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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, and other specials
The San Pedro Sun
Female American National found dead after reported Jet Ski incident in North Ambergris Caye
The lifeless body of 29-year-old American National Rickilee Michelle Mercer suspected to have drown, was found in the leeward coast of Ambergris Caye on Wednesday, March 1st. Mercer was reported missing at sea late Tuesday evening, on February 28th, which activated a search and rescue operation spearheaded by the Belize Coast Guard, with assistance from the San Pedro Police Department and volunteers. Mercer went missing after reportedly falling off a Jet Ski in the ‘Secret Beach’ area of Northern Ambergris Caye. Her body was transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City for a post mortem examination.
The initial reports from police state that on Tuesday, February 28th, 39-year-old Marvin Hazim Yono, American National of Bloomfield, Michigan USA reported that he and another friend were at the Secret Beach area on separate jet skis. Around 2:30pm he invited 29-year-old Rickilee Michelle Mercer, American accountant of Texas, USA for a ride. Yono reported that they left on the Jet Ski heading west from Secret Beach when they both fell off. He then swam to shore and the last sighting of Mercer was when she was swimming towards the Jet Ski. They then conducted a search party, but could not locate her. Police then visited the area along with members of the Belize Coast Guard and began to search for her.
American National Football League athletes visit San Pedro High School
Three American National Football League (NFL) personalities, Donald “Ray” Crockett (Retired Denver Broncos cornerback), Henry Melton (Freelance NFL player) and Terrell McClain (Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle), paid a surprise visit to San Pedro High School (SPHS) on Thursday, March 2nd. During a special assembly, the entire school population gathered at the Angel Nuñez Auditorium for a presentation by the NFL stars.
Master of Ceremonies Alex Nuñez welcomed the players, informing them about the history of SPHS. With much pride, MC Nuñez shared many of SPHS’s athletic achievements. SPHS currently holds three national championships in volleyball, basketball, and recently in football (soccer), and the NFL players applauded the school for their excellence.
SPTC and CARILED discusses green initiatives
The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC), in partnership with the Caribbean Local Economic Development (CARILED) Project in Belize, presented their final local economic development strategic plan for San Pedro Town On Thursday, February 23rd. In attendance was Mayor Daniel Guerrero, Keisha Rodriguez (CARILED Local Resource Consultant), Jorge Aldana (SPTC Local Economic Officer), SPTC councilors, Chris Nunez from the San Pedro Traffic Department, and members of the media.
The last consultation was held in November 2016, when CARILED consultant from Canada, Chris Fields, engaged with various business and tourism stakeholders on the ultimate vision of San Pedro Town. He explained that local economic development is a process by which public sector, business and civil society work collectively to create better conditions for economic growth and employment generation. Its purpose is also to build up the economic capacity of a local area to improve its economic future and the quality for the island.
Child Stimulation Month opens with parade
Child Stimulation Month opened with a festive parade across San Pedro Town on Wednesday, March 1st. Under the theme, “Positive play, positive minds, brighter tomorrow”, preschoolers, along with their teachers and parent(s)/guardian(s), commemorated the significance of early childhood education. From toucans to nurses, and even life-size numbers, the groups smartly showcased their creativity and imagination.
Participating in the parade were ABC, San Pedro, Little Angels, Ambergris Caye Elementary School, Holy Cross Anglican, Isla Bonita, Brighter Tomorrow, Little Stars and Shining Stars Preschools. A music truck led the parade at 9:30AM from Central Park to Pescador Drive and back to the park. The purpose of the parade was to showcase the importance of education at the preschool level. As all preschool institutions countrywide dedicate the month of March to various activities, preschool teachers across the island are ensuring that their students experience and learn in fun ways. Activities like “Family and Culture Week”, “Civic Pride Week”, and “Health Week” will take place throughout the month. Other fun experiences include: storytelling, grandparent’s day, cultural and hug day, sports day, Belizean products day, dad’s pickup day, drug awareness day, nutrition day, aerobics day, and a nature walk.
