CTV3
Well Known Corozaleno Found Dead At Home
Shortly after 11 this morning, Corozal Police received information of a man lying motionless in a yard on William Schofield Street in Corozal Town. When we arrived at the scene the body was being removed from inside the yard by officers.
The body was placed on the back of the Police's pickup truck and taken to the Corozal Community hospital where the medical doctor examined the body and pronounced the individual dead. The officers then transported the body to the morgue.
Lawyer Of Castro Brothers Comes Out To Their Defense
Yesterday we gave you details of what seemed like a wild spree last Friday by the two sons of UDP Minister Edmond Castro that started in Belize City with an altercation with Police Officers. The Castro boys, Jafari and Wasani, had been detained for assaulting three Police officers in the wee hours of Friday morning after the officers attempted to detain them for traffic violations. The duo was eventually released and in the evening they were caught in Orange Walk hauling almost 90 cases of illegal Corona beers by Customs officials.
While Customs have settled the contraband matter with a still unknown fine that had to be paid forthwith, the matter with the Police has not, and has actually become a major scandal.
Another Contraband Bust In Orange Walk
In last night's newscast, we reported on a major contraband bust which occurred here in the Orange Walk District involving the Castro brothers namely Jafari and Wasani Castro who were also in the company of Jihani Espadas and Dedric Ramclam. The men were caught in the possession of eighty nine cases of Mexican beers which were confiscated by Customs officials.
Tonight there is another contraband bust to report on... this time though; it was a much smaller bust which involved boxes of vegetables containing cabbage, onions and tomatoes. According to reports reaching our newsroom, the driver of the white pickup truck, tried to evade Customs officials resulting in a pursuit. Further reports state that majority of the items were thrown out of the vehicle during the chase. The white pickup truck then reportedly collided into another vehicle forcing the driver to come to a halt in the area of the Yo Creek Village.
Department Of Transport Cracks Down On Traffic Violators
Last week, the Department of Transport announced that it will be cracking down on violators of the traffic rules and regulations countrywide. The new initiative of the DOT has already taken effect as on Friday a total of nine bus drivers from more than six different bus companies were charged with traffic offenses by officers attached to the Department of Transport here in Orange Walk. They are Shane Pollard, Alfredo Rodriguez, Josue Diaz, Wilmer Lino, Wayne Grinage, Aldo Yama, Rafael Che, Jorge Rendon and Joel Armstrong. All persons were charged with 'carrying of excessive passengers on a public service vehicle' with the exception of Rendon and Che who were charged with 'failure to produce a road service permit'.
Carribbean Tourists Behind Bars For Drug Trafficking
Three Caribbean Tourists are tonight behind bars at the Belize Central Prison after a substantial quantity of illicit drugs was found in their room inside the Norwegian Escape Cruise Ship that was docked at Harvest Caye in southern Belize.
According to Police reports on Tuesday, June 13, 2017 about 8:45 a.m., Placencia Police were called to the Norwegian Escape Cruise Ship docked at Harvest Caye in southern Belize where security officers reported that they had found suspected drugs in a cabin on the ship occupied by Derson Frank, 30 years of age, of St. Vincent.
LOVE FM
OW Research on Historical Landmarks to Begin
On May 12, 2017 at the last sitting of the House of Representatives, Minister of Culture, Patrick Faber rose to introduce the National Cultural Heritage Preservation Bill 2017. This new Bill looks to establish a fund that will provide for structural improvements under the initiative that seeks to preserve portions of Belize's history by way [...]
Seven Years for Burglary at Spoonaz
38-year-old, Derrick Garbutt, a career burglar, was sentenced to 7 years today by the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith after he changed his plea from not guilty to guilty of burglary. Garbutt, who is serving time for a previous burglary conviction, will only serve 6 years because 1 year, the time he was a remanded [...]
Fire at Children's Home Was Set by Minor
Last Thursday, June 15, a small fire broke out under a small shed behind one of the buildings in the Dorothy Menzies Child Care Center compound. Residents in the area reported that they smelled paper burning and soon located the blaze. The fire officials were called sometime after four o'clock in the afternoon and had [...]
German Journalists Tour Belize
The Central America Tourism Agency (CATA) recently arranged to have representatives from five media outlets in Germany take a three-country tour with Belize being one of the three. The team got to Belize on Sunday, June 11 where they were taken to various locations around the country including visited the Warasa Garifuna Drum School in [...]
