AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life News Daily news prior to today Today's Belize News: June 7, 2017

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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

Belize District tops 2017 Primary School Examinations
After Standard Six students sat through two days of intense Primary School Examinations (PSE) on April 3rd and May 2nd, the Ministry of Education (MOE) issued a press release with the PSE results on Tuesday, June 6th. This year, a total of 7,271 Standard Six students sat the PSE countrywide, testing their knowledge in the four major subjects of Mathematics, English, Science, and Social Studies. Topping the country with 387 out of 400 total points was Bernice Yorke's Curt Smith of the Belize District. With 18 out of the top 25 scorers, the Belize District outperformed the remaining five districts. Orange Walk had four top performers, Corozal and Cayo each had three and Toledo had two, while Stann Creek did not make the 2017 list. As for San Pedro Town, while there were no students in the top 25, there were several students who still did exceptionally well.

Five-a-side Football Tournament: Week 4
The San Pedro Town Council's Five-a-side Football Tournament continued with several action-packed games from Wednesday, May 31st to Sunday, June 4th. Held at the Honorable Louis Sylvestre Sporting Complex, large crowds showed up to support their favorite players and teams. On Wednesday, three male division games took place, and saw sweeping victories favoring the most prepared teams. At the end of the first night of games, the results were: Jokers FC 3 vs Tuff Strikers 0, Rough &Tough 2 vs Costa Boys 1, and Los Catrachos FC 2 vs Goliath 2. Games continue this weekend with games starting at 7PM at the Honorable Louis Sylvestre Sporting Complex on Friday, June 9th and Saturday, June 10th. On Sunday, June 11th, games will resume at 4PM.

7-year-old girl abducted in San Pedro Town
The San Pedro Police Formation is investigating the abduction of a seven year old girl, Hamy Alena Reyes, which apparently took place on Sunday, June 4th. According to the mother of the child, 32-year-old Hade Anaide Chacon, Belizean prep cook from the San Mateo Area, she was informed that the child was taken to Guatemala by her mother, Maria Quixchan, without her permission. Chacon told police that on Saturday, June 3rd about 8PM she dropped off her daughter at her babysitter in San Mateo and went out with a friend. The following day on Sunday about 11AM, she went to the babysitter's house to pick up her daughter, but was informed that she went to church along with her kids. Chacon decided to wait for her daughter until 12 midday.

Dorian Pakeman freed of criminal charge; offers settlement
In March of 2016, Dorian Pakeman, Director of the Government Press Office, fatally knocked down 45-year-old Dean Dawson. Ten months later, he was charged for 'death by careless conduct'. During Pakeman's trial at the Belize City Magistrate's Court on Thursday, May 25th, Magistrate Sharon Fraser dismissed the case, freeing him of the criminal charge. Despite the findings, Bryan Neal, Pakeman's attorney, stated to the court that there was insufficient evidence to charge Pakeman. "Any reasonable jury could not have convicted Pakeman. So my submission was not to clog the court system, and just dismiss it, and the magistrate found favor with my submission," said Neal.

Governor General Welcomes Ambassadors at the Belize House
Belmopan. On June 5th, 2017 at the Belize House, four ambassadors presented their letters of credence to the Governor General of Belize H.E. Sir Colville Young. The ambassadors included H.E. Mr. Daniel Chuburu of Argentina, H.E. Mohamed Chafiki of Morocco, H.E. Zurab Eristavi of Georgia and H.E. Mr. Jorge Roman Morey of Peru.

Peace Corps and Belize Ministry of Education Launch Collaboration to Further Early Child Literacy Initiative; Swear In Four Volunteers
Friday, June 2, four new Peace Corps Response Volunteers were sworn in as Literacy Intervention Specialists to officially begin their close collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports, and Culture in furthering the Ministry's literacy goals. The Swearing In ceremony was held at the Peace Corps office in Belmopan with Ministry officials, members of the Diplomatic Corps, Peace Corps staff, host families and Response Volunteers in attendance. Charg� d'Affaires of the United States Mission, Adrienne Galanek, administered the Oath, as these four Volunteers officially joined the ranks of more than 2,000 Peace Corps Volunteers who have served in Belize since 1962.

Little Angels Preschool present Talent Show
With assistance from their teachers, the young students of Little Angel's Preschool delighted their parents and many invited guests who attended their annual Talent Show. The fun took place on Saturday, June 1st at the San Pedro Lions Den, where children of various age provided much entertainment through dances, skits, and songs. School Principal Marina Kay welcomed everyone, and introduced a group of students singing a few nursery rhymes, and popular religious songs. A group of little angels joyfully sang about different shapes, the weather, and animals. Afterwards, a 'Little Red Riding Hood' skit showcased the students' acting skills. The audience cheered and applauded the youngsters for their effort. As the event also served as a fundraiser, the gathering contributed as they bought food, drinks, and tombola tickets.

Ambergris Today

Seven Year Old Girl Abducted By Grandmother
Hade Anaide Chacon, 32yrs Belizean Prep Cook of San Mateo Area, San Pedro Town visited the San Pedro Police sub-formation and reported that on Saturday June 3, 2017, about 8:00p.m. she dropped off her seven-year-old daughter Hamy Alena, Reyes Belizean student of Ambergris Elementary School, at her babysitter in the San Mateo area and went out with a friend. As per the Police Report, Hade stated that on Sunday, June 4, 2017, she went to the babysitter's house around 11a.m. to pick up her daughter but was informed that she went to church along with her kids. Hade then decided to wait at the house up until 12:00midday. The babysitter's children arrived at home and she inquired of the whereabout of her daughter. She was reportedly told that "Hamy had gone with her grandmother to her house and did not return to the church or with us".

Belize To Announces World Oceans Day Activities
In celebration of World Oceans Day 2017, Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute (CZMAI) is hosting a series of activities on June 8, 2017 at several preschools across Belize City from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. With the theme this year, "Our Oceans, Our Future," CZMAI is joining with hundreds of organizations and millions of individuals from around the world who will recognize this special day for ocean awareness and action. The activities will focus on educating Belize's children about the importance of our oceans, seas and other water bodies and what they can do to help to reduce pollution.

Southwest Airlines Begins Daily Flight From Ft. Lauderdale To Belize
On June 4th, Belize welcomed Southwest Airlines' first daily direct flight from Fort Lauderdale. To mark the occasion, two inaugural ceremonies were held, one in Ft Lauderdale prior to the flight departure and the other in Belize. Speaking at the Ft. Lauderdale ceremony, Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation said, "Today marks a new milestone for our country, as we bolster our presence in North America, but also as we fortify our partnership with Southwest Airlines. This new service to Belize is a resounding reaffirmation that Belize continues to be a growing, viable and a must-go destination in the Caribbean and Latin American Travel Market. I am happy to say that we remain committed and today serves as yet another example of how Team Belize is ensuring that our jewel remains accessible to the North American market and beyond."

Misc Belizean Sources

Top 25 PSE performers for 2017
Bernice York in Belize City takes coveted top spot snd 6 total in rank. Belize Elementary in Belize City took the second place and had 5 students in the top 25. Punta Gorda Methodist and St Peter Claver from Toledo made the top 25. San Francisco RC, La Immaculada RC and San Estevan RC in Orange Walk made the rank. The Shepherds Academy, Immaculate Conception RC and Howard Smith Nazarene in Cayo had students in the top 25. Mary Hill RC in Corozal had two students in the top 25. Hummingbird Elementary in the Belize District had 3 students in the top 25. All Saints Primary and Ebenezer Methodist in the Belize District also had students in the top 25. The top student for 2017 is Curl Smith. Please see the chart below for details.