Ambergris Today
Super Bowl Champion NFL Player Talks to San Pedro High School Students
This is the year for celebrities in Belize as more celebrities have been spotting in the country this early in 2017. This week, NFL players Ray Crockett (Denver, Broncos) Terrell McClain (Dallas, Cowboys) and Henry Melton (Free Agent) made their debut in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. Today, March 2, 2017, these three NFL players took the time to talk to students of San Pedro High School during a special assembly. They had the full attention of the student body, even with all the student's excitement, as the three foodball players talked about dreams, goals and how to achieve them. Autographs and pictures were also taken.
The NFL player's address to the students of SPHS was made possible by Mahogany Bay Village who arranged the assembly during the time of their stay in San Pedro. They also received a warm welcome by the Mayor Daniel Guerrero and members of the San Pedro Town Council who were also invited to attend.
Fifth Anniversary of The People’s Referendum Against Offshore Oil Exploration
The Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage held a press conference on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the People's Referendum which took place on February 29th, 2012. On that historic day, approximately 30,000 Belizeans voluntarily turned up to 51 polling stations across the country to make their position on offshore oil exploration in Belize known. Out of all the persons polled, 96% voted NO to offshore oil drilling in Belize's waters. Five years later, the government has still not acted to safeguard Belize's economically important marine resources from the threat of offshore oil exploration via legislation.
Immigration Department Experiencing Technical Difficulties, to Issue Temporary Passports
The Belize Passport Office has issued an notice explaining that it is presently experiencing technical difficulties with the passport printing process.
The Immigration Department will be providing temporary passports, in emergency cases, to persons whose passports are exhausted, lost (6 weeks waiting period apply), damaged or mutilated, and who demonstrate a need for urgent travel. Temporary passports will be processed within one (1) week, with validity for one (1) year at the normal fee of $30.00.
Misc Belizean Sources
Saying Goodbye to don Juan Carnaval
It is believed that if he is not burnt it brings bad luck to the islanders, lots of sickness, diseases and natural disasters
Belizean daughter. PV2 Bianca Sanchez
March is celebrated as Women's History Month. And where as History is normally the story of what has happened and more than often celebrating those that have past, Capital Newspost would like to celebrate the bravery of it's own Belizean daughter. PV2 Sanchez, Bianca has undertaken the Army career of the US Army Combat Medic. This is a rigorous program. At 18, this military personnel is being trained to be responsible for providing first aid and frontline trauma care on the battlefield. We never know where life takes us, but as we wish her well in her endeavors as she utilizes the military program to become an Orthodontist, we pray for her safety. HOOAH!
Official launch of the Belmopan City Council Municipal Bonds
In providing equal opportunity for all residents, the official launch of the Belmopan City Council Municipal Bonds was held at the Bull Frog Inn this morning. The Belmopan City Council is undertaking a $6.5 million public works project (streets, drainage etc.) to improve the quality of life of the city’s residents. The project will be financed through an anticipated $6.5 million Municipal Bond offer.
A Municipal Bond is like a Certificate of Deposits (CD). Municipalities issue bonds to raise money from savers willing to lend them money for a certain amount of time to make public investments in their cities and towns. When you buy a Belmopan City Council Bond, you are lending to the Belmopan City Council. Belmopan City Council promises to pay you a specific rate of interest during the life of the Bond and to repay the principal also known as the face value of the bond when it matures or become due. The Belmopan City Council Bonds have 13 individual tranches- Tranche 1-13 with maturities from two (2) to fourteen (14) years.
March is Women's Month
March 1st marked the official open of Women's month. This year, the month will be observed under the theme, "Empowering Women in a Changing World: Planet 50:50 by year 2030!"
Happy Women's Month!
Noche de Diamantes
The Benque House of Culture is celebrating Women's Month with their Noche de Diamantes event to celebrate women in art. It's happening on Wednesday, March 8th, at 7:00pm.
"Join us as we celebrate International Women's Day with another empowering edition of Women in Art an empowering Women's platform to acknowledge experiences, gains, challenges and our way forward under the theme Be Bold for Change"
Exhibit Opening “Belize’s Heroes, Patriots, and Benefactors”
New Opening Hours for BTB's San Pedro Office
Our opening hours will now be Monday to Friday from 8am-12pm and 1pm to 5pm.
Grand Raffle on Caye Caulker
In support of Ms. Lizette Guttierez who was recently diagnosed with cancer
Please show the soldiers some love. This is sad
This morning Belize Defense Force (BDF) band members reported for duty at 3:30 a.m. Several of them are students and others are employed elsewhere.