PlusTV
Man shot and killed in San Ignacio
There was a homicide in San Ignacio Town on Friday, June 16. The victim is 20 year Maynor Leonel Portillo of Santa Elena town. Portillo was shot to the head and his body was found at the eastern side of the Novelo's Convention Center. Portillo's body was found in a sitting position leaning ...
Jorge Lemus' bruised body found in drain in Unitedville
Police in Cayo are also investigating another death. The body of a man was discovered on Saturday morning in Unitedville. The body was found in a drain that runs along the George Price Highway. The man was seen floating face down in the drain. He was wearing a white shirt and long khaki pants. He ha...
Minister Castro's sons found with over $6000 worth of contraband beers
Minister of Transport and NEMO Edmond Castro is back in the news as it relates to alleged criminal activities; not him personally though, but his two sons. 23 year old Wasani Castro and 21 year old Jafari Castro were intercepted in Orange Walk as they were travelling in a white Wingle. Customs foun...
Police say Minister' sons were not charged; despite leaked police report
That is not all the news with these Castro boys this weekend, however. There was also an incident with them in Belize City before the contraband bust. A police report was leaked to the media on Friday to indicate that the same three men in the contraband vehicle were detained in Belize City a few h...
Caribbean Nationals aboard Norwegian found with kilos of cocaine
3 Caribbean nationals were remanded to Kolbe Foundationf or 2 kilos of cocaine found in their possession aboard the Norwegian last week. Two are from St. Lucia and one from St Vincent. The three men are reportedly workers on the cruise ship. They allegedly picked up the drugs from Roatan and somewh...
Woman perishes in motorcycle accident
A woman was riding her motorcycle on the road to Valley of Peace on Saturday, June 17th when she lost control and crashed. 26 year old Fabiola Velasquez , a resident of Young Bank area of Camalote village, was riding her motorcycle, heading home after attending a function in Valley of Peace. Someho...
Belizean on 10 most wanted US Immigration list
A 45 year old Belizean man,Santos Moreira, is listed among the top 10 most wanted for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The US wants to deport Moreira back to Belize, who has made his way back to the US several times after several deportations due to criminal activities h...
90 year old shop owner robbed and killed
A 90 year old store owner was robbed and killed in August Pine Ridge, Orange Walk District. According to police reports, sometime around 2:30 Thursday afternoon, 90 year old Pedro Pol was in his shop in the village when two Hispanic men entered the store. The men were armed with machetes and they bo...
Man shot in Belize City
There was a shooting in Belize City last night where 22 year old Wasan Avila was the victim. Sometime around 7 o'clock last night, Avila was on Jasmine Street socializing with a friend when they were approached by two male persons on bicycles. One of the male persons pulled out a hand gun and fired...
IMF suggests further belt tightening for Belize such as increasing GST and retrenchment
An International Monetary Fund team visited Belize from June 6th to the 15th and met with Prime Minister Dean Barrow, Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Carla Barnett,; Governor of the Central Bank of Belize Joy Grant, and Financial Secretary Joseph Waight. According to the Concludin...
Teacher Naomi Taylor was victim of Fatal RTA
Yesterday we told you about the traffic accident that claimed the life of a young teacher. She has been identified as 26 year old Naomi Abigail Taylor of Wagerale area of Dangriga Town. The incident happened at around 4:15 Thursday afternoon when Naomi was riding her bicycle on Ecumenical Drive. A ...
Amandala
Lovers' rendezvous at cemetery ends in death
On Friday night, Amy Guerra, 16, left her home in Bullet Tree Falls en route to Santa Familia to meet her ex-boyfriend, Eliseo Bacab, 22. The two had agreed to meet to iron out their differences after an intimate relationship, which they had begun over a year ago, had recently gone sour. Their meeting, unfortunately, would end in bloodshed.
At around 10 o'clock that night, the lovers met near the village cemetery, but upon seeing three men, whom they knew, the couple decided to walk over to the football field. For reasons yet to be revealed, the three men followed them a few minutes later.
One of the men, armed with a knife, accosted Bacab and stabbed him as many as ten times. Bacab was later thrown into a nearby river and left for dead. While Bacab was being attacked, Guerra tried to escape, but she was captured and stabbed multiple times in the throat. She, too, was thereafter thrown into a nearby river.