PRIMARY SCHOOL EXAMINATION PRELIMINARY RESULTS
The Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture hereby issues the preliminary results of the 2017 Primary School Examination (PSE) which was administered countrywide on April 3, 2017 and May 2, 2017.Student PopulationA total of 7,271 candidates registered for the PSE of which 7,077 candidates actually sat all parts of the exam this year. Of the registered candidates, 3558 (49.8%) were male and 3585 (50.2%) were female. This year, there were 11 private candidates. PSE numbers for 2017 show that there were 121 less registered candidates than 2016.

Cayo Money Gram robbed
On Monday June 5, 2017 Nely Jimenez, the cashier at Money Gram which is located on the George Price Highway in Santa Elena Town reported that at 2:10 p.m. while she was at her work place, two male persons entered the building to conduct a transaction. However, one walked towards her and pulled out a hand gun pointed at her and then demanded money. She threw some money at him which he took. On making checks it amounted to $1,000 in twenty dollar bills. The two men escaped.

If you have issues with your eyes...
BCVI has clinics located throughout the country and provides outreach services to other villages and towns. We accept walk-ins but encourage appointments, especially if you're on a tight schedule. For more information, call your nearest BCVI clinic today! :)

Xunantunich Ferry Under Repair
One lane will be operational

Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute Announces its World Oceans Day 2017 Activities
In celebration of World Oceans Day 2017, Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute (CZMAI) is hosting a series of activities on June 8, 2017 at several preschools across Belize City from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. With the theme this year, "Our Oceans, Our Future," CZMAI is joining with hundreds of organizations and millions of individuals from around the world who will recognize this special day for ocean awareness and action. The activities will focus on educating Belize's children about the importance of our oceans, seas and other water bodies and what they can do to help to reduce pollution. For more information about Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute, please visit https://www.coastalzonebelize.org/

Attention All Importers of Pharmaceuticals
The Office of the Director of Health Services hereby informs that the processing of ALL custom entries for pharmaceutical products, be it over the counter medication, FedEx, Amerijet, prescription medications and others, will now be processed from the Ministry of Health Belize Headquarters located on the Third Floor, East Block Building, City of Belmopan. This transition is expected to commence on July 1st, 2017. Queries in relation to this should be forwarded to the Office of the Director of Health Services at the Ministry of Health.

Launching of the Soca Season
June 17!! Flavaz entertainment is bringing to you the launching of the soca season at the Itvet grounds. Performances by Belize's best soca entertainers, the Pantempers and all the way from Barbados HYPASOUNDS. Saturday, June 17 at 1 PM, Belize City.

UNSOLVED MYSTERIES
The cost of crime to our society - Belize does not have a specific policy or program evaluation to estimate the actual cost that crime has been having on our communities. Estimating the economic cost associated with individual crimes and losses associated with criminal activity is essential. We know that past crimes have put such a tremendous burden and cost to certain families and friends of fallen victims in Corozal. For all of us that live in Corozal and have been on the edge for the past month in regards with two cases bearing so much similarities, except that in the recent case there has been no bodies recovered; crime does not only affect one sector of our community or one ethnic group in Corozal, so it is very important that we ALL (not excluding anyone) participate and provide some level of consideration and help when it is asked for and requested, certainly in these dire and sad circumstances.

The sedimentation occurring due to illegal gold panning is choking the Chiquibul headwater streams
Quantifying the damage is difficult. More attention and action is needed to address this problem.

This is about Big Red and Rosey the Scarlet Macaws
It's going to be a long post since I am putting together the facts such as I know them from reading all I could. I also want to state that I have no horse in this race. At the end of May Big Red and Rosey, both wild born Belizean Scarlet Macaws, were whisked off to life in captivity on Harvest Caye. Harvest Caye (HC) is the custom built Caye for Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) , depicting "live" in Belize but basically designed to keep cruise ship travelers on the island and from spending their money in the real Belize. So you may not be too ticked off about a couple of birds going off to the island to amuse tourists. Rosey is not releasable and Big Red may or may not be releasable. We don't know if he is releasable because no testing has ever been done before he was taken with minimal notice from Belize Bird Rescue where he was groomed for release back into the wild. My question is why was he not tested by the Forest Department? And how can anybody condemn a bird to captivity without being sure he was not releasable?

BELIZE ZOO CAMP 2017
Applications for TBZ's annual Conservation Camp are now being accepted. Young Belizean's ages 12-17 are invited to apply for this Summer's session being held at the Tropical Education Center from July 3rd-7th. How to apply: Send us a short essay describing an environmental issue affecting your community. district, or Belize in general that is of concern to YOU. Why is it a problem, and how would you go about solving it? Entries must include: name, age, school, community, and phone number.

Free Corrective Surgery
A team of 30 medical volunteers, led by Dr. Jordi Espel, who currently practices in Mexico, will be at the Northern Regional Hospital in Orange Walk from June 9-12, 2017 to conduct free Corrective Surgery. Take advantage and visit the hospital for evaluation day on June 9, 2017. LEAP Global Missions Orange Walk, Orange Walk, Belize Nothern Regional Hospital

National Song Competition 2017!
Each year, the National Celebrations Commission strives to highlight Belize's rich and unique cultural heritage through the numerous events held to commemorate our national celebrations. One such event is the National Song Competition which was created to provide professional and amateur musicians with the opportunity to create and showcase their original pieces. The goal of the competition is to promote artistic expression, national pride and Belize's diverse culture.

Caye Caulker Palapa Gardens
June 30 - July 2. Caye Caulker.

U.S. Embassy and Beyond the Horizon: 2017-Belize Task Force Jaguar leadership recently met with the Governor General of Belize H.E. Sir Colville Young at the Belize House
The U.S. officials were honored to update the Governor General on the Beyond the Horizon 2017 medical events and construction projects as well as the Embassy's various cultural and educational initiatives.

Channel 7

Soca Queen Ernestine's Brother Killed
A church man was gunned down and killed in the city early this morning. 27 year old Jerson Carballo was heading home on his bicycle when a gunman opened fire on him. Carballo was struck to the head, chest and back. His is the brother of Belize's Soca Queen Ernestine Carballo . She and her family couldn't believe that their loved one who was known to live a Christian life was executed near their home. Courtney Weatherburne has more. Two of Jerson Carballo's favorite things were his gospel reggae selections and his bible. Cyril Pitterson "Reality Youth", Friend: "He was a very positive young man, he was a man that always trying to strive to do the right thing, stay out of trouble and I know him as person who always trying to encourage other people like other young guys like him to follow Jesus and do the right thing."

Corozal Couple Still Missing
Last night, our headline story was the couple from Corozal who went missing since last week Thursday. Their families have been frantically searching for them ever since, and today, they completed day 5, with absolutely no results. As we told you, 32 year-old Zeidy Orozco, a resident of San Andres Village, and her 41 year-old Ranchito Village boyfriend, Baltazar Lopez, went missing on last Thursday night. On Friday, the following day, the cops found her burnt Chevy Prism car in a very remote location off the road linking Patchakan and Yo Chen Villages. It had been set on fire by someone who was trying to make it very difficult to find.

Morality Commission Stumbles After Two Bishops Withdraw
The Church State Commission on Public Morality was formed in September of 2016, and the churches are expected to present their position paper to the Government later this week. But, sources tell us that all is not well on the Church side of the Commission. That's because both the President of the Council of Churches, who is Bishop Roosevelt Papouloute, and the representative of the Anglican Church, Bishop Phillip Wright, have withdrawn from the church group. While no official explanation has been given, sources close to us suggest that the Bishops felt that the views of their churches were not being adequately represented in the final position paper. And so, rather than be an under-represented minority in positions they did not support, the two decided to step back.

