Today's Belize News: July 30, 2017

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Today's Belize News: July 30, 2017 #524830 07/30/17 07:07 AM
Joined: Oct 1999 Posts: 84,392 oregon, spr Marty OP
OP Marty	FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report. 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 David and Anke Doehm are escorted by police officers to the San Pedro Belize Express water taxi in San Pedro Town he couple arrived on the island earlier today as part of the continued investigation into the death of Anke's adoptive daughter 13-year - old Faye Lin Cannon. They are seen here departing the island with what appears some personal belongings. The boutique Rubi Moon, appears to be open after owners David and Anke Doehm arrived on the island this morning The couple was escorted by police to their boutique. According to official sources, they are back on the island as part of the continued investigation into the death of Anke's adoptive daughter Faye Lin Cannon. The Doehms are the main suspects in the little girl's death. United States Acting Charg� d'Affaires, J. Nathan Bland, Hands over 9 Vehicles and Additional Forensic Equipment to the National Forensic & Science Services On July 26th 2017, United States Acting Charg� d' Affaires, Nathan Bland handed over 9 Ford F-150 vehicles and additional forensic equipment valued at over US $800,000 to the Belize National Forensic Science Services. This donation is one part of the overall effort by the U.S. Embassy to assist the Government of Belize in improving the capability and the capacity of the National Forensic Science Services (NFSS) Scenes of Crime Unit to efficiently and effectively process crime scenes. The donation of the vehicles will provide greater mobility to each of the Scenes of Crimes offices throughout Belize enabling them to arrive at crime scenes faster - almost anywhere in the country. This donation also includes various forensics related equipment stocked in each vehicle, including crime scene kits, lights and a generator for night scene processing, cameras, emergency equipment, fire arms identification kits, and several other items. Projects Abroad and DFC Eco Rangers take on school garden project In an effort to tackle various gardening and recycling projects, the 'Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Eco Rangers', along with Projects Abroad Belize, combined forces on Wednesday, July 26th. Dedicated to addressing the issue of excessive garbage, the DFC Eco Rangers was formed by a group of grade-school children with the mission to clean and beautify their residential area in DFC. Projects Abroad, one of the largest volunteer abroad organizations in the world, focuses on areas of teaching, care, conservation and environment, medicine and healthcare, sports, culture and community. Since the DFC Eco Rangers are dedicated to eco-friendly and clean-up initiatives, Projects Abroad thought they would be the perfect partners to help beautify their floating garden at New Horizons Seventh Day Adventist School (NHSDAS). Residents ask relevant authorities to address noise pollution Whether it's blaring music, noisy bars, or house parties, several San Pedro Town residents have complained that excessive noise at night continues to cause disturbance. Furthermore, they claim that their attempts to resolve the issue peacefully have been fruitless. Thus, they ask respective authorities to step in. As noise is defined as any unwanted or inappropriate sound; noise pollution is noise that interferes with normal activities, such as sleeping and conversation, and disrupts a person's quality of life. Since noise pollution is generally treated as an environmental health matter, the Department of Environment (DOE) is tasked with overseeing noise pollution regulations. In a press release issued on June 28, 2017, the DOE stated that noise abatement legislation has been on the books for a quite long time. "The Pollution Regulations speak to 'permissible levels' of noise and the pre-requirement of 'soundproofing' of establishments producing noise. There are measures that can be put in place to reduce the level of noise so it does not affect the quality of life [of] surrounding neighborhoods." Cautious with Crocs during hatching season With the onset of hatching season for the saltwater tolerant American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, the people of Ambergris Caye should be cautious around Belize's shores. Although typically a shy timid species, some American crocodiles around this time of year tend to be more aggressive to protect nests and young. ACES places our highest priority on public safety and governs a country-wide problematic crocodile program to respond to croc calls regarding specific croc-human concerns. While there are currently numerous researchers