The committed soldiers were to depart at 4 a.m. to attend and serve duties in Punta Gorda for the funeral of cultural icon, Lela Vernon.
The officers were shocked and dismayed that the vehicle which would take them was a 4-ton open back truck.
No canopy on the back of the truck while motorists know the weather can change at any point along the road.
Most of the unit refused to board the truck because of safety and weather conditions that would post a varying degrees of health risks to different personnel. No need to question if seatbelts were on board.
Perhaps it's time we treat our soldiers like citizens and people. And the band played on.
Oil leaked for 2 hours in Spanish Lookout
Oil spill at Mike Usher number one in Spanish lookout. Leak occured for close to 2 hours on Wednesday.
What happened today in Corozal?
Repairs are being made at college road corozal by Belize Water Service. Pot holes, dust being blown and a quite headache to drive by.. Isn't it amazing? Well, they are upgrading pipeline for the betterment of their water services. Only, in Belize we see this...
Potato sale in Corozal
Here is a great way to assist our farmers and you can help. Recently our potato market has been flooded by an excess of potato from across the border leaving many local farmers with their potato products to go to waste. Many have suffered great losses but today Centro Escolar Mexico Junior College (CEMJC) and Escuela Secundaria Tecnica Mexico (ESTM) in conjunction with our own St. Francis Xavier Credit Union held a potato sale to help our Local Farmers raise money for their local product. Hats off to everyone for coming through to the aid of our hard working potato farmers in Corozal and such a wonderful cause. People Power!
Gwendolyn Lizarrage
Institute for Social & Cultural Research - "In honor of International Women's Month (and really, to us, every month is women's month) we'll be featuring women who've contributed to Belize's development. Here we present to you Madam Liz herself: THE FIRST WOMAN ELECTED TO OUR NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. She paved the way for others".
Honourable Minister Dr. Omar Figueroa visits Shipstern
Hi Friends! We've recently been visited by quite a bit of very nice people from different parts of the world. Last week, we were lucky to be visited by a truly special guest and a true friend of CSFI, the Honourable Minister Dr. Omar Figueroa. We were honored to show him around Shipstern and to share with him what we have been working on and what is yet to come. Because we wanted the Minister to get a good picture of the three protected areas currently managed by CSFI, we took him to the only place where one can see all three of them at the same time .... high in the sky! The overflight was followed by an excellent meeting between Minister Omar Figueroa, the CSFI Executive Director, CSFI's very own Senator Osmany Salas and a couple long-time, great friends of CSFI, Paul and Zoe Walker of Wildtracks. Thank you all. You truly are the best! A great big thank you to Minister Dr. Figueroa for his visit and his wonderful support for the work we do. Stayed tuned friends! Some really exciting news are coming soon!!!
Miss Belize Visits Sacred Heart College
Rebecca Rath - Miss Belize 2016 visited Cayo last week,and she spent some time at Sacred Heart College, where she spoke to the students about her recent experiences, and related how it changed her life, and how she wants to give back to her country, which unified to give her moral support during her time at the Miss Universe Pageant. Thanks, Bex! Great answer to that 'more difficult question.'
She then had a parade, and she was entertained at the Cayo Welcome Center. Mayor Trapp even gave her a key to San Ignacio...a really big key.
FCD Park Ranger quarters – Tapir Camp - under repairs
This has been the main field headquarters in the Chiquibul National Park.
Paradise Theater playing this weekend
Don't Hang Up,
Sing,
Collateral Beauty,
Fantastic Beasts.
Channel 7
8 Shots For a 17 Year Old
A teenager was murdered last night in the city. At 10:00, 17 year old Everald Augustine was shot about 8 times as he rode his bicycle on Aloe Vera Street. Police say that the person who was with Augustine at the time is the one who executed him. Augustin's mother, Ruth Castillo, told us off camera that she doesn't know what happened and has no idea what trouble he was in. Here's what she had to say.
Courtney Weatherburne, 7News:
"When was the last time you saw him, It was last night right?"
Voice of: Ruth Castillo, mother:
"Yeah, like last night about after 9pm, he came and put on a shirt. He did have on any shirt and then he says that he will be back in a while and then he left, but I don't understand how he reach that far behind Oleander Street."