IMF presses Belize to increase GST to 15%, and broaden tax base
Following a mission to Belize which was concluded yesterday, June 15, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is asserting that the Government of Belize needs to take further measures to put the national debt and the economy on a better trajectory and mitigate risks.
The IMF continues to press the Government of Belize to increase consumer taxes, particularly by upping the rate of the General Sales Tax (GST) from 12.5% to 15%. So far, the Barrow administration has resisted calls from the Fund to increase the tax levy, which the IMF suggests should be charged on essential items now zero-rated, with the removal of exemptions.
After IMF meetings led by Dr. Bert van Selm, formerly the IMF resident representative to Jamaica, with key government officials in Belize, including Prime Minister Dean Barrow, Financial Secretary Joseph Waight, Central Bank Governor Joy Grant, members of the Opposition People's United Party, as well as representatives of the private sector and civil society, the Fund is also renewing calls on the Government of Belize to contain the wage bill and stabilize the number of public sector employees.
Jennifer Louise Smith, 60, captures coveted Ms. Y crown
Jennifer Louise Smith, 60, a "seenager" who is a survivor of domestic abuse, used the platform of the nation's most prestigious pageant for elderly women to fulfill her lifelong dream of competing in a pageant, while telling her phenomenal survival story through a three-part monologue about how she overcame the most gargantuan struggles in her life.
It was the famous poet Langston Hughes who wrote about what can happen when a dream gets deferred: it can "dry up like a raisin in the sun... fester like a sore [or]...explode?"
"I always wanted to be in a pageant since I was in my 20s, but life did not permit it. I got married, and that's it! That was buried because I started to have children," Smith shared in an interview with Amandala today.
Belizean shot and killed in Los Angeles
Information to us this afternoon from a reliable source in Belize is that Belizean-American Eddie Lino, 22, of Los Angeles, was shot and killed at the junction of Denver and 58th Street in Los Angeles at about 5:00 yesterday evening.
Information to us is that Lino was walking when a car drove up and his killer fired a shot out of the car, hitting him.
When Lino fell, the car stopped and a man came out, stood over Lino and fired more shots into his body. After shooting him, the killer got back into the car and drove away. Lino was declared dead on the scene. His body was then taken to the morgue.
Castro brothers busted with 89 cases of contraband beers
An Orange Walk Customs official told us this evening that they found a cargo of beer, a total of 89 cases of assorted un-Customed Mexican beers, including Corona, Modelo, and Tecate, in a truck they inspected while on routine patrol about 10:00 Friday night.
Four men were in the pickup at the time, two of whom are sons of Hon. Edmond Castro, Minister of Transport and the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), Wasani and Jafari Castro. The other two were Dedric Ramclam and Gian Espadas.
Customs officials told us that the vehicle and beers were impounded and the men were taken into custody and detained. Today, the men decided that they would settle out of court. The Comptroller of Customs was consulted and an undisclosed settlement sum was agreed upon.
Smart Mundialito reg. season ends; knockout semifinals this Saturday at MCC
The final regular season games, to determine the top-4 playoff teams, were played on Saturday, June 17, in the 6th Smart Mundialito 13 & Under football tournament at the MCC Grounds. And when the last game of the day was over, history was made in the Mundialito, as for the first time ever, Heights FC will go on to the semifinals, while also for the first time in six years, Brown Bombers will fail to see playoff action.
The race was tight for the last two playoff spots, and game 6 on Saturday, featuring playoff bound Ladyville Rising Stars and Brown Bombers, was crucial for the Bombers' hopes. Interestingly, three of the four teams in this year's playoff semifinals are from outside of Belize City. Only #3 seed City Boys is from Belize City; the other 3 teams are from Hattieville, Ladyville and Mahogany Heights.
Belize loses opener, 5-1, to hosts Nicaragua in CONCACAF Women U-20 Qualifiers
Reports indicate that our Belize National Women U-20 team lost, 5-1, to hosts Nicaragua in yesterday's CONCACAF Women U-20 Qualifier in Esteli, Nicaragua. No scoring details have been received as yet. Congrats for avoiding a shutout, girls!
Belize is in Group 1 along with Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Group 2 includes Honduras, Panama and El Salvador. In the Group 2 opener yesterday, Honduras dropped Panama, 2-0. (Guatemala remains suspended from FIFA/CONCACAF.)
Tomorrow at 4:00 p.m., Honduras plays El Salvador in Group 2; and at 7:30 p.m., Belize plays Costa Rica in Group 1. Let's go, Belize!!