in Belize studying crocodiles, ACES is Belize's only crocodile rescue and research program operating under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Belize Department of the Environment: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development. ACES works diligently to keep locals and visitors safe by educating on how to coexist with these amazing and eco-important apex predators. Ambergris Today David and Anke Doehm traveled back to San Pedro this morning This time with an entourage of police protection. Official sources tell us they are on the island as part of continued investigation. We will have more updates as they become available. Mahogany Bay Village hosts Costa Maya Delegates as they interact with toddlers and teens making them feel like a princess! Costa Maya delegates enjoy a lovely dinner at Finn and Martini! Misc Belizean Sources Three Detained for Murder in Orange Walk Town On the 29.07.17 at 6:15 a.m. Orange Walk police responded to a report of a body at the entrance of the D Star Victoria Hotel parking lot. Upon arrival officers found the lifeless body of 24 year old Daniel Sosa lying face down with one gunshot wound to the left temple that exited the top of his head. The body of was transported to the morgue. Police have 3 persons detained pending the outcome of the investigation. Queen of the Bay Join us in congratulating Miss Esmeralda Cal on winning the Queen of the Bay - Orange Walk 2017-2018 crown at last night's pageant. Miss Esmeralda Cal, may you reign with the grace and eloquence that you displayed during this competition. We have our District representative now for the national pageant later this year. To all our sponsors, your contributions was an integral part in making last night a reality. Costa Maya delegates at Elvi's! What a wonderful fun evening! On behalf of Ms. Elvi, Management and staff we thank you for visit, it is always a pleasure! Looking forward to 2018! Good Luck to all the beautiful delegates. Let's all go show them our support on Thursday! Connectivity project between Mexico and Belize Connectivity project between Mexico and Belize by El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) continues to have progress. Over 200 tagged bonefish were recovered in half a day of seining in Ambergris Caye. This research started over a year and a half ago and has been possible thanks to Omar Arceo (Omar's Freelance Fishing) and Chepe Polanco from Blue Bonefish of San Pedro. These areas where bonefish and permit have been tagged and recovered will be proposed to the Belize Fisheries Department for a possible protection from threats to the resource base and it's habitat. If this gets through, it will mean a better fishing for many anglers and an overall improvement to the fly fishing industry. BTIA Chapter meeting in Corozal Aug. 2 All our tourism stakeholders in Corozal are cordially invited to our upcoming Chapter meeting. Corozal House of Culture (NICH) Match between two Pok Ta Pok teams from Belize History in the making....the first ever match between two Pok Ta Pok teams from Belize. Yo Creek Ek Balam vs Xaibe Team. Great match. Yo Creek 30 points and Xaibe 8 points. Great match and thanks for all of the support from the fans. Wildfire Introversion Extroversion Performance The performance art at Wildfire Artmosphere was a unique experience, with 3 different vignettes through the evening. Jamaul Roots' performance ended the evening, incorporating dance and music, and drumming. Pictures on fb. WONDER WOMAN AWARD CEREMONY On Friday, July 28, 2017, Defence Minister Hon John Saldivar joined Charg� d'Affaires from the US Embassy Adrienne Galanek and Lieutenant Gregory Soberanis (Belize Coast Guard) as they presented awards to members of the Belize Coast Guard and Belize Defence Force who were victorious in the 2017 Annual Wonder Woman Challenge which took place in May. They handed out medals and gifts to the groups who took first, second and third place in the competition. The presentation of awards was followed by a luncheon. The Annual Wonder Woman Challenge is a competition among women of the security forces. It's a two day event featuring four physically demanding challenges, including a six-mile relay, a run-swim-run competition, the BCG Medley in which the teams must run while carrying four different burdens, and ending with the obstacle course competition. It is meant to foster teamwork and good sportsmanship, and to encourage the recruitment of women into the security sector. Toddlers, Teens & Tiara Event, Costa Maya A Few Day 3 Moments ... more to come ... The Reporter Murder in Orange Walk Orange Walk police have three people detained in an ongoing investigation into the shooting death of 24-year-old Daniel Sosa. Officers responded to a call and headed to the parking lot of the D Victoria Hotel in