Guatemalan Ambassador Returns, Quietly
Guatemala's ambassador to Belize, Manuel Roldan Barillas has today returned to his office in Belize City. This is after he was "recalled for consultations" 11 months ago in April 2016, when a Belizean joint patrol law enforcement team shot and killed 13 year old Guatemalan Julio Alvarado Ruano in the Chiquibul. A team of independent experts have since cleared the Belizean team of wrongdoing - a finding which the Guatemalan government rejected, and complained bitterly and publicly about.
But, while Belize - Guatemala relations remain fractured ever since that report was published, the quiet return of the Ambassador suggests some normalization of otherwise tense relations, if little else. We called the embassy and asked to speak to him today but the secretary told us that he was busy and would be busy.
Belize Establishes Presence at Jalacte/Santa Cruz Crossing
And while the quiet return of the Guatemalan Ambassador played out without fanfare, similarly, the Belize government is quietly making moves to establish a regular presence at the Jalacte/Santa Cruz border crossing. As we've showed you in earlier newscasts that's the border crossing in southwestern Belize, with Jalacte on this side of the border and Santa Cruz on the Guatemalan side. When we visited we saw villagers, and students, moving freely, buying groceries and trading in corn and beans. But, now the government of Belize has put in what it calls an "agricultural outreach station" which is being manned by immigration, customs and BAHA. but the CEO in the Minister of Home Affairs, George Lovell stress that they are not formalizing the border crossing, he says both countries need to agree eon a scope of activities at any border point before they are formalized and quote, "we are not there yet."
Can Immigration Department Be Cleaned Up?
Last night, we showed you coverage of the latest Senate Hearings on the Immigration Department. You'll remember it as the one in which Immigration Officer Mark Tench made the explosive allegations that former Deputy Mayor Eric Chang and former Belize City Council employee Patrick Tillett bought 8 stolen visas for $5,000 each.
It's the the latest of the revelations about how the business at the Immigration Department was conducted, and it only adds to the notoriety and ill-repute that this embattled Government Department has already garnered.
One of the persons who is tasked with the difficult task of trying to restore confidence in Immigration is the current Minister of State Beverly Williams. She's currently in charge of the Department in a time when the reputation of the Department is taking a banging. And as the Senate testimonies and the Auditor General's report shows, a huge part of the problem are those unidentified immigration officers who were the source or who were complicit in the corruption.
So, is anything being done to weed out those officers who abused the system? That's what we asked her today:
Computing The Political Cost of Senate Hearings
And, while the Senate Hearings on Immigration continue, it means more opportunities for political hemorrhaging of the UDP - who, lest we forget - were elected on an anti-corruption platform in 2008.
But in 2017, the party is on the way to becoming as synonymous with corruption as its predecessor. That's dire news for the promising young politicians who are coming up in the party right now. They must also take the collateral damage of the immigration scandals, hoping that it doesn't injure them too badly.
One such politician is Belmopan Mayor Khalid Belisle. He's up for re-election next year in the Municipal Elections, which means the revelations come an inconvenient time. So, today, we asked him how he's handling it, in the context that he must go to the Belmopan voters and ask for their support in a few months.:
Burnt Pickup Where Two Perished Could Be Foul Play
Police suspect that foul play could have been involved in what at first appeared to be a fatal road accident yesterday. As we reported last night, the bodies of two unidentified persons were found burnt up in a pickup between miles two and three on the Placencia Road. The F-350 crashed into a lamp-post at 5:00 am, and either caught on fire or was deliberately set on fire. The Forensic Examiner has sifted through the charred remains and determined that a male was sitting in the back seat, and a female was in the front passenger seat. They have not been identified, but are suspected to be a European couple. Now, police are asking where did the driver get to, and where are the license plates, since those appear to have been removed. That and other evidence have police suspecting that it could be a murder, and not an accident. That is why the case has been transferred from the Independence Police to the Major Crimes Unit in Belmopan.
What Were The Big Guns For In OW?
