of Belize's Cultural Pavilion presentation from Kechi Maya Harpists to Cassava Bread makers.
NDACC Proceeding With PROCCER
Today at the Radisson, 48 persons graduated from the Training and Certification Program for Drug and Violence Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation - or PROCCER - for short.
It's a collaborative effort between the OAS, the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission, the Ministry of Health, and the National Drug Abuse Control Council. For the past few years, CICAD has been working to put trained staff in Drug Rehabilitation Centers and Violence Prevention programs in countries all around the Caribbean.
Well, with today's Graduation, Belize's becomes the second Caribbean Country to become compliant with the goals of the PROCCER program. 7News was there at the Ceremony, and here's what the speakers from the head table had to say about the milestone:
Modiri Says Paumen Has Other Options Than To Enter His Land
In last night's news, we spoke with Director of Archaeology Dr. John Morris. He was discussing the latest Supreme Court ruling between the now famous Franks Eddy Village neighbors, Bradley Paumen and Michael Modiri.
The two have been locked in both criminal and civil trials over their land issues. Additionally, there's a sinister criminal element as Paumen is accused of abetment to murder for allegedly orchestrating a plot to kill Modiri and 3 other persons, and the Supreme Court has ruled that the Government improperly acquired Modiri's land, which they claimed was for a public purpose.
Paumen has built a road on a piece of Modiri's land, and he uses it to ferry his guests to the Dark Night Cave Tubing Tours, a venture in which he partners with NICH. The court says that he has trespassed, and is continuing to trespass on the land. And, in all our conversations with the Government Representatives, they tell us that both Paumen and Modiri are land locked in Franks Eddy - the suggestion being that the trespass is unavoidable.
More Meeting, More Greeting
Police in Belize City have done meet and greet sessions through the entire South Side - and now they are going back to places for the second time. Today, they were in the area near Arlington Drive for the second time, following up with residents. We tagged along.
ACP Chester Williams says he has no intentions to stop the meet and greet sessions.
Making Local Internet Move Faster
And our first to last story tonight is one of the most important - and that's because it has a whole lot to do with your internet connection speed. All Belize's major internet service providers have come together to create a local internet switch which is housed at the UB Campus in Belize City. That means that all local web traffic will be routed through this switch. We found out what this will mean today:�
This rack of equipment may not look like much, and if we say that all of it costs about a hundred grand, you might still not be impressed, but if we tell you that the key to Belize's internet future is stacked up right here, then maybe you'd start to get the sense of how important the Belize Internet Exchange Point is:
Bevel Wooding - Packet Clearing House
"There is an unfulfilled potential inside of Belize as it relates to development of local services that run on the local network that support local needs and those are the needs that we need to identify move forward with."
Caring For Corozal
Residents of the northern villages of San Pedro, Cristo Rey, Yo Chen, Patchakan, Chan Chen and the surrounding communities in Corozal are about the receive a new state of the art health Center. The project is being financed by the Government of Belize through a $700 thousand dollar loan with CDB. The health center will be equipped with rooms for consultation, examination, treatment, pharmacy, an asthma bay area and sterilizing room. Ground was broken today and Angel Campos Minister of State with responsibility for NHI, Primary Health and Clinics, underscored the importance:
The facility is expected to be completed by December 2016.