Opp. Leader Briceno Gets Free Of Charges
In February of 2014, opposition leader John Briceno was criminally charged for a trio of traffic offences - after Gaspar Vega's driver, Chris Hendricks accused him of driving over his foot. Briceno was charged for negligent harm, failed to report an accident, and drove vehicle without due care and attention. From the outset Briceno maintained the charges were made up - as a form of political harassment. Well, tonight, he's clear of those charges because the case was thrown out of court. Hendricks didn't appear and police had no witnesses - so the magistrate threw the case out.

PSE Results Dismal In Math and Science
The results for the Primary School Examinations are in, and they continue to show that hundreds of Standard 6 students are failing. Right now, the Ministry of Education is preparing detailed reports for each of the more than 7,000 candidates who sat the exams, but, they already know how these children performed on the exams. Of the 7,077 students who completed the English exam, 1,826 - or one quarter of the test takers - failed, meaning they got an "E", or a percentage score of 49% or lower. The average test scores for this year are marginally up by 0.1 percent, but overall, they are similar to the other average scores for the past 10 years. In Math, where there was the poorest performance, 3,451 candidates - or about half of the test-takers - failed. The Ministry says that immediate remedial actions will be taken following this outturn. The 10-year trends show that the average score for math remains around 51%.

Rapist's Conviction Overturned, Gets Retrial
36 year-old Antonio Gutierrez, who had been serving 8 years in jail for a rape conviction, is home tonight, after he successfully appealed his conviction at the Court of Appeal which has ordered a retrial. Gutierrez was convicted back in May of last year in the northern session of the Supreme Court. Justice Herbert Lord presided over a trial in which the complainant was a 16 year-old. She testified in the trial that on August 12, 2011, at a street corner in Orange Walk Town, Gutierrez raped her.

Western Union Robbers Got One Grand
Tonight more is known about that Western Union robbery in Santa Elena, Cayo. As we showed you, two men in shorts and t shirts casually strolled into the office. Police say that they entered at 2:10 PM, and made it seem like they wanted to conduct a transaction. But things quickly changed course when one of them walked towards 30 year old clerk Nely Jimenez, pulled out a hand gun, pointed it at her and then demanded money. Fearing for her life, she picked up a stack of fifty 20 dollar notes and threw it at him. that's a thousand dollars and the men then walked out just like they had come in - except the one int he orange shirt, was in a half run. They left on foot, walking across the street like they were just regular folks, not gun wielding robbers. Cayo Police have this video but need your help to identify the men. So if you know who they are, please call Cayo police.

Boom Residents Bex With Bradley's Boatyard
Since May, we've been following the story of Bradley's Boat Yard, which recently moved to Burrell Boom. Some residents don't like it - and that became apparent when two of Bradley's boats were set on fire a few weeks ago. Well, today the residents of Burrell Boom held a press conference to clear things up, and tell the public where they stand on the issue... Two weeks ago Steve Bradley of Bradley's Boat Yard was the victim of arson, which resulted in severe damage to two of his most used boat moulds. When we spoke to Bradley after the incident he told us that he suspected foul play by one of residents of the area, who have been in opposition to the business relocating there. Well today some of the residents of Burrell Boom, specifically an association named the Burrell Boom Protectors, held a press conference condemning the act, but also to voice their concerns about having the boat yard so near to where they live�

Guatemalan Grandma Accused of Abduction
A seven year old San Pedro resident is missing after being allegedly abducted by her grandmother. Hade Anaide Chacon dropped her 7 year old, Hamy Alena Reyes, at her babysitter's house on Saturday night before going out. On Sunday morning at around 11:00, Chacon, went to go pick Hamy up, but was told that she had gone to church with the sitter and her children. Chacon waited at the house for another hour until the other children returned. They told her that Hamy had gone with her grandmother. Chacon continued to wait until about 5:00 in the evening, and then went to her sister's house where her mother, Maria Quixchan, was staying. But when she got there, her sister told her that Quixchan took Hamy with her to Guatemala earlier that morning. She did not give her mother permission to take Hamy out of the country. Chacon suspects that her daughter is in San Andres Peten, Guatemala, where her mother is presently living.

Coast Guard Catches Cocaine
Also in San Pedro, last night at around 7:30, the Belize Coast Guard was patrolling the lagoon area west of San Pedro. They saw a small vessel exiting one of the channels and signaled it to stop. But, the vessel sped away instead, and the Coast Guard set chase. They eventually caught up with the small boat, and found San Pedro resident, Jaime Young carrying a knapsack. Inside, the Coast Guard found 2.9 grams of cocaine in two transparent plastic bags. Young was taken to the San Pedro Police Station where he was charged with drug trafficking.

Furious Infighting In FFB In Advance of Election
Elections for a new FFB president are coming up later this month - but a rash of infighting has broken out and there's fierce jostling for control of the country's most powerful sports federation. 7News has seen a flurry letters alleging corruption, bribery and other offenses in a bid to keep one candidate out. Additionally, three would-be candidates have been barred from running. And, now, even the sports council has gotten involved to caution the FFB about heavy handed tactics. The strongest letter is dated May 26th., and in it, the General Secretary of the Federation Michael Blease accuses Sergio Chuc - who was running for president and vice president - of bribery, conflict of interest, offer and acceptance of gifts, and corruption, quote, "all with the end of having the election swayed in your favor," end quote.

Paddlers Proud With Third
Today the six paddlers that represented Belize in the Puerto Rico Olympic Cup kayaking event returned. The delegation spent the last week racing against paddlers from around the region, and despite not having as much training as most of the competition, they managed to come home with a bronze medal. We spoke to members of the team when they came back, and they told us about the experience and their hopes for the next competition... The Belize Canoe Association expects the donation of four Olympic Grade kayaks to increase the team's chances of pulling out a win in next year's Cup.

Belize and US Collaborate on Education
The US may be sending all kinds of signals with the Edmond Castro visa revocation and the John Saldivar humiliation, but on the surface, harmonious Belize - US relations continue. And that's why 4 Peace Corp Volunteers will be helping the Ministry of Education with their literacy initiative. These volunteers or Literacy Intervention Specialists as they are called, will spend the next 6 months focusing on programs that will promote and enhance the effectiveness of the nationwide literacy initiative in Belize. Chief Education Officer, Dr. Carol Babb highlighted in the release that "This collaboration represents the culmination of more than two years of planning and preparation".

Remember the Flowers Bank Fourteen
Last night we told you about Burrell Boom day - which celebrated the history of that river valley village. Well, down the road a bit, in Flowers Bank, they were also celebrating. But it wasn't just the village, they were celebrating the men history recorded as the "Flowers Bank Negroes" - 14 free black men who - legend has it - cast the deciding votes in the June first, 1797 public meeting to decide whether to run or to defend the colony. In this 9th annual Flowers Bank Festival - colonial historian Fred Hunter underscored the importance of that decision:

Hon. Aragon Touring
Police Minister of State Elodio Aragon continued his tour of Police Formations last week Thursday in Corozal. They toured the Police Station in Corozal Town and witnessed a guard of honor. It continued from there to several police sub-stations in the district, first to Patchakan and San Narciso, the latter of which was found to be uninhabitable because bats and pigeons had taken over the building. From there they finished up in Caledonia Village. The tour continues this week in Cayo.