National Over-40 Week 3 results
The National Over-40 Football Tournament continued over the weekend with 2 games each on Saturday and Sunday, June 17 & 18.
On Saturday afternoon in Independence at the M.A. Stadium, visiting Pickstock Lake I and home standing Mango Creek Veterans played to a 3-3 draw. Sherlock Martinez (10' & 40') struck twice and Jermaine "Bowfoot" Zuniga (87') got the other for Pickstock Lake I; while Mango Creek got a goal apiece from Wilmer Garcia (33'), Jeovanny Reyes (49') and Antonio Baptist (58'). And after dark at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium, it was 2-2 between visiting Kulture Yabra and Belmopan Veterans. Maurice "Magic" Francis (5') and David "Manu" McCaulay (68') shook the net for Kulture, while Julio Veliz (5') and Avery Galvez (52') hit the target for Belmopan.
Editorial: Belize - between Guatemala and Cuba
Belize's education system appears to encourage Belizean students to ignore regional affairs. This newspaper has therefore struggled mightily to inform the Belizean people about some regional realities which have major and ongoing significance for Belize's status and sovereignty. In this light, United States' President Donald J. Trump's speech on Friday afternoon to the Cuban exile community in Miami was almost sensational on its implications for Belize.
President Trump spoke very harshly about the Cuban government and the Cuban Revolution. In the last two years of his second term of office, President Barack Obama had made attempts to improve the climate between the U.S. and Cuba, but several of Obama's initiatives are being reversed by Trump, and, of course, Mr. Trump will continue the crushing American embargo of Cuba.
American President John F. Kennedy had been loved in Belize, because he was a Roman Catholic, the religion to which most Belizeans belong, and because it was felt in Belize, which was black majority in population during the Kennedy presidency, that Kennedy was sympathetic to the American black civil rights struggle being led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Kennedy had been assassinated, on November 22, 1963, and mourned for decades in Belize before Belizeans began to find out about promises with respect to British Honduras (Belize) which the Kennedy administration (January 1961 to November 1963) had made to Guatemalan President Ydigoras Fuentes in return for Guatemala's support for the April 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion by Cuban exiles.
From the Publisher
Of all the general elections I've seen here since I returned home from school in 1968, the 2012 general election is the one I least understand. Late on election night in March 2012, the Opposition People's United Party (PUP) actually led in seats, if I remember correctly, but the incumbent United Democratic Party (UDP) came back in the end to win narrowly, 17-14.
It had appeared to most observers that the UDP held a substantial lead in that race entering election day, the main reason being that the PUP had experienced leadership instability between late October of 2011 and the early March 2012 generals. In fact, the likelihood is that UDP Prime Minister, Hon. Dean O. Barrow, called the 2012 general election eleven months early because he had reason to believe the PUP was in some kind of disarray.
In February of 2008, Said Musa had resigned as PUP Leader following a huge UDP victory in that month's general election, and the following month John Briceño (Orange Walk Central), supported by Mark Espat (Albert) and Cordel Hyde (Lake Independence), had won somewhat of an upset victory in a leadership convention over Francis Fonseca (Freetown), the candidate supported by the PUP leadership powerhouses of the 1998-2008 PUP administrations - Said Musa and Ralph Fonseca.
Belizeans: a ticking time bomb
Dear Editor and Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow:
Would you be concerned and moved to action if you knew that every day, each man, woman and child in Belize eats a daily dose of harmful chemicals with each tortilla and each slice of bread they ingest?
The facts and statistics tell the true story of the condition of our flour here in Belize, the grain for which is imported by ADM (Archer, Daniels, Midland, a US company out of Chicago, Illinois (USA), and milled by the same company under the name of Belize Mills Ltd. in Belize City. The Belize Mills, ADM online website states that the grain supplied to Belize Mills originates in the US.
Upon closer investigation, the statistics for wheat produced in the US as provided by the USDA (United Stated Department of Agriculture) for the year 2012 states as follows: 99% of durum wheat [hard wheat used in breads], 97% spring wheat and 60% winter wheat is treated with herbicides preharvest.
Dehn fighting fi power! What's next?
