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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

Belizekids.org donates second eye screening device to San Pedro Lions Club
The San Pedro Lions Club is gearing up to provide eye screenings to the children of Ambergris Caye for the new school year. Just a little over a month ago, Canary Coves Resort handed over a Plus Optix eye screening device to the San Pedro Lions. Through Canary Coves, and the non-profit organization Belizekids.org, the San Pedro Lions were privileged to receive another Plus Optix eye screening device, on Wednesday, August 17th. Since November 2015, the San Pedro Lions Club has been conducting an “Eye Screening Program”, and has screened over 1,500 children on Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, and Corozal. The Lions are committed to providing eye glasses for free to children who need them, and parents/guardians who cannot afford them. Now, with the newly donated eye screener, Lion Jan Brown is optimistic that the figures will increase. “By having a second machine, this means that San Pedro can stand on its own. It also means that we will not have to borrow the machines from the mainland, and have to wait turns to use it. We can do better and faster work, and we can now share our machines if we need to,” said Lion Brown.

Arts Camp Begins at Boca Del Rio Park
A group of five college students from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota began the first segment of their free arts camp on Thursday, August 18th at the Boca Del Rio Park. From percussion to coloring to dancing, the camp saw several children ages five to fourteen being taught various art mediums, and how to appreciate art in general. The camp continued on Friday, August 19th, and the second segment will start on Tuesday, August 23rd and end on Wednesday, August 24th at the Central Park. Camp organizer Kimberly Bartling is looking for more children to participate from 10AM to 12PM and 1PM to 4PM. Kids will enjoy percussion classes, crafts, drawing, dancing, singing, as well as games. It is also requested that children bring along their lunch.

Turtle nesting sites being assessed after Hurricane Earl
Since the beginning of turtle nesting season, Hol Chan Marine Reserve has scouted and discovered a total of 55 incubating nests for this year. After Category 1 Hurricane Earl made landfall in Belize, there was only hope that the nests were not affected. August is usually the peak period for the nesting season in Belize, and the Ambergris Caye Marine Turtle Program (ACMTP) recently made another assessment post-Earl on Tuesday, August 9th. The three species native to Belize are the Loggerhead turtle (ChleoniaCaretta), the Green turtle (ChleoniaMydas) and the Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate). After a crew of Hol Chan members and volunteers assessed Robles Beach, they observed that the hurricane brought a lot of debris to the nesting site, and caused erosion to the southern end of the beach. They recorded two nests as hatched prior to the storm, and one nest completely spoiled.

SPTC begins plans to relocate Water Taxi companies
A less trafficked, less congested coastline, is what The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) hopes to achieve for the eastern coast of San Pedro Town. In an effort to begin relocating water taxi companies to the International Terminal at the Sunset Board Boulevard, Mayor Daniel Guerrero, along with Area Representative and Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Honourable Manuel Heredia Jr, representatives from the respective water taxi companies, Department of the Environment, the Belize Port Authority, the Belize Coast Guard and the Hol Chan Marine Reserve conducted as assessment on the back of the island to discuss arrangements for the ease of transition of the water taxi services to the lagoon side. Guerrero made it clear that once all arrangements are completed, the water taxi services will be moved to the international terminal at the back of the island. “We need to ease down on the congestion at the front of the island, and the change of route is for the better as the island continues to develop,” said Guerrero. “The route we are suggesting for them is viable and it will work. It’s just a matter of time when all the arrangements have been carried out to properly facilitate the companies using it.” Guerrero added that the visitors to the island will be treated with beautiful scenery as they reach the island through the lagoon.

Misc Belizean Sources

Prime Minister Barrow Departs Country
The Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow will depart the country on today, August 20th to accompany his wife, Mrs. Kim Simplis-Barrow for a medical checkup in Houston. The Prime Minister is expected to return to the country on Thursday, August 25th. The Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Patrick Faber will act as Prime Minister during the Prime Minister’s absence.

September Celebrations Launch
The SISE Town Council had their September Celebrations Launch at the Cayo Welcome Center, and the Queen of the West contestants were there too. There was a lot of fire, and fine, entertainment. Thanks, SISE Town Council!