Channel 5

Jerson Carballo Attacked on Way Home
In the Saint Martin De Porres area of the city on Monday night, the life of Jerson Carballo was snuffed out and police have no motive or suspect. Carballo had [...]

Man's Body Found in Corozal
Around seven this morning, a body was found under a tree next to the basketball court and football field in the village of San Narciso in the Corozal District. It [...]

Couple Still Missing; Has The Worst Happened?
Also up north in Corozal, the search continues for a couple who has been missing since Thursday.� Thirty-four-year-old Zeidy Orozco and forty-two-year-old Balthazar Lopez were last seen in the vicinity [...]

Did Government Pay Footballers with B.D.F. Money?
The Belize Defence Force is under fire tonight. News Five has obtained documents showing invoices for fifty thousand dollars worth of payments of allowances made to members of the team [...]

Guatemalan Grandmother Kidnapped San Pedro Girl
A seven-year-old girl has reportedly been abducted by her grandmother and is believed to have been taken from her hometown in San Pedro across the border to neighboring Guatemala.� Hamy [...]

D.P.P. on Pakeman: Botched Investigation; Premature Dismissal of Charges
In a surprise statement, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl-Lynn Vidal has made scathing remarks against those who mismanaged the investigation of Dorian Pakeman, the Director of the Government Press [...]

Curt Smith, Bernice Yorke's and Belize's Best in P.S.E.
Students are breathing a sigh of relief tonight, following the release of this year's P.S.E. results. Seven thousand two hundred and seventy one students registered for the exam that assesses [...]

Corozal's Mary Hill, Methodist Schools Also Celebrating
Most top scorers in the P.S.E. are from the City, but while on assignment in Corozal, we dropped by the Mary Hill Primary School where there was reason to celebrate. [...]

Results Still Average; Slight Improvement for Math, English
Earlier you saw some of the top performers from twenty five highest overall marks - but they represent just a fraction of the seven thousand plus students who sat the [...]

Traffic Charges Dropped Against John Brice�o
P.U.P. leader John Brice�o saw charges of Negligent Harm, Failure to Report an Accident and Driving a Vehicle without Due Care and Attention tossed out of the Orange Walk Magistrate's [...]

Is Expense Bill for B.T.L. Settlement Too High?
As much as one hundred and thirty million U.S. dollars is being sought by the former owners of Belize Telemedia Limited from the Dean Barrow administration. It is the final [...]

Why Did P.M. Sign Agreement?
The Government and particularly the Prime Minister have in the past tried to shove off at least part of the responsibility for the B.T.L. debacle to the shoulders of the [...]

Brice�o Warns 'Sticker Shock' Coming for Belize's Economy
There is also the question of economic shock caused by the B.T.L. payments. The Government recently re-negotiated the Superbond, but has accumulated close to a hundred million dollars in debt [...]

Accused Sex Offender Gets New Trial
A Corozal Free Zone employee who in August 2011 was accused of raping a sixteen-year-old minor has been granted a retrial. Thirty-six-year-old Antonio Gutierrez was convicted of raping the minor [...]

Osmar Sabido, Not Oscar
And on a matter of clarification, Osmar Sabido Junior was sentenced to twenty-one years for killing his common-law wife, Christie Carrasco. Sabido Junior is from Orange Walk and is not [...]

Burrell Boom Continues Battle Against Boat Yard
As we reported on Monday, residents of Burrell Boom village are up in arms that Bradley's Boat Yard is relocating within their village, introducing them to a potentially cancerous future [...]

B.D.F. Chasing Suspected Guatemalan Incursions
It has now been a month since it was reported that the villages of Otoxha and San Benito Poite have been facing a takeover of acres of territory by Guatemalan [...]

Training in Results-Based Management for SDG Reports
Forty representatives from multiple Ministries are doing a three-day training under the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The participants are doing the training in results based management [...]

Bandits Vs Walter Ferretti in New CONCACAF Club League
In sporting news, there was a victory parade on Monday night in Belmopan for the national football and basketball champions, Belmopan Bandits, owned by Minister John Saldivar. �The matter of [...]

Kaina Says No to B.A.A., Forever
Last week, News Five spoke one-on-one with Kaina Martinez, Olympian sprinter turned All-American at Texas A and M University-Kingsville. �After completing her college track career with good performances in the [...]

CTV3

Man Found Dead In San Narciso Community Park
This morning Corozal Police were called out to San Narciso Village in response to a report that the body of a male individual believed to be in his 40s was seen lying motionless under a tree in the community park. The authorities arrived and transported the body to the Corozal Community Hospital where it was pronounced dead on arrival. Our investigations indicate that the individual has been living in the community for many years, but without any family or home, and as a result of alcohol abuse, he has been sleeping around the community park. This morning his friends became startled when not only was he lying motionless, but they also noticed blood was oozing from his eyes. We met one of his friends who socializes at the park. He told us when he last saw the individual identified as Ramon Rejon alive.

Search For Missing Corozal Couple Intensifies
The search for missing persons 32 year old Zeidy Orosco and 42 year old Baltazar Lopez continued for a fourth day today with no success. The couple vanished into thin air on the night of Thursday June 1st, last seen by a Police officer along the sea side area along the entrance to Corozal Town. On Friday, Orosco's vehicle which she was using on the night she went missing, was found burnt down and abandoned in a private cane field in the outskirts of Patchakan Village.

Opposition Leader Chides On PM For Rising Cost For BTL Settlement Agreement
On June 1st, Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced that the legal battles and mounting legal costs in relation to the disputes over the Barrow Administration's 2015 settlement agreement with the Ashcroft Alliance over the Government's takeover of Belize Telemedia Limited had not come to an end. Barrow confirmed reports that Ashcroft group was challenging the amount which the Government will be paying them as legal cost compensation and so the parties would head to the Caribbean Court of Justice. Today Opposition Leader Hon. John Briceno decried the heavy costing which the entire fiasco has been to the country.

Charges Against Opposition Leader Dismissed
On February 4th 2015 the leader of the People's United Party, Honorable John Briceno was charged for Negligent Harm, Failure to Report an Accident and Driving a Vehicle Without Due Care and Attention resulting from allegations made by Christopher Hendricks, the driver of former Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega. That case went back to the Orange Walk Magistrates Court today and was thrown out by Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith. According to the court file the prosecution's witnesses did not appear in court much less the claimant and as such Chief Magistrate Smith dismissed the charges against Briceno.

Suicide In Orange Walk?
One Orange Walk resident is tonight dead following what police have classified as a suicide by shooting. While reports are still sketchy, CTV3 news understands that just before nine o'clock this morning, 33 year old Roberto Carballo of Santa Elena Street shot himself once to the head using a shotgun. The incident allegedly occurred in the backyard of his family home. The reasons behind the shooting has not yet been ascertained and police have ruled the incident a suicide pending a postmortem on the body.

DPP Speaks on Dorian Pakeman's Case
The Director of Public Prosecutions has commented on the decision of Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer to withdraw charges of causing death by careless conduct against Government Press Office Director, Dorian Pakeman. At the preliminary inquiry on Friday May 26th, the Court found that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case. This is after the common-law-wife of forty-five-year-old Dean Dawson, a resident of Gardenia Village who was killed in March of last year during the accident involving Pakeman sent a letter to the DPP informing that she did not want the case to proceed. That's because she and Pakeman had settled out of court and she received compensation of 45 thousand dollars. Speaking with the Amandala newspaper last Friday, DPP Cheryl-Lynn Vidal stated that her office was not informed - as required - that the defense intended to make submissions of no evidence.