In a Channel 5 interview last Wednesday, June 14, former FFB President Ruperto Vicente said, "I have been working for the past year. It's been a long campaign for me, and I've been in communication with all the congress members..." After being sidelined following the deadlocked election vote for President on April 30, 2016, Vicente has been trying to garner support for his candidacy among the voting delegates country-wide for the upcoming June 24 election for President at the FFB 10th Ordinary Congress. First, Vicente made allegations against his opponent, Sergio Chuc, resulting in the Electoral Committee rejecting Chuc's nomination for the post on the grounds that Chuc had crossed ethical lines in securing an unfair advantage in the election, because of his gifts to individuals who would be voting in the elections. With the strong move against Chuc's candidacy, Vicente appeared poised to re-assume the presidency without a contest; but Chuc's former running mate, now Acting President, Marlon Kuylen decided to throw his hat into the ring. And now, there is another attempt to smooth the road for Vicente's return to the top post in the FFB.
Jorge Lemus, 52, found dead in a drain in Unitedville
The body of Jorge Lemus, 52, was found in Unitedville, in a drain bordering the George Price Highway, at around 8 o'clock on Saturday morning.
He was observed with a swollen face and bruises to his left eye.
Today, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ACP), Daniel Iche, told Amandala that Lemus, a construction worker of Unitedville, "was a known alcoholic."
But when our newspaper asked if Lemus may have gotten overly intoxicated and accidentally fallen into the drain, ASP Iche replied, "We will wait on the post-mortem examination result to determine the cause of his death."
While police await the results of a post-mortem, the Lemus family has opted to voice their suspicions to our newspaper.
Amazing Taiwan - Belize: 2017 Cultural Exchange Programme launched
The 2017 Cultural Exchange Programme by the Embassy of the Republic of China on Taiwan was launched this morning at the House of Culture in Belize City.
Captioned "Amazing Taiwan - Belize", the event aims to highlight Taiwanese culture, while exploring similarities with Belizean culture.
Christine Huang, art instructor of the Primary and Secondary Art Skill Training Project, executed through the Embassy of Taiwan in Belize, said in delivering the introduction to the program, that it will feature a presentation of the traditional Zhonhyuan Festival. It will also include the making and launching of water lanterns and the showcasing of an animated Taiwanese film, including insights into the creation of animations. Also, there will be four summer camp groups available to 150 participants, youths and adults.
Fire destroys house in Lake Independence: 5 people homeless
Five people are homeless after a fire completely destroyed a house (and its contents) in Lake Independence yesterday.
The owner of the house, Katherine Sinclair, and her boyfriend, told Amandala that they were not at home at the time when the blaze occurred. Sinclair said she was at her mother's house, and her boyfriend was out selling fish when a friend came and informed her that her house had been on fire. She rushed home and found her house completely destroyed.
Eugene Staine, Sinclair's boyfriend, said that he was going home with his cart when several persons he met told him that his house had been destroyed by fire. On his arrival at his home, he saw the damage. He said he doesn't know what caused the fire.
Supreme Court rejects DPP's application to revoke Nicholi Rhys' bail
The Supreme Court usually hears bail applications on Fridays, so it is on this day that remanded persons who are seeking to be released from custody on bail are usually brought to the court on a removal warrant.
Nicholi Rhys was brought to court today, but he had no bail application hearing scheduled. Instead, the removal order for his transfer from the remand section of the Belize Central Prison was issued to facilitate an application from the Crown for his bail to be revoked.
Crown counsel Jackie Willoughby appeared before Supreme Court Justice Herbert Lord to argue that the two bails that Rhys had been granted should be revoked, and that he should remain in prison until his cases are completed.
Football shenanigans; the ghost of Bertie returns with Ruperto
There is something rotten in Belizean football behind the scenes, and it is so convoluted and distasteful, that we have been reluctant to delve in and divert the attention of football loving fans from the exciting games that the players are engaged in on the field. Unfortunately, while they diligently sweat and give their all for the glory of the game and the joy they attain from giving a pleasing performance to the fans, others are diligently conspiring to see how they can best manipulate the situation to satisfy their own personal ends.
Personal ambition is not a bad thing. Everyone wants to improve and enhance their financial condition. But when such endeavor becomes a drag and a drain on the limited resources which should be utilized to build up the game, so that it can better benefit all who contribute to its improvement, only to satisfy the personal needs of a few, then that is not good for the game.
Breaking Belize News
Two justice systems - one for the poor and one for the political elite
Belizeans, for the most part, would agree that justice in this country is not administered equally. It is a known fact, especially for Belizeans living in some of the most difficult circumstances, facing constant harassment and altercations with the law. There have been [...]