Orange Walk town, where they found Sosa lying face down in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to the temple. That gunshot also caused an exit wound at the top of his head. Bert Vasquez gets 10 years Bert Vasquez, the man accused of murdering 13-year-old Jasmine Lowe, will be spending 10 years in jail for a conviction of 'forcible abduction' and 'indecent assault'. Justice Adolph Lucas sentenced Vasquez yesterday, giving him three years less than the maximum sentence allowed for the 'forcible abduction', and three years for the 'indecent assault'. The sentences will run concurrently (both counting at the same time) which leaves him with a total of 10 years. Altercation turns fatal Police are investigating an altercation in the west on Friday night, which escalated into one man suffering from chop wounds, while another died from gunshots. San Ignacio police went to a business establishment at the corner of Eden Drive and the George Price Highway shortly after 9 p.m., to find one Jose Leonardo Nunez Castellanos, 37, a Honduran construction worker of Santa Cruz Area, suffering from gunshot wounds. They took him to the San Ignacio Community Hospital, where he died from his injuries less than an hour later. The Belize Times SEDI SHAMED AT THE CCJ There is an old adage that goes - "A man who is his own lawyer, has a fool for a client." This is the truth in the case of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wilfred "Sedi" Elrington, a legal counsel at the Pitts and Elrington firm, who represented himself in a very troubling matter before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). The CCJ has ordered Elrington to return all titles and transfer documents belonging to Progresso Heights Limited within the next 30 days. Elrington, for his part, has maintained that he is not in possession of any of those documents. Furthermore, he claimed he had never received them. However, in his written submissions to the CCJ, Eamon Courtenay S.C., established that the company had made deposits to Elrington's account at the Bank of America in Miami Florida. These deposited cheques contained parcel numbers which corresponded with the parcels sold and needed to be transferred by Elrington. Additionally, Courtenay was able to establish that Elrington had received the documents via registered mail receipts. Bar Association Moves on CJ Benjamin The Bar Association of Belize has moved against the Chief Justice of Belize, Hon. Kenneth Benjamin over outstanding Supreme Court judgments he has failed to deliver in reasonable time. It was reported last week that at its Annual General Meeting on Friday, the Bar would have voted on the issue which is a matter of grave concern. High on their leaked agenda was the over two dozen outstanding judgments. The backlog is between two and five years or more but it appears that the two sides have come to an agreement that will see the CJ work feverishly to deliver those judgments by a certain deadline of some 90 days. That was one of the less dramatic course of actions on the table at the Association's AGM. Other proposals on the table included asking for the head of the Supreme Court's voluntary resignation or calling for his removal. Anke Doehm Shunned in San Pedro Suspected child-killer Anke Doehm was in San Pedro for a couple hours this weekend, but there was no warm welcome for the once popular fashion boutique owner believed to have murdered her adopted child, Faye Lin Cannon, 13. After learning that she had left for the island via ferry from Belize City at 10:30am on Sunday, a delegation of islanders waited for her. According to our colleagues from Ambergris Today, persons followed Anke Doehm and an unknown woman as they walked up the beach and made their way to the apartment at Grand Caribe which investigators say was the murder scene. There Doehm packed up several bags and left the island on the 4:00pm ferry. As she walked and even as she waited for the boat, several persons followed, taking pictures and videos, hurling verbal taunts and invectives at her, accusing her of murdering her own daughter. PUP Defends Cane-farmers - NO CUT in Fuel Subsidies The news went out just last week that the vindictive, uncaring Barrow administration was considering cutting fuel subsidies to cane-farmers in Belize. How heartless could this government be, cutting the only subsidy cane-farmers get at the exact time those farmers have to deal with the loss of preferential markets. If this were to happen, it would cripple the industry because of the exorbitantly high-cost of fuel and production. What is the Barrow administration thinking? The Best is Yet to Come The people of Belize have been betrayed by the United Democratic Party, voted in on an anti-corruption platform in 2008. It is impossible to reconcile the