Wisdom to Respect, Helping Elders
The Rotaract Club of Benque and Ka'ana are teaming up to create a special fundraiser to aid the Octavia Waight Centre. There will be a fabulous dinner with a special performance by Alberto Rodriguez. The door prize is a night in the Balam Suite.

Thirsty Thursdays 2nd Anniversary
Thirsty Thursdays is celebrating its 2nd anniversary next Saturday, August 27th. It's going to be a big affair, and they'll have giveaways through the night. Richie Galvez will be mixing, as will be DJ Khris and Mr. Ros. Happy birthday, Thirsty Thursdays!

LUCIO!
He can play a guitar behind his neck. He can play a guitar while playing a saxophone. His repertoire includes originals, classic Belize songs, and Santana. It was amazing to see Lucio and the new generation (including his young grandson on trumpet) play and equally amazing to see the band appreciating Lord Rhaburn at the Belize International Jazz Festival 2016.

Lord Rhaburn and Lucio Alcoser
Two legends who can still make great music! 90 years of performing experience between them... Living legends!

The Reporter

St. Vincent de Paul Society donates thousands of schoolbags to selected children
Thousands of schoolchildren will for the next few days benefit from donations of knapsacks with school supplies through the Saint Vincent de Paul Society’s 10th “Back to School” initiative. The Society’s more than 50 volunteers spent Saturday packing the schoolbags with exercise books, pencils, pens and crayons and began to distribute to the children. Marion Marsden, national president of the Society, told the Reporter newspaper that about 2,500 children from the Belize, Cayo and Stann Creek districts will benefit from the donations. The Society fundraises throughout the year and accepts donation in order to reach these goals. Marsden explained that the volunteers are encouraged to give selflessly towards the project.

Man loses life on Philip Goldson highway
A man lost his life on the Philip Goldson highway early Saturday morning. The incident happened when Lionel Villanueva was heading towards Belize City at around 3:30 in his vehicle, which began experiencing mechanical problems. The vehicle came to a complete stop in the road at around Mile 4 and Villanueva got out to push the vehicle off to the shoulder of the road. Just then, however, a van traveling behind slammed into Villanueva and his vehicle, killing him on the spot. Police have since issued the driver of the other vehicle with a Notice of Intended Prosecutions. They have also taken a urine sample to test his blood/alcohol level at the time of the accident.

US military and local firefighters simulate life-threatening training
A team of US military soldiers this week completed a five-day intense rescue training with close to 80 local firefighters. The purpose of the exercise was to hone the skills of the firefighters in life-threatening situations. To do this, the chief instructors simulated extreme scenarios where people had to be rescued from an accident scene, which entailed cutting a vehicle to extricate a passenger, in one instance; and someone else from a fire, in the other. Fire Chief, Ted Smith explained the technical intricacies of fighting a fire from inside a building: “In a structure when there is a fire, it produces hot gases. To you, you recognize it as smoke…which affects visibility. And of course the fire produces light, but only within the immediate fire area, you will be able to see. So during the exercise, the search and rescue unit was blindfolded, creating a situation similar to entering a structure that is not directly impacted by the blaze, but the hot gas within the structure spread around.”

Breaking Belize News

UN envoy hails “significant human rights landmark” of Section 53 decision
Dr Edward Greene, United Nations (UN) secretary-general’s special envoy for HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean, has congratulated Belize following the Section 53 decision on August 10, calling it a significant human rights landmark. “This decision … is as important as the judgment of Chief […]

Activist calls for fight against corruption
Today is the first day of a planned 3-day rally event called by Raymond Rivers of Belize City. It is not clear what will take place but the event was scheduled for the Marion Jones Stadium. Rivers published a list of demands on Facebook, […]

Saturday morning accident claims one life
An early morning accident on Saturday has claimed the life of Lionel Villanueva. We have been unable to get official details from police. Love News published on its Love News Facebook page that Villanueva was travelling on the Philip Goldson Highway when he experienced mechanical problems […]