Law Students challenge CARICOM Heads of State for equal access to the Legal Training
Ambassador Irwin LaRocque Secretary General of CARICOM CARICOM Secretariat Turkeyen, Gerogetown, Guyana, S.A. Dear Ambassador LaRocque, We greet you, and each Leader in the network of Democratic and Sovereign States of CARICOM and offer special homage for the work you are doing and will [...]
Two Caribbean Nationals busted with drugs in Harvest Caye
According to police reports, on Tuesday, June 13, 2017 about 8:45 a.m., Placencia Police were called to the Norwegian Escape Cruise Ship that was docked at Harvest Caye in southern Belize. Security Officers reported that they found suspected drugs in a cabin on the ship occupied [...]
Information-gathering Workshop on Orange Walk's Historical Landmarks
The National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) through the Institute for Social and Cultural Research, the Museum of Belize and Houses of Culture will commence research on the various historical landmarks in and around Orange Walk Town. The first activity is an information-gathering [...]
Elderly man drowns in Toledo District
Yesterday, around 12 pm, Ancuncion Choc, 85, of Santa Elena Village, Toledo District went to take a bath in the river. The river is located about 200 yards from his house. Around 1:15, Choc's granddaughter went to look for him and found his clothes and soap [...]
Police investigating vehicle fire in Belmopan City
Yesterday morning around 2:27, police responded to reports of a fire at the compound of Scotches Restaurant and Bar located on the Hummingbird Highway. Police found a 2002 white Mitsubishi Montero SUV engulf in flames. The fire personnel arrived shortly and extinguished the flames. Investigation reveals that [...]
Police find weed, ammo, and gun in Belize City
On Sunday, Belize City police searched an open lot on East Collet Canal which led to the discovery a black plastic bag containing 112.2 grams of cannabis, a black extended magazine, a black 9mm Colt Brand pistol which was fitted with a black magazine. No [...]
6 persons detained for Orange Walk house shooting
According to police reports, last night around 9:28, police visited San Victor Street in Orange Walk Town where they spoke to a person who reported that at about 9:25 p.m. while on the veranda of Lyndon Herrera's resident with 2 men, a man ran in front of the yard [...]
Guatemalan businesswoman robbed in Belize City
Vilma Ritilia Chep, 42, a Guatemalan businesswoman who resides in Belize City reported to police that on Sunday, June 18th 2017 about 3:45 a.m., while almost reaching her home, she felt someone hold her around her neck and demanded her belonging. The assailant searched her and [...]
Family of slain teen protest for justice
Sixteen-year-old Emy Guerra was brutally murdered on Friday night in Santa Familia Village, Cayo. Guerra and her boyfriend Eliseo Bacab were at the football field in the village when they were attacked. Bacab was stabbed multiple times and went unconscious. According to information from [...]
Conflicting reports on arrest of Castro's kids
The Belize police Department has two alternate accounts of an arrest involving Jafari and Wasani Castro, the sons of Transport Minister Edmond Castro. Information leaked to the media showed reports entered into the Police Department's Crime Information Management System (CIMS), showed that the Castros [...]
Belize~The BTIA and Tourism Workers
By Richard Harrison: "The Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) was formed on April 26, 1985 as a broad-based tourism umbrella organization, BTIA sought to bring together tourism related interests to meet the challenges of a dynamic and growing tourism industry in Belize. In the early 1980's tourism [...]
The Castros and the Cops
By Lisa Shoman: I'm a fan of the amazing work that Chester Williams has done on Southside Belize City. He is also a professional colleague of mine and I admire and appreciate that he has worked so hard to earn his credentials. I believe that the decision [...]
Fastest woman in Belize hosting 5th annual Track and Field games
Belize's most decorated female sprinter, Kaina Martinez, an 11-time All-American track athlete, 2-time NCAA Champion, Olympian, and Central American and Belize record holder for the 100-meter event, is hosting her 5th annual Kaina Martinez Track and Field games in July in the beautiful coastal village of Seine Bight in Stann Creek, Belize.
Martinez, who currently attends Texas A&M University, has been hard at work on her education and developing her stellar skills on the track. She recently made a pair of top finishes in the women's 100-meter and 200-meter dash events at the 2017 NCAA outdoor track and field championships at IMG Academy in Florida, USA. But beyond the accolades and recognition for her personal accomplishments, Martinez hosts the annual event in her hometown of Seine Bight in an effort to bring about positive change.