reckless, feckless, brutally, unabashedly corrupt and worthless Barrow Administration of today with that bold yet humble, humanitarian, righteous, pious Barrow Administration of 2008. It frankly boggles the mind to experience today the possibilities that we never imagined back in 2008, so caught up in Mr. Barrow's hype. The now doddering Prime Minister is so much less of a man than he appeared back then when he was wildly swinging that two-sided machete - rhetorically, that is, because that machete, if it ever existed outside of the mind of this man desperate for power, disappeared on Election Day, never to be seen again. The duplicity of Dean Oliver Barrow almost defies comprehension. On December 13th, 2016, the Prime Minister was presented with documents chronicling only one example of blatant corruption by his close friend and former Deputy Gaspar Vega. Man Beats Friend to Death Marlon Peters, 38-year-old employee of the Ministry of Works, was brutally beaten by his friend and co-worker on the evening of Friday, July 14th, 2017. According to sources close to the family, Peters and his co-worker Errol Smith left work at 2:00pm and were socializing together but later that evening something went wrong and shortly before 5:00pm, the men got into an altercation. Sugar Industry at a Crossroads The Sugar Industry Zafra in the North ended on June 16, 2017. Twenty-three thousand tons less of sugar cane were milled compared to last year but 11,000 tons more sugar was produced. This is a clear indication that the quality of sugarcane delivered by the farmers exceeded last year's quality. The final price for this year's crop, $60.55, is a slight increase compared to last year's price. This however is far less than what Mexican cane farmers received for their sugar price. Mexican farmers received payment of 747.80 pesos per ton of sugarcane, which is equivalent to $99.70BZD. Reports are that Belize's next door neighbours, Guatemalan cane farmers, also received payments far above the price paid to Belizean cane farmers. So, while it appears that Belize ranks among the best in sugar cane quality in the region, farmers are being paid the lowest price in an environment of regionally excessive high cost of production. Senate Hearings Cancelled This week's Senate Hearings on Immigration were cancelled by the Senate Select Committee after they could not determine through consensus that the witnesses summoned should testify. These were the audit team members who went into the Immigration Department and pored over their records to find the mass irregularities which the Auditor General Dorothy Bradley detailed in her reports. Those Audit team members, who were scheduled to testify on Wednesday, included Zelda Hill, Jennifer Myvett and Shane Reneau. They showed up as did the entire press but the Senate Select Committee held a pre-hearing meeting to discuss whether or they would hear them or not. No Arrests in Baby Dumping Case Belize City Police are still trying to find out the identity of the parents of a baby which was dumped into the canal separating the East and West Canal streets. The nation looked on in horror and dismay when it was learned that the authorities retrieved the baby's body from a bag after it was fished out of the canal itself. The baby's body was found on Thursday morning, July 20, at around 8:30 a.m., by a City Council employee whose job it is to clean the canal. He told the press that he was already making his rounds when he removed a first bag of garbage. He said that he spotted a second bag, and when he picked it up, it felt a little heavy. He thought that someone had thrown away a dead dog, but when he opened the bag, he realized that it was a new-born baby. If Dah Noh Soh� There's this guy who's always with the bloated Minister from Belmopan. He's the same fellow who came up big in Immigration and is still going to Church every week to thank the good Lord his name didn't come up in the Auditor-General's report. Don't know how they missed him. Anyway, this is the fellow we hear has been paying visits to the fat Minister's BFF in Belize Central Prison lately. Very interesting. Maybe this guy is going on his own accord to find out what prison's like in case he every goes there for an extended stay (still a very distinct possibility). Maybe he's gone there to arrange another photoshoot for the fat Minister. That picture in Mason's bed was a big hit, I hear - although maybe BIG is the wrong word to use in this context. Anyway�I'll be digging into this just a lil bit more. Trust me I'll be getting back to you. Questions to Ministers Would the Member for Queen Square and Prime Minister please provide an update on the implementation of UNCAC in Belize? Could he say if there has been any REAL progress or if this commitment to teachers was just another of his famous rhetorical flourishes? Would