Bomb Threat Interrupts Buisness At The Belize Bank O/W Branch
Just after lunch time today, Belize Bank Limited located on Main Street here in Orange Walk Town was compelled to close its doors to the public after receiving threats of a bomb planted inside the building. Reports indicate that after receiving the threat shortly after 1:00 p.m., police were notified about the situation and headed out to assist in securing the immediate area. The administration and staff of the bank as well as its customers were then evacuated from the building while La Inmaculada Roman Catholic School which is situated only a stone's throw away from the bank, also closed its doors and immediately dismissed all students for security purposes.

LOVE FM

Bernice Yorke Institute: PSE's Shining Star in 2017
The preliminary grades for the Primary School Examination for the academic year 2016/2017 were released today. There is still a window for persons or institutions to appeal the grades before they are deemed as final. Bernice Yorke Institute of Learning came out on top this year; Renee Trujillo was over at the school earlier today [�]

A Look at the Performance in PSE 2017
The academic year 2016/2017 has thirty students placing in the top twenty five in the PSE results as there was a tie among some students. Bernice Yorke Institute of Learning has taken the place of best performing school for this year as they have previously done in 2012, 2013 and 2015. Among this year's top twenty [�]

Jerson's Murder Shocks Family and Community
Investigators are Precinct Two are busy investigating the murder of twenty seven year old Jerson Carballo. He was fatally shot at around 12:25 this morning while he was on his way home. Carballo was a few minutes away from his home when a gunman approached him and blasted bullets at his direction. He was hit [�]

Boom Residents Want Answers and Action
Several residents of Burrell Boom Village, Belize District called a press brief this morning at the Radisson Fort George Hotel to voice their ongoing concerns over the presence of Bradley's Boat Yard in their village. As we reported on May 5, 2017, a meeting was held with representatives from the boat yard, the village council [�]

Peru's Non-Resident Ambassador Meets Belize's Peruvian Community
Yesterday three ambassadors presented their credentials to Belize's Governor General, Sir Colville Young. One of those ambassadors was Jorge Roman Morey of Peru. Belize and Peru have enjoyed diplomatic relations for more than twenty five years. Ambassador Morey says that he plans to strengthen the relationship by establishing mutual cooperation that would benefit both countries [�]

Convicted Rapist Gets Second Chance at Trial
Thirty-six year old Antonio Gutierrez, who was convicted of rape and sentenced to eight years, was successful in his appeal today before the Belize Court of Appeal. The court quashed his conviction, set aside his sentence and ordered a retrial. Gutierrez was released on a bail four thousand five hundred dollars. Gutierrez' attorney, Anthony Sylvestre, [�]

Adventist School Burglarized Out West
Eden Seventh Day Adventist Primary School in Santa Elena, Cayo was burglarized sometime between last night and early this morning. Principal Tharine Gabourel told Love News that she received a text from one of the teachers who informed her that her offices had been broken into and the vice principal's office and eight classrooms had [�]

Money Gram Cashier Gets Robbed at Gunpoint
Cayo Police are investigating a robbery at Money Gram in Santa Elena Town on Monday. Nely Jimenez, the cashier, told police that just after two o'clock in the afternoon, two men casually entered the building. She did not think anything of it as they appeared to have entered to conduct a transaction but soon after, [�]

Coast Guard Comes Upon School Bag with Cocaine
A man was charged for drug trafficking after he was caught with two point nine grams of cocaine. He is 28 year old fisherman Jaime Young of San Pedro Town. Young was caught with the drugs last night by Coast Guard officers. The officers were conducting patrol in the lagoon west of San Pedro when [�]

San Ignacio Police Seeks Tiffany Williams
A young woman is reported missing in San Ignacio. 21 year-old Tiffany Shannel Williams was reported missing by her older sister Kimberly Reyes. According to Reyes, Williams left home on Sunday June 4 around 9:30 in the night. She was told that Williams went to visit her common law husband, Geovanni Carcamo, on 9th Street. [�]

Belize to Connect with Volaris, AeroMexico and Air Canada
In recent months, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has been entering into agreements with airlines from around the world in an effort to continue growing the tourism industry. According to Minister Manuel Heredia Jr., works are being done behind the scenes to accommodate this rapid growing industry ranging from technical initiatives to infrastructural works. MANUEL HEREDIA: "Two things we have to grow; we have to grow the number of rooms which we are already doing and secondly I believe that shortly we will continue to expand the PGIA otherwise it makes no sense but definitely we are working at BTB, our airline development committee is working very hard to make sure that we can bring new airlines and to have additional flights from other destinations with existing airlines but more importantly is the price, that has been keeping Belize particularly the Miami flight that has been keeping Belizeans from flying and tourists from going to Belize because everybody was saying that it was too expensive...

Amandala

Another baby dies in KHMH
There is fear in San Andres, Corozal District, among the family members and friends of Zeidy Orosco, 32, a domestic of the village, and her common-law husband, Baltazar Lopez, 41, a laborer of Ranchito, also of Corozal District, that something terrible may have happened to the couple. Orosco and Lopez have been missing since 9:30 Thursday night after they were last seen together on the beach in Corozal Town. People now fear that they may have both been killed and their bodies disposed of in areas unknown after Orosco's car was found in a cane field on Friday afternoon, burned and totally destroyed. Police say that at about 2:30 Friday afternoon, they were called to a cane field located about 3 miles southwest of Patchakan, Corozal District, where they saw Orosco's Chevy Prism car completely destroyed by fire. The Corozal District Fire Chief and fire investigators have certified that the vehicle had been intentionally destroyed.

Another baby dies in KHMH
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) is yet again at the center of another controversy. The MacKinnon family visited our newspaper today and revealed that a month ago, Tracy MacKinnon, 7 months pregnant, was rushed to the KHMH with intensive labor pain. She told us that upon her arrival, medical authorities administered an injection to stop the contractions and two more to help develop her unborn daughter's lungs. However, Tracy's mother, Carol MacKinnon, felt that something had gone wrong based on her daughter's reaction to the injections. "Maybe dey give ah something strong or something wrong," she claimed.

From life sentence to 21 years
Osmar Sabido, who was initially convicted in the Northern Session of the Supreme Court of the murder of his common-law wife Christie Carrasco, 21, on appeal had his murder conviction and life in prison sentence set aside and substituted with manslaughter. He was sentenced today in the Court of Appeal to 14 years and 347 days. In handing down the sentence, President of the Court of Appeal, Mr. Justice Manuel Sosa, told Sabido, 30, that the appropriate sentence in this matter is 21 years, but the court took into consideration the amount of time that he has spent on remand awaiting trial and deducted the time he spent on remand, leaving the 14-years-and-347-day sentence.

Finally, Ministers named!
Whistleblower Alvarine Burgess took the witness stand in May 2015 in defense of herself in a defamation lawsuit in the Supreme Court filed by Hon. Edmond "Clear the Land" Castro. Yesterday, Wednesday, Burgess appeared before the Senate Select Committee inquiring into the Auditor General's Report on the Immigration Department covering the period 2011 to 2013. At the Supreme Court hearing, Burgess proved to be a credible witness and her testimony eventually led Minister Castro to retreat from his defamation claim. Burgess' testimony before the Senate Select Committee was equally convincing, but this time, she was able to name two additional ministers who were involved in the visa hustling scheme that enabled Asians seeking visitor's visas to come to Belize.