Lets take "A Walk Through" Belize's history
The Belize we know today may not be hundreds of years old, yet we have so much history lying in wait in some of the most unexpected places. These historic landmarks have been cataloged in a pictorial series titled "A Walk Through".
The National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), through the Institute for Social and Cultural Research, the Museum of Belize and Houses of Culture, are the forces behind "A Walk Through". With each new city, town and village explored through the series, new pieces beautiful Belize's history are unearthed. The series is designed to provide educational and historical references for students, educators, tour guides, tourists and the general public. With the publication's earlier volumes featuring Belize City, Dangriga, San Ignacio and Santa Elena, and most recently Benque Viejo del Carmen, our Belizean history hunters are already embarking on a new project! The next stop in the series: Orange Walk Town!
10 interesting fun facts to know about Belize
Did you know that Belize is the only country in Central America where the official language is English? Other languages spoken are Creole (Kriol), Spanish, Garifuna, and Mayan. My mother-in-law actually speaks Garifuna, and part of my daughters middle name comes from her language: Ibari meaning granddaughter. Garifuna is the only African language still spoken in the Western Hemisphere. Most people in Belize speak 2 to 3 languages (they are multilingual).
Belize has the 2nd largest Barrier Reef in the world - the MesoAmerican Barrier Reef System. It is also known as the Great Mayan Reef. The first is the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia. It, like the Great Barrier Reef, are in danger of disappearing because of tourism, overfishing, and global warming. We must work together to save these amazing features of our planet Earth.
Lesson's about the Ecosystem in Belize
Thirty-six percent of Belize's landmass enjoys protected status. Thirteen percent of its waters, including vast portions of the world's second largest coral reef system, are protected as well.
With tourism being one of the country's top sources of revenue, Belize's livelihood depends on nature. And while it is never easy to balance tourism growth with environmental preservation, the small Central American country has long recognized that ignoring the latter means betraying the former.
Since the 1980s, the government has encouraged Belizeans to be stakeholders in their own tourism industry, occasionally supporting community-based projects, according to the travel book Insight Guides Belize. Because residents have a vested interest in protecting their own communities and environment, they are the natural leaders of the ecotourism charge.
10 Reasons Why You Should Visit Belize
1.) Belize is the only English Speaking Country in Central America
Belize is a diverse society with many cultures and languages (Creole and Spanish are widely spoken) however English is the official language, making it easy for travelers to get around.
2.) Belizean food is tasty and succulent
The food in Belize is as diverse as its population and consists of a vast array of elements from the different ethnic groups like the Garifuna, Maya, Mestizo, East Indian and Creole. Some of the top must eats are: Rice and Beans, Fry Jacks, Johnny Cakes, Stew Chicken, Gibnut, Escabeche, Tamales, Hudut, and Fish Sere.
International Sources
REIDsteel on the ball for £12.7million Belize sports center
STEEL construction company REIDsteel has thrown its weight behind the multi-million dollar sports stadium in Belize.
The company, based in Dorset, UK, has performed the structural design, drawing work and fabrication for the new national arena in Belize City.
The $32.9m (Belize Dollars) complex - due for completion in December 2017 - will include international standard volleyball and basketball courts, stands, running tracks, a skateboard park, gym and football pitch.
Police in Belize Arrest Three NCL Crew Members for Smuggling Cocaine
7 News Belize reports that three NCL crew members were arrested in Belize for possession of two kilos of cocaine which was picked up in Roatan and taken on an unidentified NCL cruise ship to the private destination of Harvest Caye, apparently with the intention of being smuggled into the U.S. Smuggling cocaine is big business on the high seas. Two years ago, five NCL crew members on the Norwegian Sun were arrested in Tampa when the cruise ship returned from Roatan where the crew members picked up the drugs. The Tampa Bay Times reported that they worked for NCL as utility workers in the Norwegian Sun's galley.
A few months later, a NCL crew member employed aboard the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship was arrested when he attempted to smuggle cocaine aboard the ship when it was docked in Roatan.
Prince Williams turns 35
The Duke of Cambridge is celebrating his 35th birthday. William, who attended Royal Ascot with the Duchess of Cambridge on Tuesday, is expected to spend the day privately with Kate and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
This year, the Duke is making some major changes to his life by becoming a full-time royal. He is due to finish his job as an air ambulance helicopter pilot later in the summer as the Cambridges leave the countryside for a life in the city.