the Member for Orange Walk North and disgraced former Deputy Prime Minister please provide an accurate listing of land parcels appropriated by himself, his wife, his brothers, their wives and extended family members while he was Minister of Natural Resources? Would the Member for Corozal Bay and Minister of Health please say if his new wife and daughter of his colleague from Cayo West will remain as Director of the Drug Inspectorate in the Ministry of Health, since he has for months now been advised that it is a conflict of interest? It's Official: Bradley's GONE� Darrell Bradley has been playing hard to get in Belize City, ignoring deadlines to submit his name for the mayoral seat. Unfortunately for Bradley, and certainly for the UDP, his hard to get stance has made him hard to want. And after he embarrassed the Prime Minister last week by refusing to take his calls, Barrow seems to have had enough. In an interview Tuesday, Barrow made his position clear - "The date for applications to have come in is gone. Mr. Bradley did not put in his name. so as far as I'm concerned that's it." U.S. Sent Castro a Message After almost two months of having to hear absolutely ridiculous explanations for why the US yanked UDP Minister Edmond Castro's Tourist and diplomatic Visas, Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred 'Sedi' Elrington finally provided some clarity this week, which included throwing his colleague completely under the bus. At the end of May this year, Minister Castro announced quite casually that the US revoked his Visas. He and the Prime Minister then tag-teamed to downplay the obvious indictment of the Barrow Cabinet. They pretended that the visa-facilitating minister had no need to go to the United States - EVER - and that the Americans chose to revoke the minister's visas two months BEFORE they expired just because� Breaking Belize News Taiwan secures Belize’s loyalty During his two-day visit to Belize, Foreign Minister of the Republic of China Taiwan, Dr. David Tawei Lee, said that Belize has reaffirmed its commitment to his country. Lee wrapped up his two-day visit on Friday, saying that he was pleased with his visit overall, and with Belize's pledge to remain allies with Taiwan, which is running low on friendly nations. Belize City man charged for burglary in Santa Elena Town According to police reports, this morning around 2, San Ignacio police were on mobile patrol in Santa Elena when they met Selvin Linares, 19, of Belize City. A search on Linares resulted in the discovery of a cash pan and a safe. Eyewitnesses say Santa Elena incident was cold murder On Thursday night, a Honduran national was gunned down while eating at a restaurant in Santa Elena Town, Cayo District. Jose Castellanos " El Chele" was shot multiple times in front of his friends around 9 pm at Restaurante Comida Latina y Belicena on the George Price Highway. Yesterday, the police report stated that an altercation ensued between Castellanos and a 31 year old man. Accused murderer walks The man accused of the shooting death of Hansel Garcia on April of 2014 is now a free man. From his hospital bed, Garcia told police that while he was walking through an alley he was shot multiple times by Dangriga resident, Nisani Garcia. Daniel Sosa murdered in Orange Walk Town This morning around 6:15, Orange Walk police responded to a report at the entrance of D Victorian Hotel parking lot in Orange Walk Town where they saw a man lying face down with one gunshot wound to the left temple that exited the top of his head. Two convicted for murder of Sylvan Roberts Justice Antionette Moore has found Donovan Casildo, 26, and Bryan Clarke, 21, guilty of the 2011 murder of Sylvan Roberts. In the trial-without-jury, held in the Belmopan Supreme Court, Moore considered evidence presented such as finger prints and blood from the accused which police recovered from the scene.Moore remanded the men to the Belize Central Prison until September 29, when she will hear their mitigation pleas. Attorney General doesn't want to know who will replace Chief Magistrate Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte is taking a hands off approach to who will replace Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith. Peyrefitte said that he is staying out of the process, and is only concerned with the end result, when a recommendation is made to the Prime Minister for a replacement. "I purposely do not want to have any knowledge of the proceedings or what's happening there, because I do not want it to even be said that somehow the government is trying to influence from the very beginning this selection process by the judicial and legal services commission," Perefitte said. Early morning murder in Orange Walk According to reports, a man was gunned down early this morning in Orange Walk. The