The Dorian Pakeman case: A botched police investigation and an error in law, says DPP Vidal
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, "expressed surprise" at the outcome of the preliminary inquiry in the case of Dorian Pakeman, who was charged with causing death by careless conduct, nine months after the March 30, 2016 traffic accident that claimed the life of Dean Dawson, 45, a mechanic of Gardenia, in the Belize District. In an interview with Amandala on Friday, June 2, DPP Vidal said that the first time she heard that the case against Pakeman was struck out at the Magistrate's Court preliminary inquiry level, was when she saw it on social media on the day the decision was made. "Rule 8.11of the Criminal Procedure Rule requires that if the defense intends to contest the preliminary inquiry, to make submissions that there is no evidence to commit the defendant to the Supreme Court, advanced notice must be given to the prosecution. We at the DPP's office received absolutely no such notice," DPP Vidal said.

At least 57 murdered in Belize since 2017 began
The year 2016 saw the second highest murder count in Belize, and Belize is still grappling with a high per capita murder rate of roughly 36 homicides per 100,000 residents, with 11 murders a month on average reported this year-too many for a small population of about 380,000 persons. Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ret'd Colonel George Lovell, told Amandala that he was briefed today on the current crime situation, and latest reports are that the murder count now stands at 57, down from 61 murders this time last year. No murders were confirmed over the weekend, although there are fears that a woman reported missing after she went to take food for her boyfriend in Corozal Town on June 1 could have been a victim of foul play, after the woman's car was found intentionally burnt. Relatives have also been unable to reach the woman's boyfriend since her disappearance.

FFB's National Over-40 under way, Week 1 results
With little fanfare, the long anticipated National Over-40 Football Tournament 2017 kicked off over the weekend with 3 games played. With the late addition of the Lake team from Belize City, there are now 8 teams in the competition, and thus 4 games are expected this weekend. The revised schedule will be released later this week, according to Over-40 Chairman, Peter Alvarez. In the only game on Saturday night, June 3, at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium, Benque Veterans dropped Belmopan Veterans, 3-0, with goals from David Aldana (3' & 56') and Luiz Martinez (53').

Tour de Santino - May 27 & 28, 2017 results
A total of 62 riders registered for this first ever Tour de Santino - 21 Mexicans and 41 Belizeans. By the end of the Tour, 15 riders had abandoned, 14 Belizeans and 1 Mexican, Juan Manuel Yapur, due to the death of his mother that took place Saturday evening after our Stage 2. Below are the results of the 3 Stages and the General Classification in all Categories. Stage 1 - Leslie's/Hattieville/Leslie's: 1st - Gabriel Burgos (Mexican); 2nd - Sherman "Pest" Thomas (Team Santino's); 3rd - Jose Arroyo (Mexican). Stage 2 - Leslie's/Boom Junction/Leslie's: 1st - Liam Stewart (Team Santino's); 2nd - Barney Brown (Team Scotiabank); 3rd - Palas Joseph (Team Lampaz).

Belmopan Bandits crowned Pepsi NEBL 2017 Champions
The Pepsi NEBL season closed with a huge bang in San Pedro on Saturday night, as two-time champions San Pedro Tiger Sharks hosted Belmopan Bandits in game 3 of the Finals. San Pedro High School was packed to capacity, with standing room only, as the intensity of the game surely depicted a championship game with everything on the line. The first quarter got the jitters out of both teams, as Belmopan Bandits finished with an 18-17 lead. In the second quarter, the visiting team jumped out to an 18 point lead, going into intermission with a comfortable 44-30 lead. However, San Pedro Tiger Sharks went on a run of their own at the end of the third quarter and mid-way through the fourth quarter, and in the process grabbing a 5 point lead with 4 minutes remaining in the game. Belmopan Bandits, was able to regain their composure, coming up with some key shots down the stretch, while getting crucial defensive stops, to register the 75-67 victory, claiming the NEBL championship.

Belize City FC and Jewel Fury FC, 0-0 at MCC in game 1 of National Women Football Finals
Game 1 in the Football Federation of Belize's (FFB) National Amateur Women League 2017 championship series between Belize City FC and Belmopan's Jewel Fury FC ended scoreless on Saturday night at the MCC Grounds. Despite the swirling clouds of dust, often visible as little "whirlwinds" in the night light, and the treacherously uneven pitch that is the MCC, the ladies displayed a high level of football skill and competitive intensity. The lively commentary and shouts of encouragement from the fans present throughout the game, was convincing evidence of their level of interest and appreciation for the performance of our female 'ballers. They will meet again "for all the marbles" in game 2 of the finals this Saturday, June10, at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan

Editorial: Our troubled justice system
It may well be argued that the present executive of Belize, in the form of the United Democratic Party (UDP) Cabinet, lost its moral authority three years ago when Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie was ordered to ignore and defy an order from the Chief Justice of Belize, Kenneth Benjamin. It may also be argued that the people of Belize sanctioned the UDP Cabinet's constitutional violation of our justice system when we returned the same Cabinet to office in the general election of November 4, 2015. Classic parliamentary democracy features an executive, a legislature, and a judiciary. In Belize's system of governance, the Cabinet is the executive, the House of Representatives is the legislature, and the judiciary includes the Police Department and the court system of Belize. The Prime Minister rules in the executive, the Speaker rules in the legislature, and the Chief Justice rules in the judiciary.

From the Publisher
The United Democratic Party (UDP) was devastated by their defeat (People's United Party [PUP], 13 seats: UDP, 5) in the 1979 general election. Their UDP Leader, Dean Lindo, remains the only Leader of the Opposition ever to lose his seat in a general election. Lindo owned the party newspaper, The Beacon, which used to be printed at #7 Church Street in Belize City. The party was in disarray for a while. Of the five UDP area representatives elected in that election, three were from the Toledo and Stann Creek Districts, as opposed to just two from Belize City - Philip Goldson (Albert) and Curl Thompson (Mesopotamia). The three area reps from the South, Dr. Ted Aranda (Dangriga), Charles Wagner (Toledo South) and Basilio Ah (Toledo North) joined forces and decided to choose one of their own - Dr. Aranda, for Leader. Looking back, a student of local politics would likely wonder why it was that Mr. Goldson, who had been Leader of the Opposition from 1961 to 1974, by virtue of being Leader of the National Independence Party (NIP), had not been chosen UDP Leader to replace Lindo, but you must remember that the financiers and power brokers of the Opposition had spent years trying to replace Mr. Goldson in leadership.

Expense bill for BTL nationalization "very, very outrageous:" Fin Sec
On Thursday, June 1, the firms of Moore Stephens Maga�a LLP and Crowe Horwath reportedly served Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dean Barrow with a letter claiming that virtually all the balance due in settlement of nationalization of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), which Barrow had said would be paid in Belize dollars and spent on projects in Belize, should instead be paid mostly in US currency to settle the expenses incurred by the former shareholders of BTL in pursuing compensation for the appropriation of their BTL shares back in 2009. As Amandala readers will recall, when Barrow detailed the settlement agreement he had hatched out with British billionaire Michael Ashcroft back in 2015, prior to being re-elected to a third term in office, he claimed that the parties had agreed that the portion attributable to the accommodation agreement-which Barrow had rescinded claiming that the agreement, which did not have parliamentary sanction, was contrary to Belizean law-would be spent on projects for the benefit of Belize.

Guatemalan man, 65, remanded for sexual assault of child, 6
A 65-year-old Guatemalan man was remanded to the Belize Central Prison after he was arraigned on a charge of sexual assault of a 6-year-old girl. Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith arraigned Francisco Figueroa on one count of sexual assault. Figueroa pleaded not guilty to the charge. The court prosecutor, however, objected to the court granting bail to Figueroa on the grounds that he is a Guatemalan and as such, is a flight risk because he may flee from the jurisdiction and not attend court.