Minister of Defense attends two day conference
Minister of Defense John Saldivar, is attending a two-day conference in Punta Gorda with senior officers from the Belize Defense Force (BDF). In a press release issued today the Government’s press office said the purpose of the annual conference is to apprise and update […]

PM Barrow departs the country
Prime Minister Dean Barrow will depart the country today to accompany his wife Mrs. Kim Simplis-Barrow for a medical checkup in Houston. Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Patrick Faber will act as Prime Minister during the Prime Minister’s absence. The PM is expected to return to […]

Belize: The LGBTQIAXYZLMNOP, The Business Community and The Constitution
The LGBTQIAXYZLMNOP community in Belice pooled enough resources and human brain muscle over the years….with which they sustained a challenge to the Constitution of Belize….and the courts and politicians recently rolled out the red carpet for them, agreeing with them that the sodomy law […]

Putting Poverty Into Perspective: When Money Talks And No One Listens
By: Leon Westby Make no mistake about it, the government is not responsible for our success in life. Ultimately, a man’s wealth is his own to make. Or as Emerson so eloquently put it, “no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil […]

Blogs

This, That and a Bit of Complaining on Ambergris Caye
Things around here are feeling back to normal…late August on Ambergris Caye. Hot days, hot nights, a bit of rain and…from my perspective more tourists than usual. I do not work in a bar, restaurant, hotel or at one of the airlines so I have no numerical proof. But my guess is more – I’m seeing large groups of young people around the island, more people getting off the water taxi with backpacks. You let me know if you agree. Earl is definitely not going to hold us back. Many docks are still in need of repair after Hurricane Earl but much of the town is back to business as usual. And it feels good. Here are some snapshots of the gorgeous weather this week. We did have a few rain showers but man…pretty. And thank GOODNESS for the breeze. Tacklebox: After 2 years of being closed, the 2nd oldest bar on the island is re-opening. Big Daddy’s is the first. The famous Tacklebox then Shark’s Bar then Tacklebox now Island Tackle. I managed the place for 3.5 years (OY!) late 2007 to mid-2011 and now it has changed hands after a lawsuit…

Lemon Pie
Preheat oven to 350F / 180C degrees. Brush a square baking dish with melted butter. Crush graham crackers Then add in sugar and butter and blend to mix. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool crust, 30 minutes.

Videos

Belize: Garifuna!, 3min. Today we learned more about the diverse people of Belize. The Garifuna have a rich culture that they preserve.

Belize Jazzfest 2016, 2min. The cuban group performing.

Honeymoon on Ambergris Caye, Belize, 5min. Hanging out at El Pescador, fly fishing, exploring Lamanai, and taking a catamaran trip to Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark Ray Alley, and Caye Caulker!

Lighthouse Reef Belize, 5.5min.

Snorkle Fun Day at Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark-Ray Alley near Ambergris Caye, Belize, 4min. Just a fun day of snorkeling and swimming at Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley just off the coast of Ambergris Caye, Belize. Thanks to XSite Belize Sailing & Charters for taking us out. Even though it was rainy, fun was had by all.

Ambergris Caye, Belize 2016, 3min. My wife and I took a quick trip to Belize in April 2016. We stayed on an island off the coast at an awesome new resort that was 90% empty which is why there are very few other people in any of the footage. We got scuba certified and had a great time snorkeling, kayaking, and all kinds of other cool things. Our friend Luis also drove us around the mainland on our last day and took us to the ruins at Altun Ha.

Voyage Guatemala - Belize 2016, 9min. guatemala, belize, antigua, tikal, sumucchampey, flores, lagoatitlan, cayecaulker, bluehole, diving.

Rachel Graham: Sharks in Belize Changing Attitudes, 23min. Changing Entrenched Beliefs and Encouraging Long-Term Conservation: Lessons from the Shark World

The Great Blue Hole Lighthouse reef, Belize Aug 9, 2016, 13min. The Great Blue Hole- One of the World's Best Dive Sites... Approximately 80 km / 50 miles (2.5 hour) boat ride from San Pedro-Ambergris caye