body of the victim was found in the parking lot of a hotel in Orange Walk town. Details are sketchy but preliminary information is that the man was socializing with a friend (close associate of a powerful former minister) when they got into an altercation and the friend shot him in the head. Blogs My July Wrap-Up: The Highs, Lows, Animals, Favorite Tours and Eats July is coming to an end - and things during the summer and autumn in Belize tend to slow down. The slow season, the off-season, the low season**. Despite that, I've had a busy few weeks�just after I returned from my yearly trip to the states, my friend arrived for 10 days. And then, with a one day overlap, she departed and family arrived. Horse-riding to Xunantunich with Hannah Stables San Ignacio in Belize, close to the border with Guatemala, has plenty of things to do, from exploring caves with Mayan skeletons, to tubing, swimming and eating delicious street food! One of my favourite activities in San Ignacio was horse riding to Xunantunich. Xunantunich, also known as the Mayan ruins that no-one can pronounce, are actually closer to the Belize-Guatemala border than San Ignacio, near the town of Benque. It is easy to reach by public transport from San Ignacio, just hop on a bus to Benque and get off by the ferry that crosses the river. I was considering doing that, but then found Hanna Stables, which offers horse-riding excursions to the Maya site. Hanna Stables offers half day horseback riding tours in Belize that include pick up from San Ignacio, the ride to Xunantunich, entry, guided tour, the ride back, and a delicious home cooked lunch, before a lift back to San Ignacio. ATM CAVE TOUR IN BELIZE WITH CARLOS THE CAVEMAN It was pitch black. I closed my eyes, then opened them again. It made no difference, I still couldn't see anything. The only sound was the dripping of water, and my nervous breath. Then a voice rang out in the cave�� The ATM cave tour in Belize was an experience like no other. The caves themselves are spectacular, and to be able to see Mayan artefacts just millimetres away was truly unique. I joined Carlos the Caveman on a guided tour of the ATM caves, and was whisked away to another world. Tours to the ATM caves in Belize, officially known as Actun Tunichil Muknal (the cave of the stone sepulchre), can be easily arranged from San Ignacio, the closest major tourist town to the caves. There are several operators who run the ATM cave tour, and all have good Tripadvisor reviews. I later learned that 49 potential guides took the test proposed by the NICH, the National Institute of Culture & History in Belize, but only 23 passed. Now, not all of these guides are active, but there still seems to be a lot of companies in San Ignacio offering tours to the caves. International Sources Unraveling the Mysteries of the Miskitu Kingdom Few people have ever heard of the Central American nation of the Miskitu Kingdom (Miskitu Coast), nor are they aware of the severe suffering that is taking place in this region of along the Caribbean Sea. The history of the Miskitu nation predates Christopher Columbus. Their struggle to regain their rights to exist as a nation has been drowned out with publicly disseminated false information released by many of America's most prestigious in order to quell their claims and human rights abuses. These originated with a simple papal decree issued against the New World peoples and nations. Unraveling the mysteries of the Miskitu Kingdom is as simple as looking at the facts with an open mind. In 1502, during the third voyage of Christopher Columbus, his son Fernando described the Miskitu people as "almost Negroes in color," while Columbus believed them to be "great sorcerers" and "very terrible." Videos 3 dolphins in the lagoon this afternoon, Maya Beach, 1min. Longnosed batfish under a pier in San Pedro, 1min. Look at the blenny scratching and the Hogfish feeding under coral nursery tables at LBC, 2min. At Laughingbird Caye National Park Snorkeling in Belize, 4min. Snorkeling at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley -- off Ambergris Caye, Belize. July 2017. Tour company: Tuff E Nuff Dive Shop. Belize Home Coming, 6min. Belize Honeymoon 2017, 5min. Coco Beach Resort and Sleeping Giant Lodge in Belize. Belize 2017, 5min. Documented my recent trip to Belize and calling it "amazing" is truly an understatement. The weather was nice, the food was good, the people were welcoming, everything went perfectly sans the insane sunburn I got from snorkeling. Belize Trip 2017, 17min. Belize Anniversary Trip, 2017, 10min. Josh and I celebrated our 5th anniversary in Belize this past May. Starting in Caye Caulker, then 3 days sailing down the Great Belizean Barrier Reef with Liberty Tours camping and snorkeling along the way, and finishing at Jungle Jeanie's in Hopkins.