Mother, missing at sea, found dead - she had drowned
The search for Asita Flores,44, a domestic of Sarteneja who went missing at sea on Thursday night, June 1, after the boat in which she was traveling overturned, came to a sad conclusion at about 10:00 this morning. Residents of Sarteneja who were searching for her found her body floating in the sea about half a mile north of Consejo, Corozal District. Police said that when they went to the Corozal Town Pier on 1st Avenue, they saw the body of Asita Flores in a skiff, and it was in an advanced state of decomposition. At the conclusion of a post-mortem exam on her body, it was certified that drowning was the cause of her death.

Belize, Guatemala and Honduras sub-regional strategy to end illegal
Dr. Omar Figueroa, Belize's Minister of State who holds the portfolio for Fisheries, announced at a side event held today at the UN Oceans Conference being convened in New York, USA, to highlight Belize's trailblazing open access fisheries program, that the country is also working towards developing and implementing a national and sub-regional (Belize, Honduras and Guatemala) strategy and plan by 2019 to effectively combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing-a scourge that bilks countries around the globe of tens of billions of dollars in revenues. "Our work has only just begun," said Figueroa, in speaking of the steps Belize has taken towards overcoming the challenges it still faces.

Firearms examiner, Orlando Vera, found guilty of abetment to pervert the course of justice
A National Forensic Science Service Center employee, Orlando Vera, who is a firearms examiner and ballistics expert, was convicted on a charge of abetment of perverting the course of justice this morning. Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith remanded Vera to prison until his sentencing day on Thursday, June 8. Since the incident for which Vera was charged occurred in Belmopan, the case was tried in the Belmopan Magistrate's Court, but the final submissions were made in the Belize City Magistrate's Court, where the Chief Magistrate also delivered the guilty verdict. The allegation against Vera arose from incidents that occurred between June 1 and July 31, 2015. The trial began in the Belmopan Magistrate's Court on March 7, 2017. On May 25, final closing arguments were made in the Belize City Magistrate's Court.

Breaking Belize News

San Ignacio woman reported missing
Kimberly Joanna Reyes, 25, of Western Street, San Ignacio reported that on Sunday June 4, she was informed that her younger sister Tiffany Shannel Williams, 21, had left home at 9:30 p.m., reportedly to visit her common-law-husband Geovanni Carcamo on 9th Street. Williams has [�]

Police issue report on Jerson Carballo's murder
Shortly after midnight in the wee morning hours, Belize City police visited the corner of Electric and Lawrence Avenues where cops saw Jerson Carballo, 27, lying on the Street with a gunshot wound to the head, chest and back. A police investigation revealed that [�]

PM defends Yellowman, says PUP Leader
Leader of the Opposition, John Briceno has responded to the remarks made by the Prime Minister about Brian "Yellowman" Audinett's behavior in the House of Representatives. A couple weeks ago, at the senate hearing Audinett threatened two camera men and threatened to break Krem [�]

Over $100 million in court battles against Ashcroft
The Government of Belize will, reportedly have to spend almost US$130 million in legal fees for its continued court battles against the group of companies owned by Michael Ashcroft. Channel 7 news reported last night that, that the legal fees will amount to about [�]

Belize - The Chinese Phenomenon
By Richard Harrison: phe�nom�e�non 1. a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question. "glaciers are unique and interesting natural phenomena" the object of a person's perception; what the senses or the mind notice. Even a [�]

Brother of Ernestine Carballo murdered in Belize City
BBN has received reliable reports that Jerson Carballo, brother of well known Belizean singer, Ernestine Carballo was murdered early this morning in the old capital. According to reports, the incident happened in the St. Martins area of Belize City. A source told BBN that [�]

Young woman from San Ignacio missing
The family of 21 year old Tiffany Shannel Williams is worried. Williams was last seen last night around 10 on Vaca Street in San Ignacio in the company of a male friend. She has not been seen or heard from since that time. Williams [�]

NICH hosting 5 Day Audio/Video Production Workshop
The National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) through the Belize International Film Festival is pleased to partner with Professor Steve T. Berry to present a five-day Audio/Visual Production Workshop for Secondary and Tertiary Level Students. Participants will be provided with the basic technical, [�]

Blogs

A celebration of lobster: the best festivals in Belize
The most anticipated series of festivals is upon us once more. Yes, it is time for Lobster Fest! A tribute to the Spiny Lobster, held in the country's top three coastal destinations, Lobster Fest is not only a culinary treat, but a celebration of Belizean culture. The fun kicks off with the San Pedro Lobster Crawl! From Thursday, June 15th to Friday, June 23rd, tour Ambergris Caye and take part in special 'lobster themed' events held at participating establishments. The events range from beach BBQs to fine dining venues. At each stop, get your Lobster Crawl Passport stamped to enter the big San Pedro Lobster Fest Raffle.

WildLife And Other Out of The Ordinary Experiences on Remote Ambergris Caye
And while living on an coastal island of Belize surprises me in some way every single day - life is much less ordinary at an off-the-grid lodge - where the daily visitors are mostly birds (many wading birds nest on this side of the island) and fish with a flyfishing boat once in a while. Here are some of the extra-ordinary things I've encountered over the last few months, things that show me how big and special this island really is. One day there was a ruckus in the mangroves over the lagoon�a bird squawking and screaming. Closer inspection and�it was a green vine snake with a bird's neck in his mouth.

Southwest Begins Flying from Fort Lauderdale to Belize
As of June 4, 2017, Southwest Airlines, the world's largest low-cost air carrier, has begun flying its new non-stop flight from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL) Airport to Belize City (BZE). The new Fort Lauderdale-Belize route is Southwest's third non-stop flight to Belize. Beginning in 2015, Southwest has been flying non-stop to Belize from Houston's Hobby Airport (HOU) and Southwest began flying from Denver (DIA) to Belize City on March 11, 2017. Belizean Civil Aviation Minister Manuel Heredia and his department have worked hard to attract new routes to the country. Following substantial investments in infrastructure, all four of the biggest airlines in the United States now offer flights to Belize, including American Airlines, Delta, United, and Southwest. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has also worked with Canadian authorities. The first non-stop flights from Canada to Belize began operating earlier this year on WestJet Airlines and now Air Canada, the eighth-largest airline in the world, has announced it will begin flying from Toronto to Belize City beginning on December 15, 2017.

International Costa Maya Festival – A Week of Culture and Festivities
First conceived as a celebration of the wider Maya world with participants from Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Mexico in 1992, the festival has since blossomed to become one of the most popular events on the Belizean calendar. The festival begins with a beauty pageant featuring contestants from the "Mundo Maya" countries and then explodes in a celebration of dance, food, art, games, and music. A celebration of all things Maya, the festival is a colorful mix of a beauty pageant, music including Punta, Salsa, Merengue, Soca, Reggae, and traditional Maya melodies, riotous parades, and a celebration of food, art, and merrymaking.

June 1st was the opening season of Hurricane Season
It's that time of the year. The time to reflect on and be prepared for the hurricane season. Thursday 1st June marks the beginning of the 2017 hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin. The season runs from the 1st of June to 30th November 2017. However, as seen by the exceptionally rare Tropical Storm Arlene, which was only the second named storm on record to form in April, the formation of tropical cyclones is possible at any time of the year. The outlook for 2017 suggests that tropical cyclone activity will be slightly above normal in the Atlantic Basin (North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico) this year.

International Sources

Police in Panama have arrested the former governor of the south-eastern Mexican state of Quintana Roo, Roberto Borge. Mr Borge, of the governing PRI party, is under investigation for alleged corruption, which he denies. He was arrested as he was about to board a plane bound for Paris at Tocumen airport in Panama City. Mr Borge is one of several Mexican former governors who went on the run after being accused of corruption.