After three days of holding back information, the police press office has finally released the details of a major guns and ammo seizure in Orange Walk. On Monday evening at around 4:00, the Orange Walk Police anti-narcotics unit was about to execute a house search at the residence of Jorge Leiva on Unity Street, when they saw Leiva and woman dashing towards the back door clutching bags. The cops ran them down and the pair was identified as 57-year-old Jorge Enrique Leiva and 24-year-old Larissa Karel Zetina. Inside the bags they had quite a trove of firepower: police say Leiva's bag contained an AR 15 rifle Caliber .223 assault rifle with a scope, while 24-year-old Larissa Karel Zetina's bag had four (30) rounds magazines, one of them loaded with(27) live .223 rounds. And that wasn't all. Inside the house, police found 49 rounds of .223 ammunition and(50) 7.62 rounds - that's a total of 136 rounds for two rifles: An AR-15 and an AK 47.
No Verdict For Killer Cop
In 2013, Punta Gorda police shot and killed 19 year old Rasheed Eligio who had escaped from custody. Police Constable Daniel Griffith was charged for manslaughter, while Constable Leo Cho was charged for abetment to manslaughter.
Well, yesterday in the Southern Session of the Supreme Court in Dangriga, a jury deliberated for four hours before returning with a "not guilty" verdict for PC Cho, but they were unable to reach a verdict for PC David Griffith. Griffith who remains on interdiction will have to be tried again.
Justice Denis Hanomansingh told PC Cho he was free to go while Griffith remains free on bail, and he is to reappear in the Supreme Court for the April session to learn when his retrial will start.
Cho was represented by Dickie Bradley and Griffith was represented by Oscar Selgado.
Capital Cops Caught Cannabis In Motion
Last night, Belmopan police ran down a man on a motorcycle with 15 pounds of weed. Around 9:30, the Quick Response team saw 21-year-old Freddy Rene Sosa of Ontario Village riding his motorbike through Teakettle village with a white sack in in his lap.
He tried to give the cops the slip, and when he couldn't, police say he threw the sack away. When the cops caught him, they took him back to where it was found and a closer look at the sack revealed three compressed parcels weighing 6.8 kilos or just over 15 pounds. He has since been charged with drug trafficking.
A Moving March By Kids Who Lost a Classmate
Albert Martinez is in jail after he allegedly knocked down and killed 6 year old Ashanty Pollard. As we told you, he was arraigned on a number of charges including manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct, driving without a valid driver's license, amongst other offences. In terms of the accident, while police say speeding was a factor, cops are still waiting on results of Martinez's urine sample to close the case. But while Martinez has been remanded to prison, little Ashanty's family and friends are crushed by her death. Today, before her funeral, her classmates at Wesley Lower School organized a very touching and special send off in Ashanty's memory. Courtney Weatherburne was at the school this morning and has the story.
A kaleidoscope of butterflies decorate the entrance hall at Wesley Lower School. Inscribed on their bristol paper wings are love notes and kind messages for little Ashanty.
But all those butterflies flew out unto city streets as Ashanty's classmates marched in her honor with an important message.
The Belmo-Bond Is Here
In June of last year, we showed you how the Belmopan City Council launched their Municipal Bond project. They're seeking to raise 6.5 million dollars, 5 million of which will be used to make much needed infrastructure upgrades to the Garden City.
It's modeled after the Belize City Municipal Bond, where the monthly Government subvention will be diverted into a sinking fund to repay bondholders. To attract those who buy in, the Belmopan Muncipal Bond is offering attractive interest rates at the different maturity periods, which would allow the bondholders to get a higher rate of return than the commercial bank savings.
Since the June 2016 launch, the Council has been quietly marketing the bond offering to institutional investors, which have allowed them to reach 40% subscription already. So, today, they opened the bond offering to the general public to get to that 100% mark. The sales pitch is that residents of Belmopan, and other entrepreneurs countrywide are investing in the City, to see its improvement, while seeing their money grow at a more competitive rate.
The Council and their financial advisors held a press conference this morning in Belmopan to highlight a few of the more important elements of the bond. 7News attended, and here's what they had to say:
Hon. Julius Calls PUP Colleagues "Benchwarmers"
Benchwarmers! That's what PUP Deputy Leader Julius Espat called his party colleagues when he appeared on Plus TV's Rise and Shine two days ago. Espat, who is known for his outspoken-ness, told host Luis Wade that the persons who have been put out there to represent the party are basically "scrubs". Here's how he put it:
Hon. Julius Espat, PUP Cayo South:
"The PUP are using bench players right now to make the decision for the party. The People's United Party have the greatest warriors that this country has ever produced - they have them on the sidelines and they have bench players right now taking the lead. You cannot have bench players playing for you in the final game of a world cup. It just can't happen. I am one of them and there are many of us that believe that we should be protesting every day until we change this government. It has to be done. We are at a stage right now. The rank and file, the supporters of the People's United Party, they are battle ready, but the leaders somehow I believe are too comfortable. They are too comfortable and they need to stop making decisions around the Mahogany table."