Caribbean countries convene in Belize for GCF regional dialogue
Representatives from countries in the Caribbean region are in Belize for a four-day Green Climate Fund (GCF) regional meeting to advance collaboration with the Fund and accelerate access to its resources.
Organized in partnership with the Government of Belize and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), the GCF Structured Dialogue with the Caribbean kicked off on 19 June with a high-level session to put a spotlight on countries' climate action plans with the Fund.
With several ministers in attendance, participants learned of the challenges facing Caribbean nations as they grapple with the effects of climate change, such as sea-level rise and increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. Some of the barriers to an effective response, like limited fiscal space and private sector engagement, were highlighted to underscore the importance of GCF backing in the region.
In demand and pricier than ever, lobster rolls have become the cupcakes of the sea
Lobster, the emperor of crustaceans, is on a roll - a roll of near-record-high prices.
A pound of picked lobster meat, the sweet, plump, exquisite ambrosia we like to cradle in a buttery split bun, requires more labor and as many as six lobsters to produce - and it sold for as much as $45 wholesale this spring compared with $17 three years ago.
Celebrated Red's Eats, close to the source in postcard-perfect Wiscasset, Maine, bills itself as the "World's Best Lobster Shack." Red's is charging about $22.50 a roll, after the price soared to $26.50 in May, the highest Deborah Gagnon has seen in four decades of her family operating the business, due to "the extremely cold weather we had. People were wearing winter jackets in May!"
Once sustenance for the poor and prisoners, lobsters constituted early American lunch meat.
"Even in the harsh penal environment of early America, some colonies had laws against feeding lobsters to inmates more than once a week because it was thought to be cruel and unusual, like making people eat rats," Wallace wrote in his 2004 Gourmet essay.
Videos
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Launches Diaspora Website, 5.5min. Belizeans living abroad can now get more involved with what's happening on the mainland thanks to the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Diaspora Program.
Amigos Del Mar, San Pedro, Belize, 4min.
BIG WESTLEY, Belize Oral History, 5min. In this "2 Cents Cam", we interview residents of Belize City to document the heritage and history of Big Westley.
Zip Lining in Belize, 6.5min.
Mule Park, Belize Oral History, min.
Diving in Belize (2017), 4min. Diving in Belize (2017). The Blue Hole, Sharks, Manatees, Rays, Dolphins, Morays..
Public Utilities Commission - Amendments to Electricity Act / Regulations, 32min.
Self Care & Teaching Profession, 19min.
KTV The Remix Returns Open Your Eyes Special, 15min.
House of Shotokan Academy - Summer Camp/Safety Tips for Children, 12min.
Rio Blanco Waterfalls Belize, 2min. Rio Blanco Falls is a series of waterfalls dropping 15-20 feet into a a deep pool. The park is a popular swimming and picnic spot for locals and tourists to search the Toledo District of Belize for recreational activities.
KTV the Remix (June 20, 2017), 1hr46min.
COMMUNITY RESTORE BELIZE STARTS 2017 PROGRAMS AND SPRUCED UP OFFICE, 5min.
Belice VS Costa Rica, 2hr.
Belize Participates in OAS Assembly, 1min.
Green Paradise: Belize Jungle and Coral, 26min. TV Documentary on Belize
Snorkeling in Belize shark ray alley and Hol Chan marine reserve, 11min. The Hol Chan Marine Reserve is only 4 miles southeast of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, and straddles the Belize Barrier Reef. When it was established in 1987, the reserve was the first of its kind in Central America. Buoys mark the boundaries of the reserve and provide anchorage for boats. Since it is illegal to fish and/or collect coral within the reserve, marine life is present in healthy populations. Just a little further south of San Pedro Town, also in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, is the famed Shark Ray Alley. The sharks were originally attracted to the area when fisherman cleaned their catch of the day, but now visitors have the unique experience of swimming with them. But don't worry, these are nurse sharks and won't hurt you.
The water is about 8 ft deep and clear visibility great for snorkeling and lets you interact with these friendly sea creatures and the southern sting rays which also frequent the area.
Caracol Belize 2002, Before They Dug It All Up, 15min. Cavers visit Caracol while the dig is heavily under way, and check a few pits while there.
AmbergrisCaye.com 