A Little Bit of Utah Goes a Long Way
One of the tenets of Beyond the Horizon, a recurring U.S Army South mission to Central America, focuses on building better relations with host nations through civic and humanitarian assistance, while giving reservists a chance to train in a deployed environment. Soldiers from the Utah National Guard Medical Command and the 128th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment are helping to further that goal this year in Belize by participating in the exercise between March and July 2017. In the task force headquarters element, Utah Guardsmen are staffing the medical planner, surgeon and preventive medicine officer positions, and the medical logistics and medical operations noncommissioned officers. Maj. Samantha Madsen, the task force's medical planner, has been central to preparing each of the three medical readiness training exercises (MEDRETEs) throughout the BTH 2017 humanitarian mission.

2017 Brides Honeymoon Awards: The Top Beach Resorts Under $350
Picking the perfect honeymoon is no easy feat-countless romantic destinations, endless hotel options, limited vacation time and the struggle-is-real challenge of finding the perfect place to please both you and your new spouse. Where to begin? Well, right here. BRIDES teamed up with the A-list agents at Virtuoso-a global network of more than 15,000 luxury-travel specialists-to find the most romantic, luxe hot spots in the world. Whether you're looking for bucket-list hotels and resorts, far-flung beaches, the top cruise lines for couples, inexpensive honeymoon ideas or unexpected honeymoon-worthy locales, you've come to the right spot. Presenting our 2017 Honeymoon Awards-dive in to see the best beach resorts under $350! Few places are better for exploring the Belize Barrier Reef (the world's second-largest coral-reef system) than this 25-villa sanctuary fronting the Caribbean Sea. Among its highlights are a pristine white-sand beach, easy access to the laid-back fishing village of Placencia, and one very famous proprietor: legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. At dinner, expect dishes blending seafood and Italian cuisine (made with ingredients from the organic garden)-and maybe even his Oscar-winning daughter, Sofia, at the next table. (Rooms from $319; thefamilycoppolahideaways.com)

IMF economic forecast: Bouncing back from recession
SHIFTS IN THE global landscape are taking place following disappointing growth in 2016. Momentum picked up in the second half of 2016, and the outlook for advanced economies has improved for 2017-18. Better growth prospects in the United States, Europe, and Japan reflect some rebound in manufacturing and trade, as well as prospects of likely US fiscal stimulus in the wake of the November elections. As it seeks a new policy course, the US should see solid economic growth in the near term with job creation and rising inflation. Prospects for the Caribbean region are improving, with growth in both tourism-dependent economies and commodity exporters projected to be in the 1.5 to three per cent range for 2017 and 2018. Several countries in the region registered strong growth in tourism in 2016 - in particular Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, and St Vincent and the Grenadines - as a result of higher arrivals in both the stopover and cruise segments.

Coral Adaptation Won't Save Reefs in Time to Prevent Humanitarian Disaster
Amid dire reports of unprecedented coral reef loss due to rising sea temperatures, there may yet be cause for optimism with respect to the long-term survival of reef ecosystems. Early evidence of certain coral species' ability to adapt to-and even thrive in-warming seas suggest that climate change will not necessarily bring about the end of coral reefs altogether, although it will likely result in the end of coral reefs as we've known them. During the decades that it will take for reefs to repopulate with heat-resistant coral species, ecosystem collapse is all but a foregone conclusion. The destruction of reef ecosystems, even if it is temporary, is likely to result in permanent biodiversity loss; one-quarter of all marine species currently live in and around coral reefs.

Videos

May 24, 1988 this flight departed from Belize heading to New Orleans. Were you on it? Do you know anyone who was on it?, 9min. TACA Flight 110 was an international scheduled airline flight operated by TACA Airlines, traveling from Belize to New Orleans. On May 24, 1988, the flight lost power in both engines but its pilots made a successful deadstick landing on a grass levee, with no one aboard sustaining more than minor injuries. The captain of the flight, Carlos Dardano of El Salvador, had only one eye due to crossfire on a small flight to El Salvador, which was undergoing a civil war at the time. Survivors 45 (all) yes where are these survivors now?

Plong�e SAN PEDRO BELIZE, 3.5min.

Stemming the Tide in Belize City, 5min. Flood mitigation program financed by the Inter-American Development Bank in Belize City reduces severity of flooding caused by tropical storms and climate change

Scuba Diving Belize's Black Coral Wall, 1.5min. Black Coral Wall is a fantastic dive site off Belize's Turneffe Atoll, with possible eagle ray, moray eel and nurse shark sightings in store.

Embassy of Mexico to Belize - Jazz & Latin Concert, 31min.

Caribbean Community Climate Change Center, 32min.

Gorgeous Belize Flats, 1min.

Belize Paradies zwischen Karibik und S�damerika, 25min. Imagevideo bereitgestellt vom Belize Tourist Board.

Fishing The Flats In Belize 2017, 3.5min. Working the Belize Flats off of Caye Caulker.

Channel fishing for Horse eyed Jack Belize 2017, 5.5min. Belize island channel fishing with jigs in the mangroves.

Thank you to the Caribbean Shrimp Company (aka Captain Hook's) in Ladyville for the excellent release site for our Wurdeman's heron, 1min. He should be easy to pick out amongst the blue herons out there. Good luck little buddy!
We were pleased to help reps from Belize Bird Rescue release a Heron today. These big birds are common around the farm, and very photogenic! This a very rare subspecies called a Wurdemann's Heron, so he should be easy to spot because he is not really blue. They are a cross of a white heron and a blue heron. This one came to the rescue centre from San Pedro, Ambergis Caye, and was about 1.4kg when found. We hope he prefers our fish to our shrimp :) . We have many birdwatching guests who not only drop by for delicious shrimp, but they can cross a whole bunch of birds off their life list in one visit.

Heaven House Belize - Stand Up to Domestic Violence 5k Color Walk/Run, 21min.

Gravey Economic Initiative, 37min.

Association of Caribbean States (ACS), 35min.

Santiago Castillo Ltd World Milk Day, 21min.

Summer Fun with Children, 15min.

Elections Boundaries Department - Transfers of Electors, 24min.

Embassy of Canada marks -150th Anniversary of Confederation with Photography, 26min.

BDF and Coast Guard Face-off in Wonder Woman Challenge, 2min. Women from the Belize Coast Guard and the Belize Defence Force challenged each other in a series of competition in the second annual Wonder Woman Challenge. Here's more on this �

H.R.C.U. Offers Grants to School Kids, 3min. The school year is not yet over, but parents are no doubt starting to turn their attention to the plans for the coming new one. Holy Redeemer Credit Union Limited consistently ranks education among the top three reasons given for loans to members. Scholarships are active, but for a reasonable means of helping to pay for the cost of an education, members of H.R.C.U. need look no further than the Henry Charles Usher Educational Grant Program, which has given out more than four million dollars in the twelve years since its inception. The lines for application at H.R.C.U.'s office on Hyde's Lane in Belize City on Saturday were long and News Five's Aaron Humes checked it out first-hand.

Belize addresses UN Oceans Conference, 6 June 2017, 5min. Belize Government Minister Hon. Omar Figueroa, addresses the Plenary at the UN Oceans Conference, NY, 6 June 2017.

Kent State Athletes in Aguacate, Belize 2017, 11min. Kent State athletes share their life changing experience getting to know the indigenous Q'eqchi community and sharing their love of sports.

Police Check Point Talk Show June 6, 60min.