"12 parliamentarians and you know the 12 don't all sit on the national executive of the People's United Party and they are the winners. These are the proven winners where the people put their faith in, but yet you have many of them that don't even have a seat on the national executive to be able to lead the party forward."
A Passport Printing Problem
Earlier in the news, we showed you our interview with Minister of State responsible for the Immigration Department, Beverly Williams.
We also used the opportunity to ask her why the Department had to shut down the printing of passports. Their passport machine is broken, and they don't intend to fix it. Ministry wants to get a new one, but in the meantime, any person who needs one can come in to apply for a temporary passport.
The Minister explained how they are managing the situation:
Hon. Beverly Williams, Minister of State/Immigration:
"There are no freeze on the issuance of passports. The system is broken and we know that it is something we cannot continue to use in the long run. We've been having some spoilage when we attempt. Everybody who needs a passport that is urgent, they can either get a temporary one or we will attempt to print that passport on the system if the machine allows us to print. We've had spoilage of up to 15 passports in a day but we get 2 good ones and so even if we attempt to do that, we will have the temporary passports on hand for persons who have emergency travel. There's no freeze on passport."
Getting Serious About Cyber Security
Cyber crime is the fastest growing form of criminal activity in the world. Criminals with the right equipment, software and expertise, can gain access to most people's personal information through the internet. Large network providers, such as BTL, are always at risk of these cyber attacks, so the Public Utilities Commission has decided to hold a week long workshop in April to educate stakeholders about the dangers they could be facing. The PUC consultant Bevil Wooding with more...
The workshop will also be used as a way to identify areas where our network service providers are most vulnerable, and how to strengthen internet protection.
Veteran Officer Speaks About funny Business With Visa Foils
And, now, looking back to the Senate Hearings on Immigration yesterday, we've already shown you parts of the testimony from Immigration Officer Mark Tench. He went into detail about how they tried to investigate the theft of those 8 visas from the Benque Border back in late 2012.
But, one major issue which the Senate Select Committee had was the way in which the officers of the Belize Western Border Station handled the fact that these 8 visas were stolen. One interpretation can be that they were trying to cover up the embarrassment, and so, the Senate called the 30 year veteran Immigration Officer, Vernon Leslie, explain his actions in assisting with the sale of visas they did not have.
Here's a few of the tough questions that the Senators had for him:
Hon. Aldo Salazar - Chairman, Senate Select Committee:
"And you also mentioned in your statement that the decision to issue Belize visas without stickers was approved by Cano."
Talking About Turneffe
The Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association handles the day-today management of the Turneffe reef system. That includes making sure fishers and tourism operators follow the regulations to maintain the sustainability of the precious atoll. On Wednesday, TASA inaugurated two new outposts that will help them do just that. Alex Courtenay went on a long boat ride to see how they do it.
The new outposts will also be able to house members of the Coast Guard and other organizations if necessary.
Joyjah, Belize's Shining Star
You may not know who Joyjah is, but on social media platforms, she's, like, a really big deal.
She's the most followed Belizean on Instagram, and as far as we know, is the first to appear on the cover of a major international fashion magazine. Alex Courtenay sat down with her today to talk about her meteoric ascent to global fame...
Joyjah will officially launching her LOVE magazine cover this Saturday at Sit and Sip in Belize City.
Circumstances of Secret Beach Drowning Still Unclear
Police still haven't closed the case of 29 year old American drowning victim, Rickilee Mercer. As we told you she was on a jet ski with a male friend on the west side of Ambergris Caye, heading towards Blackadore caye, when they both fell off the jet ski. Her companion, last saw her swimming back towards the jet ski.
A family friend told the Houston Chronicle that they were thrown off the Jet Ski and the current ripped them apart. He was saved right offshore by a boat and said that he had been swimming for an hour and a half." Post mortem results should be released tomorrow.
The Last Of Leela
The officer funeral for cultural singer Lila Genus Vernon was held in Punta Gorda today. We'll have the story on that in tomorrow's newscast.
Channel 5
G.O.B. Shakes Down Statutory Boards for Budget Money
Belizeans are bracing for the 2017-2018 Budget, which is expected to be presented to the House of Representatives on March thirteenth, and to take effect April first. The presentation to [...]
Did Former B.D.F. recruit’s Training Go Too Far? Army Investigates Leaked Videos
Two disturbing videos of recruits training for the B.D.F. have been obtained by News Five. The first, in its entirety, captures the rigorous and extreme training program, including tear gassing [...]
17-Year-Old Everal Augustine Struck Down in Shooting
There have been three shootings in two weeks in the Saint Martin De Porres area in Belize City; two of them were fatal. On Wednesday night, seventeen-year-old Everal Augustine left [...]
Why Were Mark Tench and Vernon Leslie Targeted in Visa Investigation?
Did the Immigration Department try to sweep the visa foils affair under the rug and turn on the man who instigated an investigation of the matter? Immigration Officer Mark Tench [...]
Mark Tench Says He Should Not Have Been Surcharged for Visa Monies
Tench continued to enumerate his version of events at the Public Service Commission hearing for the Senators on Wednesday. He emphasized that the former C.E.O. had nothing to do with [...]
Vernon Leslie Admits Director Should Have Been Called in Sooner
In the afternoon, there was further discussion of the visa foil issue. As one of the senior men at the border during the incident, one would have expected that Vernon [...]
Supervisors’ Decision a Matter of “Administration”
As noted, a decision was taken, later endorsed by Cano, to basically pretend as if the visas had never gone missing. It involved receiving payment from legitimate travellers seeking a [...]
Guatemalan Ambassador to Belize Returns
Manuel Estuardo Roldan Barillas, Guatemala’s ambassador to Belize, has quietly returned to the country, eleven months after he was recalled for “consultations” with his bosses. It is not clear under [...]
Cop Not Guilty, Colleague to be Tried Again for Fatal Shooting of Prisoner
A verdict has been handed down in the Southern Session of the Supreme Court in Dangriga in relation to a highly-publicized police-involved shooting three years ago. Eighteen year old Rasheed [...]
How Lax Was Access to Visas in West?
The Senate Special Select Committee has been actively poring through a single incident reported in the Auditor General’s Special Report on Immigration for weeks now. The more important issues of [...]
Printing of Passport Another Link in the Won Hong Kim Chain
Mark Tench also confirmed that he printed the passport for pickup to be delivered to Won Hong Kim in August of 2013 after being transferred from the Western Border office. [...]
African Immigrants Find Unique Way to Falsify Visas
Tench said to the Committee that there were ways to “game” the system if one was really in desperate need of a visa. He gave an example of his time [...]
Ahead of Forum, Internet Expert Issues Warning on Social Media Presence
The Public Utilities Commission has announced that Belize will be hosting its first National Cyber Security Symposium from April twenty-fourth to the twenty-seventh. The primary activities include special forums for [...]
Belize to Introduce Response Teams for Cyber-Emergencies
Wooding was speaking to News Five at the official launch of the Forum this afternoon. It is expected to attract high-profile officials and experts, including heads of local, regional and [...]
Belmopan Goes for Municipal Bond
The Belmopan City Council is looking for investors for its six-point-five million dollar municipal bond. They are hoping to do some major works and upgrades in the Capital – but [...]
B.N.E. Cleaning Up Oil Leak at Mike Usher Site in Spanish Lookout
B.N.E. confirmed today that there was a leak at one of well sites in Spanish Lookout on Wednesday. Reports reaching our newsroom say that the leak happened at Mike Usher [...]
Remembering Leela in P.G.
In Punta Gorda this morning, cultural icon Leela Vernon was laid to rest with all the trappings of an official funeral. Vernon passed away on February nineteenth. She had been [...]
Healthy Living Examines the Kidneys
World Kidney is celebrated on March ninth every year. Across the globe, the campaigns focus on highlighting the importance of our kidneys as well as to draw attention to prevention [...]
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